“My choice is to live… being willing to feel the pain of betrayal and love fully, rather than stand guarded against the potential of betrayal and love a little.” — Dameion Brown
In this episode of The Important Podcast, you will meet Dameion Brown. At age 24, Dameion went to San Quentin prison. He was expected to get out in five to seven years. Twenty three years later…
Dameion left prison and become a professional actor in the San Francisco Bay Area. He also serves in his community helping children in juvenile prisons. I hope you enjoy Dameion’s story.
In this Episode, You Will Learn
- Dameion’s lesson from his first day at San Quentin Prison
- How survival depends upon paying attention and being present in prison
- Prison group dynamics
- How Dameion was reluctant to commit to the Shakespeare class in prison and how he stayed in it to serve his team / ensemble
- How Dameion went from prisoner to being a professional actor
- What it’s like to learn Shakespearian acting in prison
- How Dameion relates to the character Othello
- Dameion’s philosophy of loving fully
- Dameion’s favorite play by Shakespeare
- Dameion’s mission to “drain prisons of the lifeblood that feeds them” and how he works with children in juvenile prisons in Stockton California
Links and Resources
- KALW local public radio interview – insights on Prison Shakespeare Programs from Dameion Brown
- Artist in Residence 2019 Dameion Brown
- Common Wealth Club Speech – Dameion Brown – July 2019
- The Box by Sarah Shourd
- Ubuntu Theater
- Othello
- Merchant of Venice
- Midsummer Night’s Dream
- Stan Roth
- Lisa Keating Photography
- N.A. Chaderjian Youth Correctional Facility (aka ‘Chad’)
- Prison Population by Gender – 92.9% men and 7.1% women
- The Prison System Compared to the US Population – …the United States now has more than 2 million people in prisons or jails–the equivalent of one in every 142 U.S. residents–and another four to five million people on probation or parole. A higher percentage of the population is involved in the criminal justice system in the United States than in any other developed country.
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About the Author
Jared Polivka’s mission is to serve others while living a light-hearted, present, empathetic and responsible life. Jared serves nonprofits at Donorbox.org, teaches at The Joy of Improv, and advises various technology startups and organizations. Stay in touch with Jared on Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn.