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* [[https://www.prisonperformingarts.org Prison Performing Arts]] is a nonprofit that works with inmates to stage performances of plays, providing them with some education in the process. As [[https://www.thisamericanlife.org/218/transcript memorably profiled]] on ''Radio/ThisAmericanLife'', shows such as ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'' seem to gain emotional resonance when acted by people who have actually committed violent crimes.
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* When in federal penitentiary for corruption, former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich was part of a band called the [[Music/ElvisPresley Jailhouse Rockers]], which performed at a GED graduation ceremony and on the Fourth of July.
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* ''Series/AdamRuinsEverything''
: In the episode "Adam Ruins: Prison," when Adam and [[AudienceSurrogate Emily's]] cellmate explain how prisons, particularly private run prisons, make money by encouraging governments to keeping them full, several prisoners wear costumes made of butcher paper and portray characters as the "governor" and a private prison representative.
: In the episode "Adam Ruins: Prison," when Adam and [[AudienceSurrogate Emily's]] cellmate explain how prisons, particularly private run prisons, make money by encouraging governments to keeping them full, several prisoners wear costumes made of butcher paper and portray characters as the "governor" and a private prison representative.
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* ''Series/AdamRuinsEverything''
:''Series/AdamRuinsEverything'': In the episode "Adam Ruins: Prison," Prison", when Adam and [[AudienceSurrogate Emily's]] cellmate explain how prisons, particularly private run prisons, make money by encouraging governments to keeping them full, several prisoners wear costumes made of butcher paper and portray characters as the "governor" and a private prison representative.
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* ''Series/AdamRuinsEverything'': In the episode "Adam Ruins: Prison," when Adam and [[AudienceSurrogate Emily's]] cellmate explain how prisons, particularly private run prisons, make money by encouraging governments to keeping them full, several prisoners wear costumes made of butcher paper and portray characters as the "governor" and a private prison representative.
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* ''Series/AdamRuinsEverything'': In ''Series/TwoBrokeGirls'', Caroline's dad does a musical play with his fellow inmates while in prison in "And The Show And Don't Tell".
* ''Series/AdamRuinsEverything''
: In the episode "Adam Ruins: Prison," when Adam and [[AudienceSurrogate Emily's]] cellmate explain how prisons, particularly private run prisons, make money by encouraging governments to keeping them full, several prisoners wear costumes made of butcher paper and portray characters as the "governor" and a private prison representative.
* ''Series/AdamRuinsEverything''
: In the episode "Adam Ruins: Prison," when Adam and [[AudienceSurrogate Emily's]] cellmate explain how prisons, particularly private run prisons, make money by encouraging governments to keeping them full, several prisoners wear costumes made of butcher paper and portray characters as the "governor" and a private prison representative.
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* [[Creator/MargaretAtwood Margaret Atwood's]] ''Hag-Seed'' updates ''Theatre/TheTempest'' to a prison, where the inmates are performing a ''production'' of that same play under the direction of the Prospero {{Expy}}. It gets interestingly meta.
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* ''Theatre/MaratSade'': Inspired by the Creator/MarquisDeSade's RealLife plays that he would put on in the Asylum of Charenton with his fellow inmates as actors. The work is largely a [[ShowWithinAShow play-within-a-play]] staged in the asylum's bathhouse where the inmates dramatize the story of the murder of Jean-Paul Marat by Charlotte Corday and frame a debate between Marat and de Sade. As the principal actors are all suffering from mental disorders ranging from narcolepsy to paranoid schizophrenia, and, moreover, as the subject matter of the play is often controversial with the Napoleonic government, there are several disruptions throughout the performance and other obstacles to overcome. Coulmier, the head of the asylum, often has to step in and act as a censor, as he objects to some of the material of the play, framed around the end of UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution.
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* ''Theatre/MaratSade'': Inspired by the Creator/MarquisDeSade's RealLife plays that he would put on in the Asylum of Charenton with his fellow inmates as actors. The work is largely a [[ShowWithinAShow play-within-a-play]] staged in the asylum's bathhouse where the inmates dramatize the story of the murder of Jean-Paul Marat by Charlotte Corday UsefulNotes/CharlotteCorday and frame a debate between Marat and de Sade. As the principal actors are all suffering from mental disorders ranging from narcolepsy to paranoid schizophrenia, and, moreover, as the subject matter of the play is often controversial with the Napoleonic government, there are several disruptions throughout the performance and other obstacles to overcome. Coulmier, the head of the asylum, often has to step in and act as a censor, as he objects to some of the material of the play, framed around the end of UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution.
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* In ''Film/TheGreatEscape'', Captain Virgil Hilts and two other American inmates of the [[POWCamp Stalag Luft III]] stage a [[UsefulNotes/AmericanHolidays 4th of July]] celebration. A cannon shot is simulated with a trash can and the three men parade around crudely disguised as [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution American revolutionary soldiers]], with Hilts playing "Yankee Doodle" on a pipe and a drum accompanying him. There's added {{irony}} since ''they're the only Americans in there'' and invite the British inmates (Allies like them) to the party.
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* In ''Film/TheGreatEscape'', Captain Virgil Hilts and two other American inmates prisoners of the [[POWCamp Stalag Luft III]] stage a [[UsefulNotes/AmericanHolidays 4th of July]] celebration. A cannon shot is simulated with a trash can and the three men parade around crudely disguised as [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution American revolutionary soldiers]], with Hilts playing "Yankee Doodle" on a pipe and a drum accompanying him. There's added {{irony}} since ''they're the only Americans in there'' and invite the British inmates British/Commonwealth prisoners (Allies like them) to the party.
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* In ''Film/TheGreatEscape'', Captain Virgil Hilts and two other American inmates of the [[POWCamp Stalag Luft III]] stage a [[UsefulNotes/AmericanHolidays 4th of July]] celebration. A cannon shot is simulated with a trash can and the three men parade around crudely disguised as [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution American revolutionary soldiers]], with Hilts playing "Yankee Doodle" on a pipe. There's added {{irony}} since ''they're the only Americans in there'' and invite the British inmates (Allies like them) to the party.
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* In ''Film/TheGreatEscape'', Captain Virgil Hilts and two other American inmates of the [[POWCamp Stalag Luft III]] stage a [[UsefulNotes/AmericanHolidays 4th of July]] celebration. A cannon shot is simulated with a trash can and the three men parade around crudely disguised as [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution American revolutionary soldiers]], with Hilts playing "Yankee Doodle" on a pipe.pipe and a drum accompanying him. There's added {{irony}} since ''they're the only Americans in there'' and invite the British inmates (Allies like them) to the party.
