WHAT I WANT MY WORDS TO DO TO YOU: VOICES FROM INSIDE A WOMEN'S MAXIMUM SECURITY PRISON (TV)
Summary
This documentary focuses on a writing workshop led by playwright Eve Ensler at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility in Westchester, New York. It includes footage of the workshop meetings conducted in a classroom at the facility, interspersed with footage of the rehearsals for and the performance of a staged reading of the inmates' manuscripts by actresses Marisa Tomei, Rosie Perez, Glenn Close, Hazelle Goodman, and Mary Alice. Footage of Ensler, reading her own monologue about Bedford Hills Correctional, opens the program. The program then leads the viewer through several of Ensler's writing exercises, showing the process: inmates read their writing and get feedback at the workshop; the actresses rehearse with Ensler, often responding to the work as they go along; and the inmates attend the final performance of the work in the prison auditorium, where both the actresses' performances and the individual inmates' responses are captured on tape. Particular inmates are highlighted in the segments: Keila Pulinario reads her account describing the facts of her crime, generating comments from Michelle McWilliams, Migdalia Martinez, Jan Warren, Roslyn Smith, and Judith Clark (her piece is later performed by Rosie Perez); Betsy Ramos reads her monologue about "what I want my words to do to you"; Judy Clark reads her writing about a scar on her forehead, which leads to a discussion of inmates' relationships with their mothers in the workshop, and her work is later read by Mary Alice; Anna Santana reads her "what I want my words to do to you" piece; Pamela Smart, who had a particularly high-profile case, reads her work where she attempts to explain to her mother how she ended up in prison, and others in the workshop comment on the writing; actress Hazelle Goodman performs Kathy Boudin's words about what she wants those listening to hear; Monica Szlekovics reads her letter to her mother explaining her fifty years-to-life sentence and her loss of hope, to which Smart, Boudin, and Donna Hylton respond (which Marisa Tomei later performs); Cynthia Berry reads her letter to her mother-in-law, also explaining her crime, which provokes a response from Betty Harris (which Glenn Close later performs); Rosyln Smith reads her account of a surprising act of kindness she experienced in prison, which is later performed by Close. A final exercise has the women around the classroom describe what has changed about them since they entered prison. The program concludes with excerpts from the performance in the prison, including footage of particular audience members reacting as the selections are read.
Details
- NETWORK: PBS
- DATE: December 16, 2003 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:19:21
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:76406
- GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: Crime and criminals - Female offenders
- SERIES RUN: PBS - TV, 2003
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Eve Ensler … Executive Producer
- Carol Jenkins … Executive Producer
- Judith Katz … Executive Producer
- Madeleine Gavin … Co-Producer
- Gary Sunshine … Co-Producer, Writer
- Mary Alice … Cast
- Glenn Close … Cast
- Eve Ensler … Cast
- Hazelle Goodman … Cast
- Rosie Perez … Cast
- Marisa Tomei … Cast
- Nerys Arias
- Cynthia Berry
- Kathy Boudin
- Judith Clark
- Betty Harris
- Donna Hylton
- Migdalia Martinez
- Michelle McWilliams
- Nora Moran
- Keila Pulinario
- Betsy Ramos
- Anna Santana
- Pamela Smart
- Rosyln Smith
- Shanta Striklin
- Monica Szlekovics
- Jan Warren