Penned Up 2025 UK Tour
Penned Up
Can words be the greatest escape?
Welcome to HMP Ditchfield, where each week a group of prisoners are tasked with writing their own plays. From boxing rings to the Brazilian rainforest, from tragic pasts to wildly imaginative futures, these men learn that theatre is more than words on a page-it’s a way to reclaim their voices. But as creativity collides with authority, tensions rise, secrets unravel, and laughter turns to rebellion.
Witty, raw, and full of heart, Penned Up is a powerful celebration of storytelling, second chances, and the unexpected bonds that form behind bars.
Written by award winning playwright Danusia Iwaszko, who uses her more than 15 years' experience of teaching playwriting to prisoners to explore what life is actually like behind bars.
Think Porridge meets Brassed Off-both a laugh riot and a gut-punch.
Co-produced by Suzanna Rosenthal Productions.
Supported by Arts Council England, Suffolk County Council, Suffolk Community Foundation, Synergy Theatre Project, The Drapers’ Company, Menagerie, St Giles
Cast & Creatives
Since graduating from Mountview, Ntabiso has been steadily carving out a place for himself in the industry. Past Professional Credits Include: DNA (Jan), A LEAP OF FAITH (WORKSHOP), DOROTHY: BACK TO OZ (WORKSHOP) (Tinman). Credits while training include: The Man of Mode (Supporting Lead), Enron (Ramsey/Ensemble), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Demetrius), The Oresteia (Choryphaeus 3), Mogadishu (Jason), Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf? (Nick)
Credits with the New Wolsey Young Company include:How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found (Eric/Barry), The 39 Steps (Heavy 2/Radio announcer).
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Chris Clarkson
Chris trained at Bretton Hall.
Theatre includes; Blood Brothers, The Taming of the Shrew, Macbeth, How The Other Half Loves, Out Of Order, September Tide, Woman in Mind and A Permanent State of Emergency. He’s also had 22 seasons in pantomimes all over the UK! Television includes: Coronation Street, A Touch of Frost, Emmerdale, The Royal Today, My Parents Are Aliens, The Quest, In The Dark, Crimewatch, Hollyoaks and The One Show. Plus over 20 TV commercials!
Chris also works as a voiceover, a presenter and a close-up magician. He’s rugby mad and is a fourth generation Leicester Tigers fan.
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Geir Madland
Geir has appeared in Danusia Iwaszko’s A Labour of Love at the Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds, Tom Levitt’s Power Play at the Camden Fringe Festival and Norwich, and in East Anglian tours of Hay Fever, A Christmas Carol (directed by Mark Finbow) and Tim Lane & Cordelia Spence’s An Honest Gentleman. In addition to playing a lead in Film Suffolk’s The Haunted Hotel, he has enjoyed on-screen roles in Norwich-based band True Adventures’ Down the Line video and Picture Perfect’s WW2 films We Go in at Dawn and Behind the Line: Escape to Dunkirk. Geir also sings with the Thorndon Allstars, arguably the best covers band in the village.
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Originally an East Ender, Heydn has lived and worked in East Anglia for 25 years. His career spans Theatre, TV, Film and Radio, portraying such characters as Lord Stanley in Beaumont’s Battle Of Bosworth, Dr Faustus In Marlow’s Dr Faustus, Franky Hamilton In STV’s Taggart and Ugly Sister Face Ache in Cinderella. When not Treading a Board, Heydn Writes, Directs and produces Theatre, and is a great believer in promoting and encouraging local talent. Having been with Penned Up since it’s inception in 2022, he is proud to be part of such an insightful, thought - provoking and rewarding production.
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Shelley McDonald
Performing with the Old Vic in two of their productions “Rise” and “Ages” Shelley McDonald has been a part of some spectacular productions, even managing to join the cast of the National Theatre’s “Faith, Hope and Charity” and was in the European tour of the hit play in 2021. This will be Shelley’s most exciting role to date playing the role of Mo in Penned Up.
Ashton Owen
Ashton is an Actor, Puppeteer and Theatre Maker. He trained at East 15 Acting School.
Theatre Credits: Ben/Alien in Tom Fletcher’s There’s A Monster in Your Show (MEI Theatrical LTD) Giant in Smartest Giant in Town (Little Angel Theatre) Mole in Wind in the Willows (Taunton Brewhouse), Adam in Ghosted (St Georges Theatre), Writer and Performer in Outskirts (Sheringham Little Theatre), Dr Watson in Sherlock Holmes Online Experience (Les Enfants Terribles), Mr Bump, Mr Happy, Mr Tickle and Mr Small (Selladoor Worldwide), Plant Protector in Siyanda Protector of Plants (Theatre-Rites), Atir in Zeraffa Giraffa (Little Angel Theatre and Omnibus Theatre Co- Production)
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Rebecca’s recent theatre includes A Christmas Carol, Labour of Love (Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds); Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare’s Wanderers); Duet for One (UK no.1 tour); Billy Chickens (Theatre503/Latitude); Enduring Song (Bristol Old Vic); One Hour Eighteen Minutes (New Diorama); Hothouse (Arcola).
