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Theatre and prison, asserts Caoimhe McAvinchey (2011), initially seem incompatible, since enjoyment and distraction are inherent in one; punishment and suffering in the other. But, McAvinchey argues that “both sites are culturally defined spaces which reflect, re-inscribe or potentially re-imagine ways of being in the world” (p. 60).
Theatre, crime, and punishment have always been linked. Since ancient times the public have been called upon to witness the spectacle of criminals in the stocks or watch crucifixion, whipping, or hanging. In Jeremy Bentham's original panopticon (all-seeing) conception of a prison, the walls were designed to be made of glass so that the public, as well as the guards, could observe the incarcerated. Theatre enables the audience to see in what ways they too may be imprisoned—in relationships, addictions, ideologies, and so forth. All too often, however, it seems that the public or audience are locked in a “them and us” mentality about the human condition, specifically around good and evil.
When Hamlet instructs the players in Act Three of Shakespeare's play, he sets out the “purpose of playing”. He explains that it is like holding “a mirror up to nature”—an invitation to the audience to see their own thoughts and actions reflected on the stage. Thus Hamlet unlocks a capacity to identify with unacknowledged feelings, not just his own.
The idea of theatre as a vehicle for mobilising emotions can be traced back as far as Aristotle, who coined the term “catharsis” (literal meaning “purging” or “purification”) to describe the effect that watching tragedy on stage has on the mind and body. Furthermore, Freud used examples from theatre (specifically Sophocles, Shakespeare, and Ibsen) to expound his theories on psychoanalysis.
The rise of naturalistic theatre in the nineteenth century saw the development of the fourth wall. This refers to the imaginary conceptual barrier separating performers from audience, and can be seen as a way of enabling viewers