Stories of Imprisonment:  How are We Not Free?

​

The hero of After., Monty, endured literal imprisonment for nearly half his life. Once exonerated and released, we see he is still in many ways imprisoned by the experience—he struggles to reintegrate into daily life, with decision making, with anger at his wrongful convictions. In less literal ways, some of the other characters also are “imprisoned”: trapped in jobs they hate or abusive relationships.

​

            Explore the many ways we can be imprisoned. Consider broad social factors like race, class, gender, or education level, or instead investigate on the micro-level the ways we can become trapped in our own lives.

Medium suggestions: essay, portrait, poem, monologue or scene

​

Discuss imprisonment in After. Compare and contrast the different types of imprisonment, and connect them to the play’s overall message or theme.

            Medium suggestions: essay, theater critique, lecture, short film

 

Monty struggles with a certain mindset that has resulted from his being institutionalized. Beyond the prison system, any intensely rule-driven organization can have an effect on how we think and behave, particularly if our agency is limited. Even the oil rig workers in Hidden America find it difficult to cope with life outside the intimate, organized confines of their Arctic rig. How do institutions change us? Have you experienced a shift in yourself after spending a long time with some kind of institution? What does this or should this mean about how we design and put people in institutions?

Medium suggestions: personal narrative, monologue or scene, visual art, dance