All Life is Learning - October 2024

Kelly O’Leary 
OLLI at WMU Senior Readers Theater Playwright  

Learning can take place almost anywhere. On August 21, 2024, OLLI’s Senior Readers Theater at Western Michigan University went to prison. Eight months earlier, McGwire Hidden, the program coordinator in philosophy who teaches at Lakeland Correctional Facility, saw us perform at OLLI’s January Thaw and noticed that we had something in common with these students, all of whom are participants in the Higher Education for the Justice Involved (HEJI) program. They, too, were studying theater and acting parts in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. What we didn’t know then, is that this group of inmates had been selected from a rigorous admissions process to attend WMU classes within the facility and work toward bachelor’s degrees. They are, in fact, bonafide WMU students, and had just finished their first year of study.

The plan was to bring us together to perform for each other with a talk-back afterwards. Without the assistance of McGwire, Dale Brown, Director of WMU’s Prison Outreach Program, and Dr. Toni Woolfork-Barnes, Director of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at WMU, we would never have had the opportunity to perform for this cohort of 22 WMU students.

Upon arriving at the facility, we could see large, tan and white pole barns. A medium security prison of just over 1,400 people, Lakeland houses 160 men in each barn, eight men to a room. An intimidating fence with circular barbed wire encloses the location. We were let out at the entry center, and, since we had already undergone background checks a month earlier, we only had to turn in our driver’s licenses and undergo pat-downs in groups of four to be admitted.

A correctional officer asked us to follow him and two officers down the hall out into the yard. We had anticipated this moment for eight months, but a surprise awaited us.  From the drab entry center, we emerged into colorful gardens thoughtfully planted for height, color and impact! Reds, purples, yellows, and all shades of green foliage and vegetables contrasted sharply with the blue uniforms of people milling around in the yard. We learned that the Lakeland Facility donated 23,000 pounds of garden produce to the local community last year.

During the quarter mile walk to the gym where the students awaited us, the people in the yard were all respectful, greeting us and making eye contact as a way of asking for our acknowledgement of them as individuals. Many were young or middle-aged, but among them were those in wheelchairs or supported by walkers. Besides the three correctional officers, four others joined us on the walk, and we would later learn that one was the deputy warden.

The men, ranging in age from their 20s to 70s, were seated in a corner of the gym when we took our seats facing them. McGwire asked them to briefly introduce themselves to us and say what they liked most about their classes. A student in his fifties said, “When you’re in class and living together, it’s a different kind of bond and family that forms within the group. You find out you have nothing to fear.” Another added, “I made some bad decisions in the past, so it’s important for me to be in school and be a role model for my nieces and nephews.”

As each student introduced himself, they thanked us for coming. And then, it was our turn to perform Euchred by Years, a play about the aches and pains of entering the golden years. We have performed a number of times at community centers and senior residences, each performance followed by a talk-back lasting about 30 minutes. What happened next is something none of us will soon forget.

Elsie Romano, one of our members, put it best: “We had little idea of what they expected from us and wondered if they would be engaged. WOW! Were they ever! Our twenty-minute play drew laughter, smiles, nods of understanding, and a Q&A that lasted the good part of an hour and a half! Their questions were thought-provoking. Their comments were full of insight.”  

One of the students, with dreadlocks to his shoulders, turned his critical eye to the play’s content and explained, “I was scared about aging after hearing the first part of your play. After I listened to the second half, I saw that there are still some good times ahead but maybe you could emphasize them more,” which drew out laughter. 

OLLI member, Lori Drogosh, remarked, “I was impressed by the attentiveness and interest the students had throughout our performance. It was evident that they were willing to work hard to better themselves.” 

Although they did not perform a scene from Julius Caesar, as we had expected, our Stage Manager, Sharon Wade, observed that the tenor of the conversation changed once McGwire asked them to talk about the play. The camaraderie of the men rippled through the group. They laughed among themselves at an inside joke involving Caesar, Brutus, and Cassius. We were privileged to see the familial feeling evoked through theater from this group of individuals who were blossoming in ways that not even incarceration could conquer.

One student said, “I don’t like acting. I’m not a public speaker, but reading this play brought us together.”

“I never talked a lot, but acting helped me communicate better with the other guys,” another said.  

The loudspeaker interrupted us several times over the course of the talk-back, calling for “Number 948 or 657 to report here or there.” It was a reminder that we were in the presence of men who had committed crimes, and that out in the prison yard, they had no names, only numbers. Not once, however, did we feel unsafe. After the talk-back, they formed a line, shook our hands, and once again thanked us for taking time out of our day to perform for them before they were escorted out.  

As we returned to the WMU vehicles, Stephanie Grathwol said, “I walked out feeling hopeful.”

“Yes,” Linda Ginsberg said, “I was struck by the humanity that these individuals still possessed and exhibited in our discussions, in spite of their circumstances. It was an experience I will not forget.”

“The visit showed that common ground and respect between diverse groups is possible, especially when it concerns the arts and education,” agreed Valerie Denghel.

The deputy warden assured us that we will be asked back—and we will absolutely return—because we learned a lot about humanity and the transformative power of education that day.