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* In ''Film/TheGreatEscape'', Captain Virgil Hilts and two other American inmates of the [[POWCamp Stalag Luft III]] stage a [[UsefulNotes/AmericanHolidays 4th of July]] celebration. A cannon shot is simulated with a trash can and the three men parade around crudely disguised as [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution American revolutionary soldiers]], with Hilts playing "Yankee Doodle" on a pipe. There's added {{irony}} when they invite the British inmates (Allies like them) to the party.
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* In ''Film/TheGreatEscape'', Captain Virgil Hilts and two other American inmates of the [[POWCamp Stalag Luft III]] stage a [[UsefulNotes/AmericanHolidays 4th of July]] celebration. A cannon shot is simulated with a trash can and the three men parade around crudely disguised as [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution American revolutionary soldiers]], with Hilts playing "Yankee Doodle" on a pipe. There's added {{irony}} when they since ''they're the only Americans in there'' and invite the British inmates (Allies like them) to the party.
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* In ''Film/TheGreatEscape'', Captain Virgil Hilts and two other American inmates of the [[POWCamp Stalag Luft III]] stage a [[UsefulNotes/AmericanHolidays 4th of July]] celebration. A cannon shot is simulated with a trash can and the three men parade around crudely disguised as [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution American revolutionary soldiers]], with Hilts playing "Yankee Doodle" on a pipe. There's added {{irony}} when they invite the British inmates (Allies like them) to the party.
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* ''Comicbook/LuckyLuke'': "Le Cavalier Blanc" ends with the fraudulent actors imprisoned, and putting on a show for the rest of the prison. Only this time, the audience start booing the hero.
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* ''Comicbook/LuckyLuke'': "Le Cavalier Blanc" ends with the fraudulent actors imprisoned, imprisoned and putting on a show for the rest of the prison. Only this time, the audience start booing the hero.
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[[folder:Comic books]]
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[[folder:Comic books]]Books]]
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[[folder:Comic books]]
* ''Comicbook/LuckyLuke'': "Le Cavalier Blanc" ends with the fraudulent actors imprisoned, and putting on a show for the rest of the prison. Only this time, the audience start booing the hero.
[[/folder]]
* ''Comicbook/LuckyLuke'': "Le Cavalier Blanc" ends with the fraudulent actors imprisoned, and putting on a show for the rest of the prison. Only this time, the audience start booing the hero.
[[/folder]]
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* ''Series/{{Justified}}: An episode features a band made up of inmates that is rented out to play various functions; a couple of the inmates take the opportunity to escape, and Raylan must track them down.
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* ''Series/{{Justified}}: ''Series/{{Justified}}'': An episode features a band made up of inmates that is rented out to play various functions; a couple of the inmates take the opportunity to escape, and Raylan must track them down.
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* ''Series/{{Justified}}: An episode features a band made up of inmates that is rented out to play various functions; a couple of the inmates take the opportunity to escape, and Raylan must track them down.
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** {{Downplayed|Trope}} during the improv class in "[[Recap/OrangeIsTheNewBlackS03E03EmpathyIsaBonerKiller Empathy is a Bone Killer]]", which involves everyone performing in pairs for the rest of the class. Alex and Piper get paired together for a symbolic argument about their romance.
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** {{Downplayed|Trope}} {{Downlayed|Trope}} during the improv class in "[[Recap/OrangeIsTheNewBlackS03E03EmpathyIsaBonerKiller Empathy is a Bone Killer]]", which involves everyone performing in pairs for the rest of the class. Alex and Piper get paired together for a symbolic argument about their romance.
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Compare/Contrast: SchoolPlay, the kinder, more kid-friendly version of amateur theater.
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-->--'''[=BoJack Horseman=]''', ''WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman'', "[[Recap/BojackHorsemanS6E16NiceWhileItLasted Nice While It Lasted]]"
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* ''Film/TheBridgeOnTheRiverKwai'': After the British POW's have finished building the bridge, that night, they put on a burlesque show for each other and for the officers, which Col. Nicholson is entertained by.
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* ''Film/TheBridgeOnTheRiverKwai'': After the British POW's [=POWs=] have finished building the bridge, that night, they put on a burlesque show for each other and for the officers, which Col. Nicholson is entertained by.
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* ''Film/TheBridgeOnTheRiverKwai'': After the British POW's have finished building the bridge, that night, they put on a burlesque show for each other and for the officers, which Col. Nicholson is entertained by.
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* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': In "[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS5E15TheInmatesOfSummerToSaveASquirrel The Inmates of Summer]]," [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick accidentally board a PrisonShip and believe it to be a summer camp. To lift the other prisoners' morale, [=SpongeBob=] writes a musical play for them to perform for "amusement and inspiration." The prisoners are initially apathetic but agree to perform once they notice the giant boat prop, which they try to use during the musical number to escape... [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome except it quickly sinks in the water because it's just a prop]].
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* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': In "[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS5E15TheInmatesOfSummerToSaveASquirrel The Inmates of Summer]]," [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick accidentally board a PrisonShip and believe it to be a summer camp. To lift the other prisoners' morale, [=SpongeBob=] writes a musical play for them to perform for "amusement and inspiration." The prisoners are initially apathetic but agree to perform once they notice the giant boat prop, which they try to use during after the musical number to escape... [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome except it quickly sinks in the water because it's just a prop]].
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* ''Series/CrazyExGirlfriend'': In the season four premiere, "[[Recap/CrazyExGirlfriendS4E1IWantToBeHere I Want to Be Here]]", [[spoiler:Rebecca]] goes to prison and organizes a theater class for her fellow prisoners. She's the only one who's really into it, and cares more about her class than getting out of jail. She tries to craft an original performance based on her fellow prisoners' stories a la ''Theatre/{{Chicago}}'', but everybody else's reason for being in jail is incredibly sad.
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* ''Series/CrazyExGirlfriend'': In the season four premiere, "[[Recap/CrazyExGirlfriendS4E1IWantToBeHere I Want to Be Here]]", [[spoiler:Rebecca]] goes to prison and organizes a theater class for her fellow prisoners. She's the only one who's really into it, it and cares more about her class than getting out of jail. She tries to craft an original performance based on her fellow prisoners' stories a la ''Theatre/{{Chicago}}'', but everybody else's reason for being in jail is incredibly sad.
