Based on the story of Cyrano de Bergerac who whispered poetic lines to Christian to help him express his love for Roxanne, the Cyrano method supplies the words that inmates need for self-expression but are not able to verbalize. An extract from a play is selected according to the inmate's specific problems, and the inmate is assigned a role. The play setting gives inmates a sense of protection as they open up and make themselves vulnerable. The Cyrano method was evaluated over a 16-week period in the Correctional Service of Canada's Quebec Region. Two 3-hour Cyrano workshops were run per week for 11 inmates. Each play involved two characters, and inmates worked in pairs. Inmates were encouraged to develop their characters through method acting. While the sample size was small, experimental workshops indicated the Cyrano method may contribute to correctional treatment in two distinct ways: (1) the character creation stage of the process may be a valuable diagnostic tool; and (2) rehearsals may be used as a form of intervention. The lively confrontation and interaction among characters made it difficult for inmates to rationalize their emotions. They not only had to talk about a situation but also had to live it. 3 notes