Tennessee Shakespeare Co. - 2024-2025 Playbill

44 TNSHAKESPEARE.ORG THE JUVENILE JUSTICE PROGRAM Juvenile Justice , now in its tenth year, brings TSC teaching-artists into residencies with justice-involved youth and young adults in Shelby County facilities. Currently, we serve the community at the Youth Justice and Education Center with weekly classes. We have served over 650 young people, many of whom have faced the possibilities of imprisonment, long-term detention, or foster care. Participants are encouraged to explore Shakespeare as a means to express themselves through growing an understanding of how the plays’ characters navigate fictional challenges. This program is currently seeking grant and donor support to continue this vital outlet and support for these often unsupported young people. Continuing for a third year is our unique summer camp, Poetic Justice , which is funded by the Tennessee Arts Commission. This camp has served three populations within Shelby County’s justice facilities. Inspired by Shakespeare’s plays as well as poems by contemporary poets, and led by TSC teaching-artists, students this year created over 50 poems that were collected into a printed chapbook that TSC published and is now available to view at tnshakespeare.org . These poems speak to our young peoples’ challenges during incarceration, and their hopes and goals. “Hope -- sometimes it fails But you gotta stay strong Not for long That you might think you need to hold on I promise it’s coming” - “C.”, a Poetic Justice participant Juvenile Justice participant