For some prisoners in Italy, life behind bars has become an unlikely route towards freedom.
At Volterra prison, one of Italy’s oldest jails, professional theatre-makers have spent almost four decades working alongside inmates to create ambitious performances that challenge conventional ideas about punishment, rehabilitation and the role of art.
The project, known as the “Compagnia della Fortezza”, was founded by director Armando Punzo, who originally entered the prison looking for actors for a theatre company unlike any other.
"I wanted to put theatre to the test in a situation where, even if naively, I thought, and I believe it was the case, that art and culture had absolutely nothing to do with it. And I found that extremely interesting and challenging,” says Punzo.
Instead of professional actors, he found a multicultural group of prisoners with little or no connection to theatre.