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* ''Series/InLivingColor'': A recurring sketch, the "Prison Cable Network" (or PCN), would feature prison inmates putting on various shows and programs spoofing different media formats. Content includes a prison talent show, a late night talk show, a theatrical show inspired by ''Theatre/AChorusLine'', a ''Series/WinLoseOrDraw''-like gameshow, a stand-up comic on DeathRow, and more.
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* ''Series/InLivingColor'': A recurring sketch, the "Prison Cable Network" (or PCN), would feature prison inmates putting on various shows and programs spoofing different media formats. Content includes a prison talent show, a late night late-night talk show, a theatrical show inspired by ''Theatre/AChorusLine'', a ''Series/WinLoseOrDraw''-like gameshow, a stand-up comic on DeathRow, and more.
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* ''Series/{{Oz}}'': One of the plots in Season 6 is about the inmates at Oswald State Correctional Facility attempting to stage a production of ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}''. In the final episode, "[[Recap/OzS6E8ExeuntOmnes Exunt Omnes]]", the play is staged, and [[spoiler:Beecher uses a NotSoFakePropWeapon to stab Vern Schillinger to death during the final act]].
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* ''Series/{{Oz}}'': One of the plots in Season 6 is about the inmates at Oswald State Correctional Facility attempting to stage a production of ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}''. In the final episode, "[[Recap/OzS6E8ExeuntOmnes Exunt Exeunt Omnes]]", the play is staged, and [[spoiler:Beecher uses a NotSoFakePropWeapon to stab Vern Schillinger to death during the final act]].
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* "Jailhouse Rock" sung by Music/ElvisPresley is about the inmates of a prison putting on a band-session and playing music.
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* "Jailhouse Rock" sung by Music/ElvisPresley is about the inmates of a prison putting on a band-session band session and playing music.
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* [[https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/07/29/collectors-3 "Collectors"]], a short story by Daniel Alarcón, sees the main character, Henry, arrested and sent to prison where he tries to arrange a production of his in-universe play ''The Idiot President''. To Henry's surprise, many convicts want to get involved, and he ends up having to write new parts to make sure all of them can participate: "Some of these men didn't take rejection very well." Even the toughest prisoners are stunned by the show and give it a standing ovation.
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* Daniel Alarcón's short story [[https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/07/29/collectors-3 "Collectors"]] sees main character Henry being arrested and sent to prison, where he tries to arrange a production of his in-universe play ''The Idiot President.'' After Espejo, the most powerful prisoner in the block, approves, Henry begins organizing. To his surprise, many convicts want to get involved, and he ends up having to write new parts to make sure all of them can participate: "Some of these men didn't take rejection very well." Even the toughest prisoners are stunned by the show and give it a standing ovation.
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* ''Film/EscapeFromNewYork'': Cabbie is seen attending a Broadway-esque drag show put on by other Manhattan prisoners. Later he tells Snake that ordinarily he wouldn't spend time in such a dangerous neighborhood, but the show was worth it.
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* Daniel Alarcón's short story [[https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/07/29/collectors-3 "Collectors"]] sees main character Henry being arrested and sent to prison, where he tries to arrange a production of his in-universe play ''The Idiot President.'' After Espejo, the most powerful prisoner in the block, approves, Henry begins organizing. To his surprise, many convicts want to get involved, and he ends up having to write new parts to make sure all of them can participate: "Some of these men didn't take rejection very well." Even the toughest prisoners are stunned by the show and give it a standing ovation.
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* ''La Razón Blindada'' (The Armoured Reason) - based on ''Don Quixote'', Kafka's "The Truth about Sancho Panza" and testimonies of political prisoners of the Argentine fascistic 1976-1982 dictatorship (including author Aristides Vargas' own brother) - is about two political prisoners that meet every sunday to perform ''Don Quixote'' as a way to endure imprisonment, torture and fear through imagination.
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* ''La Razón Blindada'' (The (''The Armoured Reason) - based Reason''): Based on ''Don Quixote'', Kafka's ''Literature/DonQuixote'', [[Creator/FranzKafka Kafka]]'s "The Truth about Sancho Panza" Panza", and testimonies of political prisoners of the 1976-1982 Argentine fascistic 1976-1982 military dictatorship (including author Aristides Vargas' own brother) - brother), the play is about two political prisoners that who meet every sunday Sunday to perform ''Don Quixote'' as a way to endure imprisonment, torture torture, and fear through imagination.
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* ''La Razón Blindada'' (The Armoured Reason) - based on ''Don Quixote'', Kafka's "The Truth about Sancho Panza" and testimonies of political prisoners of the Argentine fascistic 1976-1982 dictatorship (including author Aristides Vargas' own brother) - is about two political prisoners that meet every sunday to perform ''Don Quixote'' as a way to endure imprisonment, torture and fear through imagination.
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[[folder:Film -- Live Action]]
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[[folder:Film -- Live Action]]Live-Action]]
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[[folder:Music Video]]
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* "Jailhouse Rock" sung by Music/ElvisPresley is about the inmates of a prison putting on a band-session and playing music.
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* Downplayed in ''Film/CoolHandLuke'', where one of the inmates, played by Creator/HarryDeanStanton, has acquired a banjo somehow or other and occasionally serenades the other prisoners with old blues and country songs, but it's not on any kind of stage or in any kind of official capacity. In another scene, Luke himself finds a guitar and plays "Plastic Jesus" while the other prisoners listen.
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[[quoteright:350:[[Theatre/MaratSade https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maratsade3.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Prison: Where the Fourth Wall separates the performers from the audience as a security precaution.]]
->''"Schlesinger, if you have time to fashion a shiv and organize a jump on the rats in Block C, you have time to learn your lines, 'kay?"''
-->--'''[=BoJack Horseman=]''', ''WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman'', "[[Recap/BojackHorsemanS6E16NiceWhileItLasted Nice While It Lasted]]"
Prison isn't very fun. The food is terrible, the toilets are filthy, the guards are jerks, and the inmates are constantly angry and violent. So why not liven up the mood with a bit of live theater and entertainment?
Fiction and media set in prison will sometimes have a group of inmates perform onstage for the other prisoners and the prison staff or, on rare occasion, select members of the general public. This idea will typically come from the "nicest" or most eccentric person in prison (usually someone with an artistic background) as a means to lift morale and/or to help with prisoners' rehabilitation. Sometimes prisoners will act out an original play; sometimes it'll be an adapted work; other times they'll put on a variety show; occasionally song and dance is involved (though, ironically, the [[CaptivityHarmonica harmonica]] is rarely used for musical accompaniment). For comedic purposes, the performance will usually be something far more poetic and beautiful than you would expect from a bunch of burly baddies and murderers. It will also likely be [[StylisticSuck very low budget]], given that the jailed performers don't exactly have a lot of resources at hand for costumes, props, or scenery.
