Prisons of our own perceptions
Zip! Zap! Zoom!
About a dozen students at Westville Correctional Facility stand in a circle and trade finger points while saying these words in a competitive game that doubles as a warm-up for an acting class.
Zip! The mood is jovial. Zap! Aaron takes the energy from Shakka and turns to send it to Antwan. Zoom! Anyone who hesitates accepts their loss and steps out of the circle without complaint.
A prison is a setting where any vulnerability can lead to physical attack. Yet the students in Scott Jackson’s Acting Shakespeare class—part of Holy Cross College's program at Westville—are willing to follow along with his funky warm-ups and dramatic breathing exercises.
“We’re going to be vulnerable, take the hard focus out of our eyes and be trusting,” says Jackson, the Mary Irene Ryan Family Executive Artistic Director of Shakespeare at Notre Dame. “We’re breathing out from our core, the seat of impulse and instinct.”
Latest ND NewsWire
- Asian American journalist and activist Helen Zia to speak at Notre DameHelen Zia, a pioneering journalist, author and activist, will present the Asian American Distinguished Speaker Series lecture at the University of Notre Dame at 5 p.m. on March 19 (Wednesday) in the Smith Ballroom at the Morris Inn.
- More than 1,000 local students participate in Building Trades Day at Notre DameThe University of Notre Dame, in partnership with the Michiana Area Construction Industry Advancement Fund, St. Joseph Valley Building Trades, South Bend Regional Chamber of Commerce and Greater Niles Chamber of Commerce, hosted Building Trades Day on Friday (March 7) at Stepan Center on campus.
- Through respectful dialogue and encounter, students learn about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and work for peaceA recent intercultural encounter in Rome enabled Notre Dame students to learn about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by meeting and talking with people who have lived through it. The trip, which built upon a Notre Dame class and a related Notre Dame Forum Series, reflects the University's larger focus on civil dialogue and the empathetic, people-first approach it has taken to teaching and learning about the conflict.
- Award-winning actor, Mishawaka native Adam Driver visits with Notre Dame, Robinson Center studentsActor Adam Driver paid a surprise visit to the University of Notre Dame on Wednesday (Feb. 5), meeting with Film Television and Theater students and Robinson Community Learning Center students. He also met with military veterans on campus.
- Events planned for Women's History MonthThe month of March is recognized annually as Women’s History Month, a time set aside to recognize the achievements and contributions women have made to the nation and the world. Several in-person events are taking place across campus in conjunction with the annual observance.
- The law against war ‘appears to be dead,’ according to Notre Dame Law School professorIn the new article, “What Remains of Law Against War,” Notre Dame Law Professor Mary Ellen O'Connell places the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the top of a long list of international lawbreakers worldwide and states, “The law against war appears to be dead.”
