海角大神

The world鈥檚 most unpredictable play only had one performance. It was staged inside a prison. The comedy, 鈥淏reakin鈥� the Mummy鈥檚 Code,鈥� is about a man from ancient Egypt who embarks on a time travel adventure. Along the way, he encounters Robin Hood, Roman gladiators, cowboys, Hamlet, pirates, and 鈥� because why not? 鈥� Freddy Krueger from 鈥淭he Nightmare on Elm Street.鈥� It included a Shakespeare soliloquy 鈥� plus dance numbers.聽

鈥淏reakin鈥� the Mummy鈥檚 Code鈥� was created by incarcerated men inside Sing Sing Correctional Facility in New York. It received a standing ovation in Cellblock B. Now, a new movie explores the play鈥檚 legacy: the healing effect it had on its participants.

鈥淪ing Sing,鈥� directed by Greg Kwedar, reenacts the making of 鈥淏reakin鈥� the Mummy鈥檚 Code.鈥� It even stars one of the play鈥檚 original actors. Already generating Oscar buzz, the movie, which rolls out in theaters starting July 12, chronicles a budding friendship between two incarcerated men. Thematically, it鈥檚 about identity. The characters live in a hypermasculine environment that venerates bravado, toughness, and aggression. But the amateur actors come to discover that empathy, vulnerability, and tenderness are strengths, not weaknesses. The movie makes a case for the rehabilitative impact of arts programs inside prisons.

鈥淚 was a witness to it,鈥� says Mr. Kwedar, who taught an acting class in a prison with his creative partner, Clint Bentley, as part of their research. 鈥淚 think the greatest teacher is what it鈥檚 like to step into another character and move in their shoes and step outside of yourself. That is a process of empathy. ... It gives you a prism to look at all the relationships in your life and to see perspective.鈥�

鈥淪ing Sing鈥� is Mr. Kwedar鈥檚 second movie. His debut, 鈥淭ranspecos,鈥� a thriller about Border Patrol agents, received rave reviews in 2016. He then spent seven years developing 鈥淪ing Sing鈥� with Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA), the nonprofit that runs the theater program.

There are dozens of similar theater projects across the United States. Perhaps the most well-known is Shakespeare Behind Bars. That program, which operates in three prisons in Kentucky and in one in Michigan, boasts a 6% recidivism rate for those who have participated in its productions.聽The Monitor was the first publication to write about that program. Then it became聽the subject of an award-winning 2005 documentary, 鈥淪hakespeare Behind Bars.鈥澛�

鈥淧risons function on shame and guilt,鈥� says Shakespeare Behind Bars founder Curt Tofteland, who has longtime collegial connections with the RTA. 鈥淏ut shame and guilt doesn鈥檛 change behavior. Why? Because shame and guilt doesn鈥檛 change thinking. And the only way that you change behavior is to change thinking.鈥�

These programs don鈥檛 set out to 鈥渇ix鈥� incarcerated men. As Mr. Tofteland puts it, 鈥淚鈥檓 an artist who does work that鈥檚 therapeutic. I鈥檓 not a therapist who does work that鈥檚 artistic.鈥�

When change does happen, it鈥檚 a result of the actors exploring questions that the scripts raise, including 鈥淲ho am I?鈥澛�

The two men at the heart of the story 鈥� John 鈥淒ivine G鈥� Whitfield (played by Colman Domingo) and Clarence 鈥淒ivine Eye鈥� Maclin (who portrays himself) 鈥� had to grapple with those existential questions. As the film unfolds, the audience learns that Mr. Maclin was one of the most feared men in the prison. Acting freed him to shed the gangster identity he鈥檇 clung to. The program helped him learn to express emotions. He even cried onstage. Now, he鈥檚 a natural performer on screen.

鈥淚n conversation with our cinematographer Pat Scola, the big revelation we had early on in our process was, 鈥楾his is a movie about the landscape of the human face,鈥欌�� says Mr. Kwedar. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about drawing close to someone and looking them in the eyes and hearing their stories, and to know their names. And when you do that, it鈥檚 impossible to see that person as anything less than human.鈥�

鈥淪ing Sing鈥� was filmed inside a recently decommissioned prison in New York. Its cast of established and first-time actors includes 13 RTA alumni. The production employed community-based filmmaking. For starters, it had a nonhierarchical pay structure. Everyone on set, including Mr. Domingo 鈥� who recently won an Emmy for the TV show 鈥淓uphoria鈥� and was an Oscar nominee this year for 鈥淩ustin鈥� 鈥� was paid the same rate. The cast and crew are profit participants in 鈥淪ing Sing.鈥� It means that the formerly incarcerated men in the movie 鈥渉ave literal ownership over their own story,鈥� says Mr. Kwedar.

Last month, the director screened the movie inside the Sing Sing facility itself. He calls it the most profound theatrical experience of his life. After the credits had rolled, RTA alumni got up on the stage.

They were able to 鈥渢alk directly to this incarcerated audience and present a vision for them of what鈥檚 possible,鈥� says Mr. Kwedar. 鈥淭hat they鈥檙e needed to be out there, making this world a better place.鈥