EP281 Curt Tofteland | Founder & Producing Director | Shakespeare Behind Bars
Mon Jan 12 2026
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Shakespeare Behind Bars: Healing, Redemption & The Legend of Billy In this episode of #GaleForceWins, host Rob Elford sits down in St. John’s, Newfoundland, with Curt L. Tofteland, the Founder and Producing Director of Shakespeare Behind Bars. With over 34 years of experience working in corrections, Curt shares his profound philosophy on how the arts can heal childhood trauma and foster emotional literacy. They discuss the critical difference between working with juveniles and adults, the decision to refuse government funding to maintain program integrity, and the stunning recidivism rate of less than 6%. Highlight:Do not miss the incredible story of "Billy," an inmate who made prison history by turning down parole to finish a Shakespeare production.
Timestamps
0:00 – Welcome to Gale Force Wins: Rob Elford introduces Curt L. Tofteland.
1:02 – The Origin of Shakespeare Behind Bars: How arts heal trauma.
3:39 – "The Kids Down the Hall": Curt’s early connection to the marginalized.
6:35 – Emotional Literacy: Using acting to navigate shame and guilt (referencing Brené Brown).
9:31 – The "Johnny and Sarah" Story: Exposing the failures of traditional education.
15:32 – Entering Juvenile Detention: Why the program is never mandatory.
18:08 – The "Circle of Truth": Building trust through radical authenticity.
21:39 – Funding & Results: Why Curt refuses state money and achieves less than 6% recidivism. 23:42 – The Juvenile Brain: Understanding trauma and the frontal cortex.
27:18 – The Story of Billy: A lesson in integrity.
31:55 – Two Gentlemen of Verona: The courage to play female roles in a male prison.
36:25 – The Parole Board Hearing: "Is he running drugs?"
38:36 – "I Respectfully Decline": Turning down freedom to honour the cast.
41:07 – "A Guest in Your House": Navigating prison politics and returned citizen mentorship.
45:14 – The Definition of Humanity: Belief in second chances and redemption.
Gale Force Wins started out simply as an inspirational podcast releasing episodes wherever you get your podcasts every Tuesday evening. We continue to do that every Tuesday but have expanded into custom content for clients. We also have perfected a conference and trade show offering where you can receive over 20 videos edited and posted to social media at the same time the event is unfolding.
For businesses and organizations we also create digital content quickly and efficiently.
Visit our services page here:
https://galeforcewins.com/services
To message Gerry visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerrycarew/
To message Allan visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allanadale/
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Send us a text Shakespeare Behind Bars: Healing, Redemption & The Legend of Billy In this episode of #GaleForceWins, host Rob Elford sits down in St. John’s, Newfoundland, with Curt L. Tofteland, the Founder and Producing Director of Shakespeare Behind Bars. With over 34 years of experience working in corrections, Curt shares his profound philosophy on how the arts can heal childhood trauma and foster emotional literacy. They discuss the critical difference between working with juveniles and adults, the decision to refuse government funding to maintain program integrity, and the stunning recidivism rate of less than 6%. Highlight:Do not miss the incredible story of "Billy," an inmate who made prison history by turning down parole to finish a Shakespeare production. Timestamps 0:00 – Welcome to Gale Force Wins: Rob Elford introduces Curt L. Tofteland. 1:02 – The Origin of Shakespeare Behind Bars: How arts heal trauma. 3:39 – "The Kids Down the Hall": Curt’s early connection to the marginalized. 6:35 – Emotional Literacy: Using acting to navigate shame and guilt (referencing Brené Brown). 9:31 – The "Johnny and Sarah" Story: Exposing the failures of traditional education. 15:32 – Entering Juvenile Detention: Why the program is never mandatory. 18:08 – The "Circle of Truth": Building trust through radical authenticity. 21:39 – Funding & Results: Why Curt refuses state money and achieves less than 6% recidivism. 23:42 – The Juvenile Brain: Understanding trauma and the frontal cortex. 27:18 – The Story of Billy: A lesson in integrity. 31:55 – Two Gentlemen of Verona: The courage to play female roles in a male prison. 36:25 – The Parole Board Hearing: "Is he running drugs?" 38:36 – "I Respectfully Decline": Turning down freedom to honour the cast. 41:07 – "A Guest in Your House": Navigating prison politics and returned citizen mentorship. 45:14 – The Definition of Humanity: Belief in second chances and redemption. Gale Force Wins started out simply as an inspirational podcast releasing episodes wherever you get your podcasts every Tuesday evening. We continue to do that every Tuesday but have expanded into custom content for clients. We also have perfected a conference and trade show offering where you can receive over 20 videos edited and posted to social media at the same time the event is unfolding. For businesses and organizations we also create digital content quickly and efficiently. Visit our services page here: https://galeforcewins.com/services To message Gerry visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerrycarew/ To message Allan visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allanadale/