The Associated Press
PITTSFIELD, Mass.–Some juvenile offenders in Massachusetts are offered a choice straight out of “Hamlet”: to act or not to act.
Shakespeare & Company, a theatre company in Lenox, works with the courts to get youngsters who run afoul of the law sentenced to perform works of Shakespeare on stage as an alternative to community service or juvenile detention.
For the last 17 years, Shakespeare in the Courts has been used to sentence youths accused of a variety of lower-level crimes, including larceny, vandalism, and assault and battery.
The probation officers, teachers, and others who work in the program hope it will help the teens fulfil a commitment and foster a sense of pride.
Eight teens performed scenes and monologues from various Shakespeare plays yesterday.
