Penned up. Hollesley Bay Prison Newsletter

Knock knock, who’s there?

A brilliant bunch of actors, who all played their roles fantastically.

 

Penned up is a play about a creative writing class set up within the prison system, with a wide variety of diverse characters from several backgrounds. A couple of more mature characters supported perfectively to set the tone with their antics.

 

One being from Scotland and the other a Londoner, there were two younger prisoners, one from Liverpool, and the other from the ends. These two characters appeared problematic, with traits of mental health issues and addiction beneath their disruptive and aggressive exterior. However, they showed a great deal of love and strength under the surface.

 

Two other characters brought to light elements of sexuality and religious ideology, one was an openly gay flamboyant man who appeared the least likely reoffender, although upon release he was quickly recalled - a common theme for disassociated young people. Another character was struggling with his sexuality, as he negotiated the prison system and feared others’ opinions of ‘coming out’ - most notably that of his religious father.

 

A prison officer was a bit of a nightmare at first, with a stereotypical mindset of ‘once a criminal always a criminal’ attitude. However, his character came alive, and his personality shone through his uniform, as he became involved in the group sessions and he showed his human side and began to empathise with the guys.

 

The main character of the teacher was well liked by the audience. Dorita, or Dot, with her love and passion for her job, was the game changer for the prisoners in her class. A real enthusiasm to help others and get the best out of them. She showed extreme patience, with an array of obstacles - not just from the lads, but from the ‘red tape’ and pressure from the prison, officers and governors alike. The two younger characters pushed through their obstructive ways and became interested using their imagination, all thanks to the encouragement and kind-hearted nature of the Dorita. Don’t get me wrong she took no shit!

 

And through her own adversity, in which she recalls being physically assaulted by her father, who suffered with PTSD, she absolutely saw the goodness in humanity, especially those in despair, helped by her 17 years’ experience in her role meant she could see through the bravado and use their troubles to fuel their imagination and draw inspiration – using that raw potential from the source of pain.

 

The audience enjoyed how each character developed throughout the scenes. And the writers’ wonderfully accurate understanding of real-life situations to cast a diverse group with different ages, ethnicities, cultures and sexualities who all performed their roles very well indeed. The audience were visibly moved and throughout there was a lot of hilarious moments where the use of comedy was used to touch on sensitive subjects.

 

A great quote that many picked up on was, ‘a script is a recipe for an actor.’ People spoke about how humour can ease problems and can be an ingredient for love! The cast of the show were outstandingly professional in staying in character and keeping composed during each scene, especially with some of the troublesome antics and hyperactivity on display throughout! Reminded the audience of some the characters we have in prison! It was as real as you will get in a typical day scenario whilst doing some porridge! Each character at some point showed their pain. Each character, including the officer, all found a spark of inner happiness and pride at some point within the play.

 

One prisoner voiced and explained how strongly he related to the play. He was able to be open and talk about how he has suffered with mental health and addiction issues before arriving in prison. He thought the play “brilliant,” and said how he thought the play will open people’s eyes and enable them to gain a different perspective. No matter the variety of backgrounds on show, we are all human, we all have problems, most have suffered in the past, but through love and not being judgemental, as Dorita showed her class, there can be a brighter future for anybody. With gratitude and respect the world is a better place for all of us.

 

He also told us that, “personally, I had a lump in my throat in the closing scene, when the teacher was emotional. It was a beautiful scene for me to watch from my own experience. And the person next to me wiped away tears when Ed collapsed in the boxing scene about his father.”

 

Penned Up was deep. There were many in the audience that this play resonated with. Many voiced how they absolutely loved it.

 

Thank you to the cast, director, and of course the brilliant writer!