This is also quite a novel and surprisingly common way for prisoners to stage a GreatEscape. This usually either entails [[WeNeedADistraction distracting the warden and guards with a big show]] while others make an escape route or the performers themselves escaping right in front of the audience, as the authorities believe that their escape methods are AllPartOfTheShow... only for them to never return for their [[CurtainCall final bow]].
Often, the staging of a Prisoner Performance itself within a larger work of fiction can be seen as a type of ShowWithinAShow.
Compare/Contrast: SchoolPlay, the kinder, more kid-friendly version of amateur theater.
This is TruthInTelevision, as many artistic institutions believe that incarcerated people benefit greatly from having a creative outlet, believing it can boost their social behavior and self-esteem. [[https://www.americantheatre.org/2019/01/22/prison-theatre-programs/ Here]] is a list of some real-world prison theater projects.
----
!!Examples:
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* ''Anime/YuGiOhArcV'': The prisoners, led by Chojiro and Yuya, put on an entertainment duel tournament among the inmates with flashy lights, performances, and everything. The reason for this being that the spectacle would distract the guards from the other inmates who are trying to escape the prison.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Film -- Live Action]]
* ''Film/{{Airheads}}'' ends with the Lone Rangers performing a rock concert in their prison's mess hall after they are arrested for holding the radio station hostage. [[ScrollingText A closing text crawl]] mentions that the live record of said concert went triple platinum.
* ''Film/TheBluesBrothers'' ends with the band performing "Jailhouse Rock" in their prison's mess hall.
* ''Film/CagedHeat'': {{Inverted|Trope}}. [=McQueen=], the warden, has an erotic dream about performing in the talent show for the inmates.
* ''Film/JailhouseRock'': After Vince is convicted of manslaughter and sent to prison, he becomes cellmates with Hunk Houghton, who teaches Vince to play guitar. Later, when a national TV network [[ContrivedCoincidence conveniently]] decides to broadcast a jailhouse talent show, Hunk gets Vince a place in the program. His successful performance sets him up for other music opportunities once he gets out of jail.
* ''Theatre/MButterfly'': In the film adaptation directed by Creator/DavidCronenberg, the story ends with Gallimard in prison where he puts on make-up and dresses like a Chinese courtesan and performs a version of ''Theatre/MadameButterfly'', recounting the plot of the play. Then, in a recreation of ''Madame Butterfly'''s ending, as Gallimard reaches the end of his performance, he [[spoiler:[[DrivenToSuicide takes a dagger and stabs himself in the guts for real]]]].
* ''Film/MuppetsMostWanted'': Nadya, the warden of the Siberian Gulag, loves musical theater, so she enlists Kermit to help her organize the prisoners' annual talent show, "The Siberian Gulag Revue." Kermit does a great job directing the prisoners, even though they argue with him as much as the Muppets did, and they put on a perky performance of "Workin' in the Coal Mine." Only during the curtain call does Nadya realize that during the performance, all the prisoners, including Kermit, escaped through a trap door.
* ''Film/Paddington2'': {{Invoked|Trope}}. The film ends with [[spoiler:BigBad Phoenix Buchanan]] getting sent to jail. He [[GracefulLoser accepts imprisonment happily]], because now he can act to his heart's content and do musical routines with his fellow prisoners. As he himself points out, "I've always wanted a ''captive'' audience!" Later, a closing credits [[TheStinger stinger]] features a scene where Phoenix performs a BusbyBerkeleyNumber with his fellow inmates, and he is clearly delighted while doing so.
* ''Literature/ThePowerOfOne'' ([[TheFilmOfTheBook 1992]]): Peekay helps organize a prison concert, in which the African prisoners defiantly StealthInsult [[HidingBehindTheLanguageBarrier their ignorant white audience]]. The lyrics to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=an49Ra-015U the song they sing]] are provided below:
-->''Asambe ba ya memeza'' (Let's go, they're watching)
-->''Asambe ba ya memeza''
-->''A re yeng! A re yeng!'' (Let's go! Let's go!)
-->''A re yang! Pula e ya na!'' (Let's go! It's raining)
-->''Hela! Pula e ya na!'' (Hey! It's raining!)
-->''A ya mema, a ya mema'' (They are looking around)
-->''A ya thithizela'' (They are shaking!)
-->''A yeza nga magwala'' (They are behaving like cowards!)
-->''A ya thathazela wema!'' (They are scared)
-->''O wenzenjani?'' (Oh why are you doing this?)
-->''Wenzenjani wema?'' (What are you doing?)
-->''O thithizela''
* ''Film/TheProducers'': At the end of the film, Leo, Max, and Franz get sent to prison. While there, they write a new musical play, ''Prisoners of Love'', which is even worse than the one they ''tried'' to make bad. [[HereWeGoAgain Leo tries to pull off the same scam overselling shares of the play to everybody in the prison]].
* ''Film/TiticutFollies'': The documentary film is {{Bookend|s}}ed by footage of a grim, disturbing talent show at a state hospital for the criminally insane.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Literature]]
* ''Literature/CaptainUnderpants'': In the Piqua State Penitentiary, on the night of the unveiling of Warden Schmorden's giant statue, the prison band plays a deeply moving rendition of "Whoomp! (There It Is)".
* ''Literature/TheGreenMile'': {{Downplayed|Trope}}. As Eduard Delacroix doesn't have any family to visit him in prison on the day that the guards prepare for his execution, the guards arrange for a group of people to pose as members of the press and watch him demonstrate tricks that he had taught his pet mouse, Mr. Jingles.
* ''Literature/ThePlaymaker'' by Creator/ThomasKeneally is about a group of convicts in the Australian penal colony putting on a production of ''Theatre/TheRecruitingOfficer'' as the first play ever performed in Australia. It's inspired by a real-life incident.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* ''Series/AdamRuinsEverything'': In the episode "Adam Ruins: Prison," when Adam and [[AudienceSurrogate Emily's]] cellmate explain how prisons, particularly private run prisons, make money by encouraging governments to keeping them full, several prisoners wear costumes made of butcher paper and portray characters as the "governor" and a private prison representative.