Television includes DI Ray (ITV); Casualty, Eastenders, Stan, True Stories: Elizabeth Fry (all BBC). Film includes Acceptable Damage, The Wyrd, The Incident, Last Collection.
Rebecca’s solo show, Sometimes I Laugh Like My Sister, toured throughout the UK (including Edinburgh Pleasance and selling out at the Finborough), Europe and South Africa. It is published by Oberon Books.
Recent Credits: A Christmas Carol, Labour of Love (Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds); Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare’s Wanderers); Duet for One (UK tour); Billy Chickens (Theatre503/Latitude); Enduring Song (Bristol Old Vic); One Hour Eighteen Minutes (New Diorama); Hothouse (Arcola).
Television includes DI Ray (ITV); Casualty, Eastenders, Stan, True Stories: Elizabeth Fry (BBC). Film includes Acceptable Damage, The Wyrd, The Incident, Last Collection.
Rebecca’s solo show, Sometimes I Laugh Like My Sister, toured throughout the UK, Europe and South Africa. It is published by Oberon Books.
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Liam Watson
Liam is a Manchester-born Rose Bruford Acting graduate, having previously trained with the National Youth Theatre.
He has recently played the lead role of David Hemmings in Turning the Screw (King’s Head Theatre), Jack Goose in Mother Goose (Theatre Royal Winchester) and Peter Pan for the award winning Little Wolf Theatre. Previous credits include the role of Ed in Penned Up’s previous iterations at Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds and Seven Dials Playhouse.
Experience during training included Against by Christopher Shinn and 3 Winters by Tena Štivičić. Liam is also an Executive Director of the Incept Arts Collective (@InceptCollective)
Danusia Iwaszko
Danusia Iwaszko is an award-winning playwright and director. Her plays have been staged across the UK, in Ireland and Australia. She is an Artistic Associate at Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds and has previously been an attached writer at the National Theatre. Danusia has taught playwriting in prisons for over fifteen years. Danusia also works in communities delivering writing and drama workshops with the elderly, young people, people experiencing homelessness, in women's refuges, with people with additional needs with organisations such as Age UK, YMCA & Refuge. Danusia shares their life experiences and gives them a voice through her plays.
Suzanna Rosenthal Productions produce, promote and manage theatre and comedy shows throughout the UK. We work across the entertainment sector presenting shows predominantly on tour, in London and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, with occasional overseas adventures.
Current and recent clients/shows include: Showstopper! The Improvised Musical (West End and national tour; Olivier Award Winner 2016); Dad’s Army Radio Show (national tour); Penned Up (national tour); Think No Evil Of Us (national tour); George Takei’s Allegiance (Charing Cross Theatre); Really Good Exposure (Soho Theatre); The Brief Life & Mysterious Death Of Boris III, King of Bulgaria (national tour and Brits Off Broadway); Comala, Comala (Fringe First Award 2024); The Ice Hole: A Cardboard Comedy (Edinburgh Fringe); Cirque Berserk! (Garrick Theatre and Edinburgh Fringe); Harpy (starring Su Pollard, national tour); The B*easts (starring Monica Dolan, Bush Theatre – Olivier Awards nominee 2018 for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre – and Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Stage Award for Outstanding Performance).
Tim trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. After training, he went on to work in the film industry in the special effects department on 30-plus feature films, but always found himself drawn back to theatre projects. This led him back to Suffolk to start teaching at the Conservatoire EAST in Bury St Edmunds. He is now the Sound and Lighting Technical Advisor to the Eastern Education Group. His biggest passion is finding ways of building worlds for shows with minimal equipment, which is also sustainable and up-to-date.
Designer-
Madeline Roberts
Madeleine Roberts is a freelance theatre designer and community artist. She trained in theatre design at Nottingham Trent university in the early 1990s. Maddy found her passion for community arts while working with professional dancers, musicians and visual artists during her degree course. She became involved in running week-long projects with the other creatives, working in schools and arts centres to create a finished performance piece. The participants worked with Madeleine to create the set, costumes and lighting for these projects. She became excited by the idea that working in this way could bring people and communities together through theatre and art. Maddy also specializes in creating large-scale community arts projects. These include making giant puppets for parades and site specific 3-d installations. The projects involve working with many groups, ages and abilities. In addition to her freelance work, Maddy has worked as a course director and art and design lecturer running UAL courses for home educated students at art school. She is very excited to be working with Hal, as it brings together her love of theatre design and working in the community.
Our Supporters
Arts Council England
Suffolk County Council
Suffolk Community Foundation
Synergy Theatre Project
The Drapers’ Company
Menagerie, St Giles
Timpsons
UFAC
Ridley Godfrey Foundation