Slings and arrows set aside in Allegheny County Jail-based ‘Hamlet’ workshops

Duquesne University students spent a semester with incarcerated individuals using Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” as a means to discuss justice and “squash the beef.”“PublicSource is an independent nonprofit newsroom serving the Pittsburgh region.& Sign up for our free newsletters.”by Maddy Franklin, PublicSourcePage 117, Act II.Shawn Daniels lifts himself out of a rigid chair, walks to the middle of the room and launches into a soliloquy. He’s reciting lines from the titular character in the Shakespeare play, “Hamlet,” to a group of around 20 students at the Allegheny County Jail.It’s just after 9 a.m., but no one seems tired — especially Daniels.He moves around the drab room that stands in for a Danish castle, catching eyes with everyone seated and inflecting his voice.“Am I a coward?” he softly asks. “Who calls me villain?” Shawn Daniels performs as Hamlet during a class of people incarcerated at Allegheny County Jail and Duquesne University students, on Nov. 14, at the jail in Uptown. Daniels’ emotional performance was met with eager applause from his classmates. (Video by Stephanie Strasburg/PublicSource)The scene ends and the floor opens for feedback. Susan Stein, one of the teachers in the room — and the only one with a theater background — asks...