* ''Series/BirdsOfAFeather'': "[[Recap/BirdsOfAFeatherCS3WellAlwaysHaveMajorca We'll Always Have Majorca]]" opens in the middle of a Christmas performance by a prison rock band, with Chris and Darryl (who were jailed at the beginning of the series) being part of the band. Darryl is eventually able to briefly escape from jail through a gig with said rock band.
* ''Series/BrassEye'': {{Parodied|Trope}} in the episode "Decline". A preposterous news report concerns RealLife SerialKiller and all-around terrible person Peter Sutcliffe being allowed out of prison to produce and star in his own theatrical production in London's West End titled ''Sutcliffe! The Musical''. His lead role "includes singing police chases and finishes with him atoning for his crimes."
* ''{{Series/Colditz}}'': In the episode "Frogs in the Well" of the original television series, the British prisoners ask for the boarded-up theatre to be reopened for the sake of putting on an entertainment. The real reason is that there is an escape route via the theatre. However, they don't know that some French prisoners have the same idea.
* ''Series/CrazyExGirlfriend'': In the season four premiere, "[[Recap/CrazyExGirlfriendS4E1IWantToBeHere I Want to Be Here]]", [[spoiler:Rebecca]] goes to prison and organizes a theater class for her fellow prisoners. She's the only one who's really into it, and cares more about her class than getting out of jail. She tries to craft an original performance based on her fellow prisoners' stories a la ''Theatre/{{Chicago}}'', but everybody else's reason for being in jail is incredibly sad.
* ''Series/HogansHeroes'': One episode involves the prisoners putting on a play as part of a plan to covertly get a captured [[LaResistance French Resistance]] member [[RealFakeWedding married to his girlfriend]] so he won't believe his captors' claims that she's unfaithful.
* ''Series/InLivingColor'': A recurring sketch, the "Prison Cable Network" (or PCN), would feature prison inmates putting on various shows and programs spoofing different media formats. Content includes a prison talent show, a late night talk show, a theatrical show inspired by ''Theatre/AChorusLine'', a ''Series/WinLoseOrDraw''-like gameshow, a stand-up comic on DeathRow, and more.
* ''Series/{{Lewis}}'': In "Old School Ties," Diane stages ''Theatre/JuliusCaesar'' while working with prison inmates, with her future husband, convicted hacker Nicky Turnbull, playing Caesar. Lewis and Hathaway track down other prisoners involved in the performance while investigating Turnbull's murder, [[spoiler:but it turns out to be a RedHerring]].
* ''Series/MyGrandparentsWar'': The documentary television show featuring Mark Rylance includes letters describing the entertainments put on by British citizens held in Hong Kong prison camps during UsefulNotes/WorldWarTwo.
* ''Series/OrangeIsTheNewBlack'':
** The final episode of Season 1, "[[Recap/OrangeIsTheNewBlackS01E13CantFixCrazy Can't Fix Crazy]]", centers on the Christmas pageant. It has the characters sing Christmas songs and also perform a Nativity pageant.
** {{Downplayed|Trope}} during the improv class in "[[Recap/OrangeIsTheNewBlackS03E03EmpathyIsaBonerKiller Empathy is a Bone Killer]]", which involves everyone performing in pairs for the rest of the class. Alex and Piper get paired together for a symbolic argument about their romance.
** {{Inverted|Trope}} in the episode "[[Recap/OrangeIsTheNewBlackS05E04LitchfieldsGotTalent Litchfield's Got Talent]]", where the ''guards'' are forced to put on a talent show when they are held hostage at gunpoint during the riot.
* ''Series/{{Oz}}'': One of the plots in Season 6 is about the inmates at Oswald State Correctional Facility attempting to stage a production of ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}''. In the final episode, "[[Recap/OzS6E8ExeuntOmnes Exunt Omnes]]", the play is staged, and [[spoiler:Beecher uses a NotSoFakePropWeapon to stab Vern Schillinger to death during the final act]].
* ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'': After the gang gets sent to prison at the conclusion of "[[Recap/SeinfeldS9E23TheFinale The Finale]]", the final scene has Jerry performing a stand-up comedy routine for his fellow prisoners, Kramer and George included. (Elaine isn't there due to her being sent to a woman's prison.) None of the prisoners, except Kramer, seem particularly amused by Jerry's jokes.
* ''Series/TheSlammer'' is a talent show that's set in the fictional prison HM Slammer. Contestants are presented as "prisoners" who have been arrested for showbiz-related crimes and are vying to compete in order to leave the prison.
* ''Series/{{Tatort}}'': The episode "Borowski und der gute Mensch" starts with some inmates performing a scene from ''Theatre/TheRobbers'' by Friedrich Schiller. Unfortunately, this gets out of hand, and one of the imprisoned inmates--Kai Korthals, a SerialKiller--is able to start a fire and use the ensuing chaos to escape the facility.
* ''Series/{{Victorious}}'': At the climax of "[[Recap/VictoriousS2E6 Locked Up!]]", Tori and her friends get locked in a prison in the (fictional) island nation of Yerba after slighting the island's chancellor. Tori puts on a musical performance of "[[Music/TheJacksonFive I Want You Back]]" to distract the Yerbanian chancellor while everybody else escapes.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Music Video]]
* Music/WeirdAlYankovic: In the video for the song "Do I Creep You Out" from the album Music/StraightOuttaLynwood, it's revealed that the narrator is performing this song as part of a talent show in prison, having been incarcerated for his stalker behavior.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Theatre]]
* ''[[Theatre/TheConvictsOpera The Convict's Opera]]'' is about [[PrisonShip a group of convicts on a ship to the Australian penal colony]] rehearsing a production of ''Theatre/TheBeggarsOpera'' to pass the time. At the end of the voyage, they perform it for the ship's captain and crew, and one of the cast members takes advantage of the performance to make a break for freedom.
* ''Theatre/ManOfLaMancha'': The story follows Creator/MiguelDeCervantes staging a play based on ''Literature/DonQuixote'' as he and his manservant await their fates at the hands of UsefulNotes/TheSpanishInquisition. Cervantes and his manservant play Don Quixote and Sancho Panza while his fellow inmates perform the other roles.
