After more than two years in the planning, Australia's largest prison has put on several stage performances of Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream for visitors and fellow inmates.

The 90-minute production is part of a new program at Acacia Prison in Perth that aims to develop life skills and reduce re-offending.

Prison operator Serco said the initiative was the first full-time performing arts program in an Australian prison.

A Midsummer Night's Dream is comedy about lovers, fairies and a magical forest, not things you expect in a prison, and it was a huge logistical and security task to set up.

But Perth director Nichola Renton was determined to use Shakespeare to help educate and rehabilitate inmates while developing their public speaking skills.

Ms Renton said almost all of the 25 prisoners had no acting experience or exposure to Shakespeare before the daily workshops.

"They carry huge feelings of guilt and feelings of worthlessness, who have along the way lost or been given those skills to promote them themselves in healthy way," she said.

"These men are so ignited by Shakespeare and performance, they will go and see plays, they will join theatre groups, and they will find healthy activities to do to stimulate them and give them that high."

Ms Renton said the program was an educational unit and the inmates had passed with flying colours.

"I think it has opened their hearts, it has made them vulnerable in the way that they will put themselves bravely forward. They've learnt to deal with anxiety and stress in a really healthy, productive way so," she said.

The prisoners have spent the last eight months practising and studying the prose for more than three hours a day, while some did the sound, lighting and sets.

Serco staff helped sew the costumes and a local high school loaned the prison their stage.

Performing helps prisoners rehabilitate

Four inmates told the ABC how the arts program had helped them rehabilitate.

An inmate on stage performing A Midsummer Night's Dream. ( ABC News: Laura Gartry )

"Prison is tough. To come in here, is a nice break from that. It makes you feel positive. If I was to be released tomorrow, I'd go out with a better mentality than if I was just out in the yard," one inmate said.

"We feed off each other's energy and give each other a positive influence. If we can learn from it, we can take that back out into society.

"We are being taught confidence, the ability to present and discipline. To be accepted into the program you have to pass a clearance, there's homework and to work as part of a team. Those are the skills employers are looking for.

"This program has given me enough confidence to go out there and finish grade 12, maybe even uni. I can get a job, be a better father and better my relationships. That is the real benefit of this program."

Despite hesitations in the beginning, almost all the men auditioned for the female roles.

"They play women respectfully, they play homosexuals respectfully and that level of empathy ignited or encouraged is a wonderful thing to work with," Ms Renton said.

Artistic director of Perth playback theatre Zane Alexander gave the show a rave review.

"I've seen Midsummer Night's Dream many times, this I think was probably one of the best versions I have ever seen," he said.

"It was so fresh. I think it was how Shakespeare intended. Just to have that real rapport between the actors on stage and the audience.

"It isn't that easy because it is a completely different language and just to get past that barrier alone and then to have a whole team of untrained actors doing a performance is an incredible feat and one they should be really, really proud of."

There are hopes are the drama program will be rolled out to prisons nationally.