Students / Inmates on “I Stand Here Before You”   
 

I am still a man. And I’m writing this message so that you can understand.           

Why did you wish to participate in production of “I Stand Here Before You”?

• I wanted to be recognized for something positive.

• I wanted to express my inner feelings through this program.

• I just wanted to participate and express myself!

• I wanted to get out of my cell, and came in here and found out I liked acting!!

• I wanted to finish what I started.

• I wanted to express myself.

What did you feel were the most rewarding aspects of participating?

• Getting recognized for having talent!

• Amen to the previous comment.

• Having the opportunity to show how I can do something!

• I showed myself that I could do something new, and do it well.

• Seeing the expression of the audience and especially the deputies.

• At the end, when everyone came up and congratulated me!

• Hearing someone compliment me on my writing and bringing my words to life!

• Exposure and the privilege to show people that we are more than inmates and we all have gifts to give.

Which aspects were the least rewarding and/or helpful?

• The message of the play was not sent out further to a wider audience.

What did you learn about yourself through your participation?

• I did not know I had talent.

• When I was young and they used to tell me about these school things, I never did them.

• I found out now that I wasn’t scared any more.

• I learned to be patient, and let things play out!

• There is always room for improvement.

• You can always better yourself.

• I learned that I like theater and acting.

• I learned that I could memorize more than a couple of lines and put emotion into it.

• I learned I could express myself through writing.

• I can be dedicated to something meaningful.

• I can make my family proud of my accomplishments. 

Are there any additional benefits that you perceived as a result of your participation?

• I learned new vocabulary: testifying vs. preaching.

• I learned how to block out the ignorance.

• I will advise others to give theater a try.

• I learned to speak a message through another way, not just saying it but also delivering it through acting.

• I can express myself to others.

• I actually want to go to college for drama.

Have you participated in a similar program in the past?

• No.

• When I was 4 years old, I participated in a program at the Apollo.

• When I was elementary school.

• I participated in the ADEPT program.

• I have participated in a few programs like, Freedom School, and church plays, and school plays

Do you think this was a worthwhile thing to do?

• Yes because I got a lot more experience from doing it.

• It was a good experience.

• It was worth my time.

• We gained a lot of experience.

• We had a chance to come out of our skin and jump into a new skin and show all the other inmates.

• It brought us out of our shells. 

Do you feel that this program should be continued?

• “YES!!!!”

• It can inspire incoming inmates!

• Yes, yes, yes, yes

What would you change about this program?

• The space where we practice.

• Doing the play outside.

Did this experience change your outlook on life? If so, how?

• Yes, it changed my outlook. I really didn’t know I could do this.

• Hard work pays off in the long run.

• It gave me other looks on life, that life is not a joke!

• After reading what the young ones wrote, life is more important than the block.

• It helped me find out that you can express yourself through words better than through actions.

• It showed me that I have so much to live for.

Do you have anything you wish to add to this discussion regarding this experience?

• For the future actors, this is a good experience.

• This will help inmates express themselves.

• I want to thank people for giving me this opportunity.

• This is a great program.

• I got to reach out to others and try to help them choose the right path to go down.