Deborah Tobola
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Alcatraz Surprise
by Deborah Tobola
Recently Poetic Justice Project traveled to Santa Cruz and Alcatraz to perform IN THE KITCHEN WITH A KNIFE, an interactive murder mystery set in prison. This was our second performance on "The Rock"—we performed WOMEN BEHIND THE WALLS there in 2011.
Initially a military prison, Alcatraz operated as a federal penitentiary from 1934 to 1963, housing some of the country's most notorious prisoners, including Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly, Doc Barker, Whitey Bulger, and Robert Franklin Stroud (nicknamed the Birdman of Alcatraz).
Alcatraz is now managed by the National Park Service. Visitors board ferries at Pier 33 in San Francisco to visit the island. The island's rich history includes the Native American occupation of Alcatraz in 1969, which lasted for almost two years and resulted in changes to federal policy regarding Native American self-determination.
Stepping onto the island, you can feel the ghosts of former inhabitants, especially when you arrive in the Main Cellhouse, which features long corridors of tiny cells.
Our show was on the second floor. Instead of bringing a set, our actors played from cells in the Hospital Wing. Because all of Poetic Justice Project's actors have all been incarcerated — in juvenile facilities, jails, and/or prisons, performing in a prison carries a different weight for the actors.
No matter what play we are performing or who that play's cast is, one message we deliver consistently is that people can change. Past mistakes don't have to determine the future. Imagine our surprise when one of the park rangers brought upstairs to meet the cast an 87-year-old man who embodies our message. Robert Luke, accompanied by his wife Ida, was signing his memoir Entombed in Alcatraz downstairs in the gift shop. A convicted bank robber, he was sent to Alcatraz in 1954 — where he became prisoner 1118AZ — after trying to escape Leavenworth.
It was on Alcatraz that the aroma of freshly mown grass prompted an epiphany. He wanted to be out there, not locked up for the rest of his life. Mr. Luke says, ". . .If I had come to Alcatraz by my own choice, then it was certainly my choice to do the rest of my time, get out of prison, get a job, and go straight."
His memoir describes both his 12 years of incarceration (including time served in San Quentin) and his life after he decided to go straight—more than 50 years as a productive, contributing member of his family and community. He married Ida in 1959, the year he was released from Alcatraz. He's worked as a waiter, resort manager and fishing guide, among other jobs.
For anyone in our cast and crew — or our audience — who wonders if a person really can turn his or her life around, here is Mr. Luke, our Alcatraz surprise, showing us the way.
Tickets for Poetic Justice Project's upcoming Central Coast Productions
WHO'S LYING DOWN IN YOUR HEART?
Eva Poole-Gilson's searing drama examines the relationship between two sisters who share childhood filled with painful secrets. This live theatre/film hybrid production is directed by Traci Mettler-Bradbury and funded in part by the California Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. Produced in partnership with Allan Hancock College's Film & Video Department. One show only, Saturday, May 10 at 7 p.m., La Perla del Mar Chapel in Shell Beach.
IN THE KITCHEN WITH A KNIFE
An interactive murder mystery by Deborah Tobola and Dylan O'Harra, directed by Leslie Carson. The cast features many veteran Poetic Justice Project actors. Shows on Friday, June 13 at 7 p.m. at The Grange Hall in San Luis Obispo; Saturday, June 14 at 7 p.m. at Unity Chapel of Light in Santa Maria, and Sunday, June 15 at 3 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church in Santa Barbara. |
