Imprisoned mams contribute to new play
Open Clasp give a voice to North East women behind bars
A play by Open Clasp Theatre Company, co-created with mothers in prison, is to embark on a regional tour after opening at Live Theatre in March.
Rupture was written by Catrina McHugh, award-winning founding director of Open Clasp, following workshops organised as part of the Parental Rights in Prison project (run by the NEPACS charity, which supports families affected by the prison or care system, and Durham University).
The hour-long show tells of a woman called Destiny (played by Narisha Lawson) who escapes onto the prison roof and gets an insight into her situation along with a view beyond the razor wire.
Audiences, say Open Clasp, “will discover for themselves how deep the threads of systematic and societal failures on women in prison go and watch as Destiny decides to take back control”.
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Catrina McHugh says: “Rupture is a great example of how the arts can be used to challenge perceptions around incarcerated women.
“We have been co-creating theatre with women in prison for over 10 years and are committed to the community of people who are incarcerated in this country, as talented theatre-makers with voices which need to be heard and as our audience.
“We are proud to have created such a compelling piece of theatre which explores the harsh realities of prison life for women and particularly incarcerated mothers.”
Open Clasp cite figures revealing that in England and Wales women account for about 4% of the prison population and around 60% of them are mothers – with an estimated 17,000 children per year affected by maternal imprisonment.
In September, Open Clasp was awarded the Ruth Cranfield certificate of excellence for Rupture, in recognition of its partnership with NEPACS and the Criminal Justice, Social Harm and Inequalities Research Group at Durham University.
With the production Catrina aims to highlight the work of Dr Kate O’Brien and Dr Hannah King, Durham University academics who have gained national recognition for their research into people’s prison experiences.
“Over 10 workshops, we used drama techniques to create a safe space for open discussion and debate amongst women in HMP Low Newton, who created the character Destiny,” she says.
“The women spent each session asking and answering questions. Many had never talked with other women and mothers who had lost their children to the care system or who were at risk of having their children taking into care, so it was a powerful experience.”
Dr O’Brien says: “Our research has highlighted the devastating impacts that a prison sentence can have on mothers who are separated from their children.
“There is a pressing need for us to collectively explore how we can bring about change and Open Clasp’s powerful new show is a vehicle that will help us achieve this.”
See Rupture, directed by Rachel Glover, at Live Theatre (March 5 to 8), Gala Durham (March 12), ARC, Stockton (March 13) or West End Women and Girls Centre, Newcastle (March 15).
The play is to also be performed behind closed doors at HMP Low Newton, HMP Askham Grange and HMP Deerbolt. For more information go to the Open Clasp Theatre Company website.