Penitentiaries of six cities compete in the Ibero-American Theater Festival of Bogota

With the presentation of Antigone, by Sophocles, adapted and directed by Victoria Hernández, the theater group of "Reclusión de Mujeres El Buen Pastor", in Bogota, will be in charge of officially starting the II National Festival of Prison Theater on February 22nd, at the Casa Libertad. This experience, led by Fundación Teatro Interno, in alliance with CAF, Development Bank of Latin America and its Social Innovation initiative, will take place during two weeks in the main cities of the country. 

This is the final stage of a process in which art is placed at the service of personal transformation, re-socialization, and social inclusion of the imprisoned population. The award will be the presentation in the XV Festival Iberoamericano de Teatro de Bogotá (XV Ibero-American Theater Festival of Bogota) in a single presentation which will be held on March 18th at the Fanny Mikey National Theater.  

Having theater as a tool for the generation of opportunities for the imprisoned populations is an unprecedented project in Colombia. An experience thats transcends the show and aims at reconciliation and the rehabilitation of people who are deprived of liberty. 

For Colombian actress Johana Bahamón, Director of the Fundación Teatro Interno, who has undertaken and led this crusade for the vindication of the imprisoned population in the country, "this festival strongly shows how errors can become opportunities and opportunities can change and reconcile human beings". She adds, "fences limit the physical space but not the imagination and the possibilities for a second opportunity for those who have been sanctioned. In addition, it allows those imprisoned to reconcile with themselves, materialize illusions, and manifest their will to counteract the social stigmatization while finding lost values. 

On the other hand, the need to develop useful solutions to some of the social challenges that exist in Latin America is an imperative in the region, and CAF, as a multilateral organization, is present in this challenge through its social innovation initiative. Ana Mercedes Botero, the Institution's Director for Social Innovation, stated, "We need better and different solutions to address the situation of prisons in our countries, and in that respect, theater as a therapeutic and educational tool has the potential to contribute with the rehabilitation and re-socialization of the imprisoned population as well as to humanize criminal policies in the framework of public policies". 

After intense training sessions with the different groups, which included acting practices, body expression, voice management, wardrobe, scenography, and stage make-up, among others, the presentation tour will continue on February 24th at the Coliseo Alfaguara of Jamundí, with the presentation of  "Los Bandidos" by Schiller, represented by the members of the "Complejo Carcelario y Penitenciario" and directed by Lisímaco Núñez, whose group was the winner in the first festival. The presentation of "La Orgía", by Enrique Buenaventura and directed by Nancy Garcia will take place on February 26th at the Teatro Zulima de Cúcuta, and the presentation will be in charge of the group "Complejo Carcelario y Penitenciario Metropolitano".

The stage party will be at the Universidad de Córdoba, in Montería, on March 1st, where the group of the "Establecimiento Penitenciario de Mediana Seguridad y Carcelario" will interpret "La ópera de los tres centavos", by Bertolt Brecht, directed by Miguel Gambín. On March 2nd, the date will be at the Teatro de la Cruz Roja in Armenia, with the presentation of "Nuestra Natacha" by Alejandro Casona, directed by Jaime Torres and represented by the group "Reclusión de Mujeres".

The festival will close at the Pequeño Teatro de Medellín, on March 4th, with the world premiere of  "Desde adentro", an unpublished work by Director Ricardo España, co-created and musicalized by the members of the group "Establecimiento Penitenciario y Carcelario de Reclusión Especial y Pabellón Justicia y Paz" of Itagüí.

The Ministry of Justice and Law, and the Instituto Nacional Penitenciario y Carcelario (INPEC) (National Penitentiary and Prison Institute) support this initiative. A jury which includes María Fernanda Fuentes, Angélica Blandón, and Daniel Botero, will be in charge of selecting the winning group of the II National Prison Theater Festival, thus recognizing the effort, creativity, dedication, and originality of the more than 100 interns that directly participate in the program, and who will show, on stage, that although they find themselves behind fences, their spirit remains free.