In "PERFORMING NEW LIVES", well-established theater experiences in European prisons have been associated to create a common methodology, which results from an experimentation among all the partners in their prisons, which converge in a toolkit about methodologies and techniques for prison theater. It has been edited with the title “Discovering New Lives” and it can be downloaded from the websites of each partner in their national languages, and a common version in English. This result is aimed to increase the dissemination and knowledge of this practice, with the objective of giving a new image of the culture in prisons, showing important experiences for the humanization and effectiveness of the European penitentiary system. In fact, although theater in prisons is quite widespread, there is little specific literature, especially about methodologies: we provide a useful text with this project. It's important to remember that official statistics resulting from an investigation of the Centro Enrico Maria Salerno from Rebbibia Prison in Italy shows that whilst relapse is about 70%, inmates following professional theatre programs have a relapse of less than 20%. “By 2018 there were 643,000 inmates in European prisons [...] Most of them lack education and have low skills. Education plays in prisons an essential role in promoting rehabilitation and preventing relapse "(ec.europa.eu/_/crime statistics). Prison is one of the most difficult environments to intervene with educational projects, either because of the climate generated by the confinement, or because of the characteristics of a large part of the prison population: low level of schooling, socioeconomic precariousness, marginality. Beneficiaries are the trainers and the apprentices of the partners, the inmates (engaged ca. 150, indirectly ca.3000) the prison staff and the whole society that will benefit, with inmates better prepared for their reintegration at the end of the sentence, theatre actions play an important role in the fight against stigma, an essential condition for ensure inclusion. The project reflects the objectives of the Erasmus + Program in terms of promoting equity and inclusion. The right of the inmates to culture is recognized, although of difficult action. With theater, where inmates are not judged on the basis of "school" parameters, important results are achieved in terms of acquiring basic and transversal competences. Theatre develops self-confidence and self-esteem; it offers new scenarios of thinking and emotions to people who live in great sensorial deprivation. It implies the "representation" of specific problems (exclusion, diversity, racism, discrimination, etc.) and allows inmates access to expression. It requires the inmates an important interactive process of learning and group work, leading to a restoration of subjective qualities, a recovery or production of self-esteem and self-confidence that can sustain eventual formal educational efforts, re-socialization and reinsertion. The associated theatrical companies are also living schools of a kind of theater that is not taught in any academy. All partners face the same type of situation, but each one had to generate its own theatrical methodology and practice and an adequate strategy of action: an important and common data is e.g. the presence in prison of a large number of foreigners, which may exceed 40%, with similar socio-anthropological and cultural problems and where theater has proved to be an excellent instrument for the promotion of dialogue and integration. Our project will reinforce the pedagogical and operative capacity of these unique prison-theater-schools, tackling the Europe 2020 strategy that sets the target of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth.
In "PERFORMING NEW LIVES", well-established theater experiences in European prisons have been associated to create a common methodology, which results from an experimentation among all the partners in their prisons, which converge in a toolkit about methodologies and techniques for prison theater. It has been edited with the title “Discovering New Lives” and it can be downloaded from the websites of each partner in their national languages, and a common version in English. This result is aimed to increase the dissemination and knowledge of this practice, with the objective of giving a new image of the culture in prisons, showing important experiences for the humanization and effectiveness of the European penitentiary system. In fact, although theater in prisons is quite widespread, there is little specific literature, especially about methodologies: we provide a useful text with this project. It's important to remember that official statistics resulting from an investigation of the Centro Enrico Maria Salerno from Rebbibia Prison in Italy shows that whilst relapse is about 70%, inmates following professional theatre programs have a relapse of less than 20%. “By 2018 there were 643,000 inmates in European prisons [...] Most of them lack education and have low skills. Education plays in prisons an essential role in promoting rehabilitation and preventing relapse "(ec.europa.eu/_/crime statistics). Prison is one of the most difficult environments to intervene with educational projects, either because of the climate generated by the confinement, or because of the characteristics of a large part of the prison population: low level of schooling, socioeconomic precariousness, marginality. Beneficiaries are the trainers and the apprentices of the partners, the inmates (engaged ca. 150, indirectly ca.3000) the prison staff and the whole society that will benefit, with inmates better prepared for their reintegration at the end of the sentence, theatre actions play an important role in the fight against stigma, an essential condition for ensure inclusion. The project reflects the objectives of the Erasmus + Program in terms of promoting equity and inclusion. The right of the inmates to culture is recognized, although of difficult action. With theater, where inmates are not judged on the basis of "school" parameters, important results are achieved in terms of acquiring basic and transversal competences. Theatre develops self-confidence and self-esteem; it offers new scenarios of thinking and emotions to people who live in great sensorial deprivation. It implies the "representation" of specific problems (exclusion, diversity, racism, discrimination, etc.) and allows inmates access to expression. It requires the inmates an important interactive process of learning and group work, leading to a restoration of subjective qualities, a recovery or production of self-esteem and self-confidence that can sustain eventual formal educational efforts, re-socialization and reinsertion. The associated theatrical companies are also living schools of a kind of theater that is not taught in any academy. All partners face the same type of situation, but each one had to generate its own theatrical methodology and practice and an adequate strategy of action: an important and common data is e.g. the presence in prison of a large number of foreigners, which may exceed 40%, with similar socio-anthropological and cultural problems and where theater has proved to be an excellent instrument for the promotion of dialogue and integration. Our project will reinforce the pedagogical and operative capacity of these unique prison-theater-schools, tackling the Europe 2020 strategy that sets the target of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth.