Funded in 2010
Based in Yorkshire
Approached by Inside Stories – a company touring professional theatre into male prisons and theatres throughout the UK – the MVMF agreed to partially fund a three-day research and development programme at HMP Doncaster in December 2010, designed to explore the issue of the high percentage of ex-servicemen in prison.
Three actors and two director/facilitators visited HMP Doncaster to engage the inmates in this new project. Over the three days, they ran workshops with prisoners who had previously served in the forces and who were keen to develop their skills and understanding of theatre. Each session began with the actors performing a rehearsed reading from a section of the draft script.This sparked fascinating debate and story sharing and led to incredibly honest work from the participants. The final day culminated in a performance by the actors, and scenes that the offenders had created working alongside the professional actors.
The staff, actors and directors were overwhelmed by the commitment with which the prisoners applied themselves. Feedback from staff at HMP Doncaster was very positive. The project reached prisoners that staff had previously been unable to engage in activities. The long-term effect this has had on prisoners (both ex-servicemen and non ex-servicemen) has been great. A large number of these new participants now frequently engage in activities within the drama department and express a keen interest in events and opportunities in the future.
