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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Clarence Maclin

The play that changed my life: Sing Sing’s Clarence Maclin on lessons from Sophocles in prison

Clarence Maclin plays a version of himself in the film Sing Sing.
Clarence Maclin plays a version of himself in the film Sing Sing. Photograph: Courtesy of BlackBear Pictures

When I came to the Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) theatre at Sing Sing Correctional Facility in 1995, I’d been sentenced to 17 years for robbery. It was not my intention to watch a play. They were doing One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. I saw my brother Dino who was playing Big Chief, the Native American guy. I knew Dino from elsewhere in the jail, but not for this.

I got involved. I found a fascination for Shakespeare that I really didn’t expect. I didn’t think I’d understand the language. And I didn’t at first. But it fascinated me enough to research and study it: I loved becoming able to translate that so that others could feel the intensity of it.

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