* ''Theatre/MaratSade'': Inspired by the Creator/MarquisDeSade's RealLife plays that he would put on in the Asylum of Charenton with his fellow inmates as actors. The work is largely a [[ShowWithinAShow play-within-a-play]] staged in the asylum's bathhouse where the inmates dramatize the story of the murder of Jean-Paul Marat by Charlotte Corday and frame a debate between Marat and de Sade. As the principal actors are all suffering from mental disorders ranging from narcolepsy to paranoid schizophrenia, and, moreover, as the subject matter of the play is often controversial with the Napoleonic government, there are several disruptions throughout the performance and other obstacles to overcome. Coulmier, the head of the asylum, often has to step in and act as a censor, as he objects to some of the material of the play, framed around the end of UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution.
* ''[[Theatre/OurCountrysGood Our Country's Good]]'' is about a group of convicts in the Australian penal colony putting on a production of ''Theatre/TheRecruitingOfficer'' as the first play ever performed in Australia. It's inspired by a real-life incident.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman'': In the series finale "[[Recap/BojackHorsemanS6E16NiceWhileItLasted Nice While It Lasted]]", [[spoiler:[=BoJack=]]] puts on a low-budget production of ''Theatre/HeddaGabler'' with his fellow inmates.
*''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'': At the end of the episode "[[Recap/KimPossibleS2E24OhBoyz Oh Boyz]]", Senor Senior, Junior is in prison performing a concert for several other imprisoned members of Kim's RoguesGallery, most of whom do not seem to be enjoying the rather [[DreadfulMusician dismal performance]].
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS15E21BartMangledBanner Bart Mangled Banner]]", the prison inmates who have been arrested for hating America perform a talent show. It starts with former president Bill Clinton putting one hundred cigarettes in his mouth. Then the Simpsons perform a musical number about America, which turns out to be a distraction for the guards in order for the family to escape the prison.
-->'''Last Registered Democrat:''' You guys are on after Al Franken, so the guards will have used up most of their bullets.
* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': In "[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS5E15TheInmatesOfSummerToSaveASquirrel The Inmates of Summer]]," [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick accidentally board a PrisonShip and believe it to be a summer camp. To lift the other prisoners' morale, [=SpongeBob=] writes a musical play for them to perform for "amusement and inspiration." The prisoners are initially apathetic but agree to perform once they notice the giant boat prop, which they try to use during the musical number to escape... [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome except it quickly sinks in the water because it's just a prop]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder:RealLife]]
* While held in the mental asylum of Charenton, the Creator/MarquisDeSade wrote plays that were performed by his fellow inmates.
* CPDRC Dancing Inmates is a program at a maximum security prison in Cebu City, Philippines, where the prisoners perform dance routines as part of their rehabilitation and exercise. They are best known for their 2007 rendition of the iconic dance sequence from Music/MichaelJackson's ''Music/{{Thriller}}'' with over 1,500 inmates participating, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMnk7lh9M3o as seen here]], which was one of the most-watched [=YouTube=] videos at the time.
[[/folder]]
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[[quoteright:350:[[Theatre/MaratSade https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maratsade3.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Prison: Where the Fourth Wall separates the performers from the audience as a security precaution.]]
->''"Schlesinger, if you have time to fashion a shiv and organize a jump on the rats in Block C, you have time to learn your lines, 'kay?"''
-->--'''[=BoJack Horseman=]''', ''WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman'', "[[Recap/BojackHorsemanS6E16NiceWhileItLasted Nice While It Lasted]]"
Prison isn't very fun. The food is terrible, the toilets are filthy, the guards are jerks, and the inmates are constantly angry and violent. So why not liven up the mood with a bit of live theater and entertainment?
Fiction and media set in prison will sometimes have a group of inmates perform onstage for the other prisoners and the prison staff or, on rare occasion, select members of the general public. This idea will typically come from the "nicest" or most eccentric person in prison (usually someone with an artistic background) as a means to lift morale and/or to help with prisoners' rehabilitation. Sometimes prisoners will act out an original play; sometimes it'll be an adapted work; other times they'll put on a variety show; occasionally song and dance is involved (though, ironically, the [[CaptivityHarmonica harmonica]] is rarely used for musical accompaniment). For comedic purposes, the performance will usually be something far more poetic and beautiful than you would expect from a bunch of burly baddies and murderers. It will also likely be [[StylisticSuck very low budget]], given that the jailed performers don't exactly have a lot of resources at hand for costumes, props, or scenery.
This is also quite a novel and surprisingly common way for prisoners to stage a GreatEscape. This usually either entails [[WeNeedADistraction distracting the warden and guards with a big show]] while others make an escape route or the performers themselves escaping right in front of the audience, as the authorities believe that their escape methods are AllPartOfTheShow... only for them to never return for their [[CurtainCall final bow]].
Often, the staging of a Prisoner Performance itself within a larger work of fiction can be seen as a type of ShowWithinAShow.
Compare/Contrast: SchoolPlay, the kinder, more kid-friendly version of amateur theater.
This is TruthInTelevision, as many artistic institutions believe that incarcerated people benefit greatly from having a creative outlet, believing it can boost their social behavior and self-esteem. [[https://www.americantheatre.org/2019/01/22/prison-theatre-programs/ Here]] is a list of some real-world prison theater projects.
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!!Examples:
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* ''Anime/YuGiOhArcV'': The prisoners, led by Chojiro and Yuya, put on an entertainment duel tournament among the inmates with flashy lights, performances, and everything. The reason for this being that the spectacle would distract the guards from the other inmates who are trying to escape the prison.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Film -- Live Action]]
* ''Film/{{Airheads}}'' ends with the Lone Rangers performing a rock concert in their prison's mess hall after they are arrested for holding the radio station hostage. [[ScrollingText A closing text crawl]] mentions that the live record of said concert went triple platinum.
* ''Film/TheBluesBrothers'' ends with the band performing "Jailhouse Rock" in their prison's mess hall.
* ''Film/CagedHeat'': {{Inverted|Trope}}. [=McQueen=], the warden, has an erotic dream about performing in the talent show for the inmates.
* ''Film/JailhouseRock'': After Vince is convicted of manslaughter and sent to prison, he becomes cellmates with Hunk Houghton, who teaches Vince to play guitar. Later, when a national TV network [[ContrivedCoincidence conveniently]] decides to broadcast a jailhouse talent show, Hunk gets Vince a place in the program. His successful performance sets him up for other music opportunities once he gets out of jail.
* ''Theatre/MButterfly'': In the film adaptation directed by Creator/DavidCronenberg, the story ends with Gallimard in prison where he puts on make-up and dresses like a Chinese courtesan and performs a version of ''Theatre/MadameButterfly'', recounting the plot of the play. Then, in a recreation of ''Madame Butterfly'''s ending, as Gallimard reaches the end of his performance, he [[spoiler:[[DrivenToSuicide takes a dagger and stabs himself in the guts for real]]]].
