On Oct. 4 nearly 100 people boarded a prison bus and that took them into Yunlin Second Prison, but it turns out that they were actually there to watch and enjoy glove puppetry and lion dance performances.
As a way of passing on traditional culture, eight years ago Yunlin Second Prison engaged the services of husband and wife Mao Kuo-tsung and Chen Yi-chen from the Ming-Shi-Jie Hand Puppet Troupe to be tutors at the prison. Yunlin Second Prison’s chief warden Wu Cheng-hung says that the tuition in glove puppetry was extremely effective and the language and behavior of many members of the troupe has showed a marked improvement. Later on, the prison also established a lion dance and drumming class.
Wu says that Mr and Mrs Kuo are not just technical tutors, but also provide a listening ear for the inmates. Prison wardens noticed that the reoffending rate for members of the puppet theatre troupe after leaving prison was extremely low. Last year, the Yunlin County Government invited the troupe to perform outside of prison for the first time and the troupe received a warm reception from the audience. In cooperation with the International Puppet Theater Festival’s puppetry mini-tour program, members of the public were for the first time invited to to enter the prison to watch a puppet performance.
Photos: Huang Shu-li, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者黃淑莉
(Liberty Times, translated by Edward Jones)
近百位民眾十月四日下午搭囚車進雲林第二監獄！原來是到監獄觀賞布袋戲及醒獅表演。
Photos: Huang Shu-li, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者黃淑莉
雲林二監為傳承傳統技藝，八年前成立掌中劇團，聘請彰化二水明世界掌中劇團茆國聰、陳怡臻夫妻入監指導，雲林二監典獄長吳承鴻表示，布袋戲的教化效果很好，許多團員言行舉止明顯改變，之後又成立醒獅戰鼓班。
吳承鴻指出，茆國聰夫妻對團員不僅是技術指導，還跟他們「交心」，獄方發現掌中劇團成員出獄後再犯率很低。去年雲林縣府邀請掌中劇團首次到監外演出，觀眾反應熱烈，今年配合國際偶戲節偶戲小旅行活動，首次邀請民眾進監獄看布袋戲。
(自由時報記者黃淑莉)
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