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Catrina McHugh MBE is joint CEO, artistic director and writer at Open Clasp, a theatre company which co-creates with women excluded by theatre and society. Open Clasp visited HMP Deerbolt as part of the Creative Aid project, which is supporting young men in the prison to work with a range of artists.
Here, Catrina shares her experience of screening one of Open Clasp’s productions at Deerbolt and using theatre to encourage the group to think about their own stories from new perspectives.
10 years nearly to the month was the last time we were in HMP Deerbolt. Key Change was a production co-created with women in HMP Low Newton in 2014 and we were touring to the male estate.
Now we are back at Deerbolt. The young men enter the room, one then two – they wander and chat. They talk and we hear, young lives and long sentences.
We introduce Open Clasp and Key Change; its story of awards, Broadway and New York, audiences in prison and being filmed by BBC, its reach across the globe.
We watch Key Change and later share how we worried. Worried the young men might feel othered – a play about women and not inclusive of their story – even though I know during the tours, the men all felt it was their story too, whether that is them as children witnessing or experiencing domestic violence or abuse, or as perpetrators themselves. It tells the story of life in prison, for men and for women, different and the same.
But the play holds them, as it did 10 years ago. As the actors in the story take a bow, they applaud and share their thoughts, its impact, feelings and reflections.
We break for lunch. They recommend the chicken burrito – they dream of food.
We return to Key Change and the character of Sammy. A young man not unlike the character of Angie, a life that involves neglect and abuse, now incarcerated in Frankland Prison. The young men take ownership of his story, pull on their own experiences to ask and answer questions.
This is the first time we have worked with this character. He was placed in the story for this very reason, to create space for men to talk about their journey to prison, hopes and dreams. And they do just that and the chapel is a room full of creativity, discussion and debate, risk taking and problem solving.
I love facilitating workshops, and especially when working with people in prison.
In some ways, it’s the perfect environment to do group work. We sit in circles, laugh, trust and take risks. It takes courage to be part of a group, to step up and share your thoughts, feelings and reflections.
I like seeing the methodology work – the fictional character keeps the young men safe; they don’t have to disclose. They recreate moments and look to a future. They share their fear of leaving prison: maybe I’m safer or better staying inside.
I like the opportunity to talk about the bigger picture, what needs to change in society, the personal and political.
There is something magical about placing your experiences in a piece of drama, stepping back and examining it – like virtual reality, you get the opportunity to visit those moments again, looking from many angles and lenses.
They see themselves and hopefully power is built to change, and self-esteem and confidence is grown.
The young men used creativity to make sense of the lives that lead to prison. To think about what next and what needs to change for them and society.
When it’s over the young men go back to their cells, we pack up and walk towards the gate.
Thank you Catrina for this account of working with the group in HMP Deerbolt.
Creative Aid is a partnership project with Blue Cabin and Nepacs, supporting care-experienced young men in HMP Deerbolt to be recognised as artists. You can read more about the aims of the project here.
Find out about what we’ve learnt so far through the delivery of Creative Aid.
