Theatre & Incarceration
The Case of Clyde’s

The Theatre & Incarceration class, led by Dr. Deana Nichols, explored plays featuring incarcerated and formerly incarcerated characters, and learned  about organizations who make theatre with incarcerated people. The students’ consistent project throughout was to extend research support to the Theatre Department’s production of Lynn Nottage’s play Clyde‘s, directed by Deana Nichols.

In Clyde’s, a group of formerly incarcerated people work in a diner, using sandwiches as a means to build community and transcendence over the frustrations of reentry. The Theatre & Incarceration class served as dramaturgs for the production, conducting research on many issues surrounding the play and its characters. The results of that research were featured in the production program and lobby display; they are made available here as for anyone who is interested in examining how theatre and incarceration can intersect, anyone who is interested in dramaturgy, or anyone who is interested in Clyde’s. 

Students used the platform Microsoft Sway to build their interactive displays.
The tutorial was led by student lab assistant Kyra Kellogg and Dr. Jen Andrella