Search for prison suicide answers in 'Woodhill'
LUNG, a "campaign led" arts charity, is touring Woodhill, a dance-theatre work weaving together verbatim testimonies of families who have lost loved ones to suicide at HMP Woodhill (and others with experience of the prison system).
The show, written and directed by Matt Woodhead and composed by Sami El-Enany, is voiced by actors, with four dancers: Tyler Brazao, Marina Climent, Chris Otim and Miah Robinson, performing choreography by Alexzandra Sarmiento.
Men's prison Woodhill, in Milton Keynes, opened in 1992 and has one of the highest suicide rates in the UK. It has repeatedly been criticised by families, coroners, inquest juries, the Prison and Probation Ombudsman and various review reports about staff shortages, insufficient staff training and poor inmate support.
Coroners have noted the jail has repeatedly failed to meet the requirements of national policy on suicide and emergency response. In March, the prison received its second "urgent notification" in three years, leading to the Ministry of Justice imposition of new safety and security measures. The dance-drama revolves around three families who refuse to stop asking how and why their loved ones died. The show, originally co-produced with The North Wall in Oxford, premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2023 to critical acclaim. LUNG’s campaign work alongside the Woodhill families inspired the revival, in response to the prison’s continued decline.
Founded in Barnsley in 2014, LUNG creates work that focuses on current political, social and economic issues, using people’s own words in their stories. Previous productions include Trojan Horse, about teachers and governors in Birmingham schools - which won the Amnesty International Freedom of Expression award, and The Children’s Inquiry, which looked at the children’s care system in the UK and won a Sky Arts award.
You can see it at Sheffield Playhouse (tonight and tomorrow); Lowry, Salford (October 13-17); Unity Theatre, Liverpool (October 21-22:); Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield (October 27); Dukes Lancaster (October 29); ARC Stockton (November 3-4); Leeds Playhouse (November 24-25); Theatre Clwyd, Mold (November 27-28) and other venues)
See info and full venue list here
