By Curt Tofteland, Founder, Shakespeare Behind Bars Program
The Mission of Shakespeare Behind Bars is to offer theatrical encounters with personal and social issues to incarcerated, post-incarcerated, marginalized, and at-risk communities, allowing them to develop and expand life skills that will support their reintegration into society. Founded in 1995, Shakespeare Behind Bars is the oldest, continuously operating program of its kind in North America. Each year Shakespeare Behind Bars serves 200+ incarcerated adults and juveniles in thirteen SBB programs in Kentucky, Michigan, and Illinois.
Curt L. Tofteland, as the Founder of the internationally acclaimed Shakespeare Behind Bars program, produced and directed fourteen all-male Shakespeare plays. SBB is the subject of the multiple award-winning documentaries by Philomath Films. During his twenty-year tenure as the Producing Artistic Director of Kentucky Shakespeare Festival, Curt produced fifty Shakespeare productions, directed twenty-five, and acted in eight. As a professional director and an Equity actor, he has 200+ professional productions to his credit. Additionally, he has presented 400+ performances of his one man show Shakespeare’s Clownes: A Foole’s Guide to Shakespeare.
