For an hour or so, an array of San Quentin prisoners, staff members and volunteers stepped out of their routine into the shoes of Shakespeare actors, to the delight of a packed prison chapel.
The eighth annual performance was a unique perspective of the Shakespeare comedy “Twelfth Night,” using political satire and music of the ‘60s.
The production was the work of Suraya Keating and Lesley Currier of the Marin Shakespeare Company, who spent countless hours teaching the finer aspects of acting.
San Francisco Chronicle writer Kevin Fagan described the performance with these words: “Talk about contrasts – and transformation…14 murderers, robbers and other criminals doing time at San Quentin State Prison got to be defined by more than the ugly nature of their offenses – they got to be actors – Shakespearean actors, no less. And they were pretty darn good at it.”
JulianGlenn Padgett won over the audience with his comedic interpretation of the character Malvolio, who was a butler in love with the lady of the house, Olivia. Weeks after the performance he was still receiving accolades from prisoners and staff.
The performers demonstrated a wide range of talent. For example, Michael Anthony said, “The most difficult part of playing a female character (Olivia) was me. I had to deal with my self-consciousness and my inhibitions. I was afraid of what others would think about me, especially my fellow prisoners. It was very difficult to open up and let myself go.”
John Neblett explained why he wanted to learn the art of acting with these words: “It helps me to temporarily forget this environment…it allows me to work on who I am as a person; it’s like therapy.” Neblett portrayed a sea captain.
The cast also included Angel Alvarez, Joey Barnes, John Vaden, Eric Lowery, Parry “Spike” Simpson, A. Terrell Merritt, Erin O’Connor, John Owen Neblett, Jonathan Wilson, Henry “Black Myth” Montgomery, and Joey Mason.
San Quentin staffers Laura Bowman, Steve Emrick, Lt. Samuel Robinson, Capt. Michael A. Chirila, and Acting Warden Michael Martel facilitated the event with the support of Laurie Brooks and the Williams James Association.
The play was widely covered by the Bay Area media, including The Chronicle, Stark Insider, San Mateo Daily Journal, KTVU-TV News, NBC Bay Area television, and Broadway World.