* ''Film/MuppetsMostWanted'': Nadya, the warden of the Siberian Gulag, loves musical theater, so she enlists Kermit to help her organize the prisoners' annual talent show, "The Siberian Gulag Revue." Kermit does a great job directing the prisoners, even though they argue with him as much as the Muppets did, and they put on a perky performance of "Workin' in the Coal Mine." Only during the curtain call does Nadya realize that during the performance, all the prisoners, including Kermit, escaped through a trap door.
* ''Film/Paddington2'': {{Invoked|Trope}}. The film ends with [[spoiler:BigBad Phoenix Buchanan]] getting sent to jail. He [[GracefulLoser accepts imprisonment happily]], because now he can act to his heart's content and do musical routines with his fellow prisoners. As he himself points out, "I've always wanted a ''captive'' audience!" Later, a closing credits [[TheStinger stinger]] features a scene where Phoenix performs a BusbyBerkeleyNumber with his fellow inmates, and he is clearly delighted while doing so.
* ''Literature/ThePowerOfOne'' ([[TheFilmOfTheBook 1992]]): Peekay helps organize a prison concert, in which the African prisoners defiantly StealthInsult [[HidingBehindTheLanguageBarrier their ignorant white audience]]. The lyrics to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=an49Ra-015U the song they sing]] are provided below:
-->''Asambe ba ya memeza'' (Let's go, they're watching)
-->''Asambe ba ya memeza''
-->''A re yeng! A re yeng!'' (Let's go! Let's go!)
-->''A re yang! Pula e ya na!'' (Let's go! It's raining)
-->''Hela! Pula e ya na!'' (Hey! It's raining!)
-->''A ya mema, a ya mema'' (They are looking around)
-->''A ya thithizela'' (They are shaking!)
-->''A yeza nga magwala'' (They are behaving like cowards!)
-->''A ya thathazela wema!'' (They are scared)
-->''O wenzenjani?'' (Oh why are you doing this?)
-->''Wenzenjani wema?'' (What are you doing?)
-->''O thithizela''
* ''Film/TheProducers'': At the end of the film, Leo, Max, and Franz get sent to prison. While there, they write a new musical play, ''Prisoners of Love'', which is even worse than the one they ''tried'' to make bad. [[HereWeGoAgain Leo tries to pull off the same scam overselling shares of the play to everybody in the prison]].
* ''Film/TiticutFollies'': The documentary film is {{Bookend|s}}ed by footage of a grim, disturbing talent show at a state hospital for the criminally insane.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Literature]]
* ''Literature/CaptainUnderpants'': In the Piqua State Penitentiary, on the night of the unveiling of Warden Schmorden's giant statue, the prison band plays a deeply moving rendition of "Whoomp! (There It Is)".
* ''Literature/TheGreenMile'': {{Downplayed|Trope}}. As Eduard Delacroix doesn't have any family to visit him in prison on the day that the guards prepare for his execution, the guards arrange for a group of people to pose as members of the press and watch him demonstrate tricks that he had taught his pet mouse, Mr. Jingles.
* ''Literature/ThePlaymaker'' by Creator/ThomasKeneally is about a group of convicts in the Australian penal colony putting on a production of ''Theatre/TheRecruitingOfficer'' as the first play ever performed in Australia. It's inspired by a real-life incident.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* ''Series/AdamRuinsEverything'': In the episode "Adam Ruins: Prison," when Adam and [[AudienceSurrogate Emily's]] cellmate explain how prisons, particularly private run prisons, make money by encouraging governments to keeping them full, several prisoners wear costumes made of butcher paper and portray characters as the "governor" and a private prison representative.
* ''Series/BirdsOfAFeather'': "[[Recap/BirdsOfAFeatherCS3WellAlwaysHaveMajorca We'll Always Have Majorca]]" opens in the middle of a Christmas performance by a prison rock band, with Chris and Darryl (who were jailed at the beginning of the series) being part of the band. Darryl is eventually able to briefly escape from jail through a gig with said rock band.
* ''Series/BrassEye'': {{Parodied|Trope}} in the episode "Decline". A preposterous news report concerns RealLife SerialKiller and all-around terrible person Peter Sutcliffe being allowed out of prison to produce and star in his own theatrical production in London's West End titled ''Sutcliffe! The Musical''. His lead role "includes singing police chases and finishes with him atoning for his crimes."
* ''{{Series/Colditz}}'': In the episode "Frogs in the Well" of the original television series, the British prisoners ask for the boarded-up theatre to be reopened for the sake of putting on an entertainment. The real reason is that there is an escape route via the theatre. However, they don't know that some French prisoners have the same idea.
* ''Series/CrazyExGirlfriend'': In the season four premiere, "[[Recap/CrazyExGirlfriendS4E1IWantToBeHere I Want to Be Here]]", [[spoiler:Rebecca]] goes to prison and organizes a theater class for her fellow prisoners. She's the only one who's really into it, and cares more about her class than getting out of jail. She tries to craft an original performance based on her fellow prisoners' stories a la ''Theatre/{{Chicago}}'', but everybody else's reason for being in jail is incredibly sad.
* ''Series/HogansHeroes'': One episode involves the prisoners putting on a play as part of a plan to covertly get a captured [[LaResistance French Resistance]] member [[RealFakeWedding married to his girlfriend]] so he won't believe his captors' claims that she's unfaithful.
* ''Series/InLivingColor'': A recurring sketch, the "Prison Cable Network" (or PCN), would feature prison inmates putting on various shows and programs spoofing different media formats. Content includes a prison talent show, a late night talk show, a theatrical show inspired by ''Theatre/AChorusLine'', a ''Series/WinLoseOrDraw''-like gameshow, a stand-up comic on DeathRow, and more.
* ''Series/{{Lewis}}'': In "Old School Ties," Diane stages ''Theatre/JuliusCaesar'' while working with prison inmates, with her future husband, convicted hacker Nicky Turnbull, playing Caesar. Lewis and Hathaway track down other prisoners involved in the performance while investigating Turnbull's murder, [[spoiler:but it turns out to be a RedHerring]].
* ''Series/MyGrandparentsWar'': The documentary television show featuring Mark Rylance includes letters describing the entertainments put on by British citizens held in Hong Kong prison camps during UsefulNotes/WorldWarTwo.
