The brainchild of UAB School of Public Health Professor Emerita Connie Kohler, the project brought university professors and students into collaboration with a group of inmates at Alabama’s Donaldson Correctional Facility. The prisoners created the characters and situations they wanted to explore, based on people and events they have known. These men then worked with a team led by Dr. Kohler and UAB Department of Theatre‘s Lee Shackleford to craft and hone these stories into an engaging drama — one that would also address the health issues of most concern to the inmates, ranging from diabetes to Hepatitis C to senile dementia.
Under the direction of UAB Department of Theatre’s Dennis McLernon, and using only limited audio equipment (assisted by a tech-savvy inmate), the men performed the scripts they had written.
The result is a remarkable audio drama created by inmates who have been given the chance to tell their own stories in their own way.
Once the first eight episodes (“Season One”) were completed, the men eagerly worked closely with Dr. Kohler and Prof. McClernon to continue and expand their story, resulting in scripts and recordings for a second “season” of episodes.
Could the series continue yet further? Stay tuned!