Theatre REVIEW: Penned Up - ★★★★

Mix Up Theatre (Stewart)
Sep 20
2 min read

Can words be the great escape for this group of prisoners tasked with writing their own plays?

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, and 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 of experience 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.

The HAL Company

Where?

New Wolsey Theatre - part of UK Tour

WEBSITE

Jan (Age 14) - ★★★★

"This show was great, I really enjoyed it. It had a cool set, with metal bars and desks, it gave an impression of a prison and classroom combined. The first half4 was quite bland. With not much action, it wasn't as engaging or funny as the second. The second half was amazing, all of the actors played their parts well, and really brought a lot of positive energy.

This show had some humourous moments, some of the characters like Franky and Ed were particularly hilarious. Both Liam Watson (Ed) and Heydn McCabe (Franky) had great performances. Ashton Owen also was very good as Ben Gardener. I really enjoyed all of the accents, particularly Jermaine's.

The story was very interesting. It was about a group of prisoners who were put in a drama class. It was entertaining to watch them write and act out their scripts. We also learned a lot about each of the characters' reasons for being in prison - I loved listening to these, as they were really unexpected.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this show, as it is quite different to other shows I have seen before. The show progressively gets better so don't be put off by the slow start."