* ''Series/OrangeIsTheNewBlack'':
** The final episode of Season 1, "[[Recap/OrangeIsTheNewBlackS01E13CantFixCrazy Can't Fix Crazy]]", centers on the Christmas pageant. It has the characters sing Christmas songs and also perform a Nativity pageant.
** {{Downplayed|Trope}} during the improv class in "[[Recap/OrangeIsTheNewBlackS03E03EmpathyIsaBonerKiller Empathy is a Bone Killer]]", which involves everyone performing in pairs for the rest of the class. Alex and Piper get paired together for a symbolic argument about their romance.
** {{Inverted|Trope}} in the episode "[[Recap/OrangeIsTheNewBlackS05E04LitchfieldsGotTalent Litchfield's Got Talent]]", where the ''guards'' are forced to put on a talent show when they are held hostage at gunpoint during the riot.
* ''Series/{{Oz}}'': One of the plots in Season 6 is about the inmates at Oswald State Correctional Facility attempting to stage a production of ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}''. In the final episode, "[[Recap/OzS6E8ExeuntOmnes Exunt Omnes]]", the play is staged, and [[spoiler:Beecher uses a NotSoFakePropWeapon to stab Vern Schillinger to death during the final act]].
* ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'': After the gang gets sent to prison at the conclusion of "[[Recap/SeinfeldS9E23TheFinale The Finale]]", the final scene has Jerry performing a stand-up comedy routine for his fellow prisoners, Kramer and George included. (Elaine isn't there due to her being sent to a woman's prison.) None of the prisoners, except Kramer, seem particularly amused by Jerry's jokes.
* ''Series/TheSlammer'' is a talent show that's set in the fictional prison HM Slammer. Contestants are presented as "prisoners" who have been arrested for showbiz-related crimes and are vying to compete in order to leave the prison.
* ''Series/{{Tatort}}'': The episode "Borowski und der gute Mensch" starts with some inmates performing a scene from ''Theatre/TheRobbers'' by Friedrich Schiller. Unfortunately, this gets out of hand, and one of the imprisoned inmates--Kai Korthals, a SerialKiller--is able to start a fire and use the ensuing chaos to escape the facility.
* ''Series/{{Victorious}}'': At the climax of "[[Recap/VictoriousS2E6 Locked Up!]]", Tori and her friends get locked in a prison in the (fictional) island nation of Yerba after slighting the island's chancellor. Tori puts on a musical performance of "[[Music/TheJacksonFive I Want You Back]]" to distract the Yerbanian chancellor while everybody else escapes.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Music Video]]
* Music/WeirdAlYankovic: In the video for the song "Do I Creep You Out" from the album Music/StraightOuttaLynwood, it's revealed that the narrator is performing this song as part of a talent show in prison, having been incarcerated for his stalker behavior.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Theatre]]
* ''[[Theatre/TheConvictsOpera The Convict's Opera]]'' is about [[PrisonShip a group of convicts on a ship to the Australian penal colony]] rehearsing a production of ''Theatre/TheBeggarsOpera'' to pass the time. At the end of the voyage, they perform it for the ship's captain and crew, and one of the cast members takes advantage of the performance to make a break for freedom.
* ''Theatre/ManOfLaMancha'': The story follows Creator/MiguelDeCervantes staging a play based on ''Literature/DonQuixote'' as he and his manservant await their fates at the hands of UsefulNotes/TheSpanishInquisition. Cervantes and his manservant play Don Quixote and Sancho Panza while his fellow inmates perform the other roles.
* ''Theatre/MaratSade'': Inspired by the Creator/MarquisDeSade's RealLife plays that he would put on in the Asylum of Charenton with his fellow inmates as actors. The work is largely a [[ShowWithinAShow play-within-a-play]] staged in the asylum's bathhouse where the inmates dramatize the story of the murder of Jean-Paul Marat by Charlotte Corday and frame a debate between Marat and de Sade. As the principal actors are all suffering from mental disorders ranging from narcolepsy to paranoid schizophrenia, and, moreover, as the subject matter of the play is often controversial with the Napoleonic government, there are several disruptions throughout the performance and other obstacles to overcome. Coulmier, the head of the asylum, often has to step in and act as a censor, as he objects to some of the material of the play, framed around the end of UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution.
* ''[[Theatre/OurCountrysGood Our Country's Good]]'' is about a group of convicts in the Australian penal colony putting on a production of ''Theatre/TheRecruitingOfficer'' as the first play ever performed in Australia. It's inspired by a real-life incident.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman'': In the series finale "[[Recap/BojackHorsemanS6E16NiceWhileItLasted Nice While It Lasted]]", [[spoiler:[=BoJack=]]] puts on a low-budget production of ''Theatre/HeddaGabler'' with his fellow inmates.
*''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'': At the end of the episode "[[Recap/KimPossibleS2E24OhBoyz Oh Boyz]]", Senor Senior, Junior is in prison performing a concert for several other imprisoned members of Kim's RoguesGallery, most of whom do not seem to be enjoying the rather [[DreadfulMusician dismal performance]].
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS15E21BartMangledBanner Bart Mangled Banner]]", the prison inmates who have been arrested for hating America perform a talent show. It starts with former president Bill Clinton putting one hundred cigarettes in his mouth. Then the Simpsons perform a musical number about America, which turns out to be a distraction for the guards in order for the family to escape the prison.
-->'''Last Registered Democrat:''' You guys are on after Al Franken, so the guards will have used up most of their bullets.
* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': In "[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS5E15TheInmatesOfSummerToSaveASquirrel The Inmates of Summer]]," [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick accidentally board a PrisonShip and believe it to be a summer camp. To lift the other prisoners' morale, [=SpongeBob=] writes a musical play for them to perform for "amusement and inspiration." The prisoners are initially apathetic but agree to perform once they notice the giant boat prop, which they try to use during the musical number to escape... [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome except it quickly sinks in the water because it's just a prop]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder:RealLife]]
* While held in the mental asylum of Charenton, the Creator/MarquisDeSade wrote plays that were performed by his fellow inmates.
* CPDRC Dancing Inmates is a program at a maximum security prison in Cebu City, Philippines, where the prisoners perform dance routines as part of their rehabilitation and exercise. They are best known for their 2007 rendition of the iconic dance sequence from Music/MichaelJackson's ''Music/{{Thriller}}'' with over 1,500 inmates participating, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMnk7lh9M3o as seen here]], which was one of the most-watched [=YouTube=] videos at the time.
[[/folder]]
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