The Bard makes a prison visit

On its surface, the powerful, double-edged documentary “Shakespeare Behind Bars” presents an inspiring behind-the-scenes look at a theatrical troupe of incarcerated men preparing a production of “The Tempest,” but it’s also a sobering, complex look at how the inmates view themselves and the crimes they have been convicted of committing.

Each year, the inmates at the Luther Luckett Correctional Complex, a medium-security facility in Kentucky, mount a Shakespeare play. Before production begins, they cast themselves in surprisingly revelatory roles -- sometimes as females, just as in Elizabethan times. The inmates speak articulately about how they feel the roles choose them rather than vice versa.

As he has since 1995, Shakespearean actor and director Curt Tofteland, arrived in September 2001 to provide guidance and support for what would be a nine-month process. Twice a week he met with the men to analyze their characters and dissect Shakespeare’s text. Many of the players have been working under Tofteland’s tutelage and become very good actors.

As with any theatrical production, the director must deal with losing cast members and recasting roles on the fly. In this case, however, the actors are lost to solitary confinement or are transferred to other institutions.

Director Hank Rogerson skillfully lets the men speak for themselves while allowing their actions to speak even louder. He astutely sets up the theatrical environment and presents them as actors before we learn their back stories. Through often moving interviews, the inmates describe the events that led to their incarceration. It’s a shock to learn that these thoughtful, focused individuals are doing time for murder or sexually abusing minors.

Themes of redemption and forgiveness run deep throughout the film as the men struggle to create new lives. Working on the play has a profound effect on most of the men, but it isn’t a Hollywood transformation. At the end of the day, they still all have big issues to resolve.

The most intriguing figure may be Sammie, a physically imposing man in his seventh season with Shakespeare Behind Bars who has taken the small role of Triculo the jester and is mentoring some of the less experienced cast members. He breaks down when recounting the physical and sexual abuse he experienced as a child and the night he strangled his mistress, a crime for which he has served the last 20 years.

By most measures, Sammie would be considered a prison success story. He has a supportive wife and family, manages the prison’s word-processing business and has a standing offer of a job with a software company when he’s released. However, just before a parole hearing, Sammie expresses doubts about successfully reentering the outside world.

The main strength of “Shakespeare” is its ability to show the vulnerability of its subjects, neither judging nor smothering them with undeserved praise. Rogerson and producer Jilann Spitzmiller ably convey the humanity of the inmates while also exposing them as deeply flawed individuals. The film also reconfirms the enduring relevance and power of Shakespeare and his adaptability to almost any milieu.

*

‘Shakespeare Behind Bars’

MPAA rating: Unrated

An International Film Circuit and Shout Factory presentation. Writer-director Hank Rogerson. Producer Jilann Spitzmiller. Director of photography Shana Hagan. Editor Victor Livingston. Music James Wesley Stemple. Running time: 1 hour, 33 minutes.

At Laemmle’s Fairfax Cinemas, 7907 Beverly Blvd., (323) 655-4010.