These times of midterm preparations can be harrowing, but on Friday, October 18 I got a reprieve when I took a trip out to William Head Institution to review William Head on Stage’s new theatre production, Hatched.
William Head has been running their globally recognized theatre program William Head on Stage (WHoS) since 1981, producing a huge spectrum of theatre pieces, ranging from Shakespeare to Euripides. Many of the plays are written by the inmates themselves, and Hatched is one of these pieces, hatched entirely from the hearts and heads of the men living there.
Hatched, directed by Kate Rubin, differs from other plays I’ve reviewed for WHoS. It digs very deep, telling the non-fiction story of the process of writing a play inside a prison. We watch the actors playing themselves (with name changes) as they try to be a creative team coping with the very real challenges they face everyday. The audience is immediately pulled into their lives and can’t help but adopt the feelings of frustration and helplessness that one must feel when locked away from the world.
Although the premise of Hatched is a difficult one, the play itself isn’t dark. It’s filled with genuine emotion and shows the solidarity of the lifelong friendships that are formed there. There were also bits that were so funny I was rocking in my seat. The set, designed by Carole Klemm, is simple but effective, with walls that roll across the stage in order to become whichever room—or cell—is needed.
With this jaw-dropping look at the inside life, WHoS has produced something that will pull heads out of the sand and hearts out into the open. Hatched is a wondrous work of art, a piece I believe might make a mark in history books.
Hatched
Various times and dates
Until Saturday, November 2
$35, William Head Institution
whonstage.weebly.com