Attica! Attica!

I’m trying to contain my excitement this morning in anticipation of this evening’s entertainment: Richard III as performed by the inmates of Luther Luckett Correctional Complex over in LaGrange, Kentucky. I’ve been wanting to see these Shakespeare Behind Bars guys for years, but getting into one of the public performances isn’t easy. Seating is extremely limited because they basically perform in a small chapel. Plus with my checkered past it’s hard to pass the background checks.

I’ll probably spend the rest of the day reading the instructions for gaining entry to the prison. No khaki clothes, no phones, no food or drinks, no wallets or keys. It’s a bit intimidating. I haven’t been “inside” since my n’er do well days as a musician. One night we needed a microphone so we broke into this electronics store…actually back in college I sat in with a Christian rock band that needed a bass player. They didn’t tell me the gig was at a minimum security penitentiary until we got there. I tell you, one of these days I’m going to make a list of all the weird things I’ve done in my life, then burn it before my wife, children or parents get a chance to read it.

Anyway, these SBB guys are supposed to put on some of the best Shakespeare in the region. They should, they practice the play for an entire year…pretty much all the time I’d guess. I expect the show will have a little extra ring of authenticity since all the female roles will be played by men as they were in Shakespeare’s day (most actors back then were also criminals who had no other way of making a living). This show should have a little extra energy what with the bones of Richard having been discovered this year. Barring a prison riot I’ll be back tomorrow to tell the tale. See the movie about the troupe if you can. It’s fascinating.