Review: Penned Up (Greenwich Theatre / UK Tour)

Review by Ria Tanaka

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Stopping in at London’s Greenwich Theatre as part of its UK tour, Penned Up is a celebration of storytelling and the unexpected bonds created behind bars. A play about playwriting prisoners, where secrets come out and voices are reclaimed as the prisoners at the HMP Ditchfield are challenged to write their own plays every week. Inspired by real-life experiences teaching playwriting in multiple UK prisons, writer and director Danusia Iwaszko sets out to share what she found: the men feeling seen and heard, and learning to express themselves, not with violence, but with words. 

The set designed by Madeleine Roberts transports us to a classroom in the HMP Ditchfield. A relatively simple set with silver bars and colourful playwriting prompts propped up, it sets the scene of a prison without creating an environment that is too cold and miserable for anything miraculous to occur. This, paired with sound and lighting design by Tim Westerman, particularly the use of acoustic, folky music in between scenes, really helped create the feel that the classroom is a safe and sacred space for all the characters. 

Packed with laughs, the contrast between the green prisoners and your typical drama class set-up made for some great comedic moments that really locked the audience in from the start. Liam Watson in particular, brought many humorous moments as the prisoner Ed Burke, bringing restless and at times chaotic naughty school boy energy to the stage. The absolute truthfulness the actors brought to the characters, particularly the role of Dorota Tokarska (based on Iwaszko herself) played by Rebecca Peyton, made me often forget I was even watching a play, but that I was learning and participating in the class myself. I feel like I could write my own play now!

Diversity on stage is always a delight to witness. In the case of Penned Up, it was a joy to not only see that diversity in terms of race, but also in religion, age, neurodiversity and the sexuality of the prisoners. That paired with the wide range of convictions the prisoners held; some violent, some not, really challenged that stereotypical perception that many of us have when we think of a man behind bars. They were presented as individual human beings. Men who have faced many different types of misfortune and are facing the consequences of their actions, but are not evil and can be helped.

In this case, with the power of playwriting. It was really wonderful to see this in the character development of the men, particularly the prisoner Jermaine Anderson played by Ntabiso J. Bhebhe, who presented as short-tempered and aggressive to start, but by the end, through writing about his hopes and dreams for the future, felt seen. The prison guard, Mike Hudd, played by Chris Clarkson, similarly goes through a change of heart. His performance, whilst keeping it generally light-hearted, really emphasised the idea that these men can be helped with the right tools giving powerful food for thought. 

Saying that it felt like a couple of the characters and themes could have been explored more deeply, specifically queerness. As soon as the topic was brought to our attention in a revelatory moment, it was never mentioned again. That moment being very heartfelt, I would have liked to have seen more exploration surrounding homosexuality within the prison confines. Both the closeted and openly gay characters felt as though they could also have been fleshed out more, which in turn may have allowed for more exploration. That said, I appreciate Iwaszko’s clarity in delivering an important message through her writing. 

All in all, Penned Up is a heartfelt, funny, and engaging piece of theatre that shines a light on the transformative power of creativity in the most unlikely of places. While some themes could have been developed further, the production succeeds in giving voice to those so often silenced and reminding us of the humanity that exists behind prison walls. With humour, honesty, and compassion, Iwaszko and her cast leave the audience with a renewed sense of empathy—and a belief in the redemptive power of words. Maybe words really can lead to the great escape.

Penned Up tours across the UK until 11^th October, culminating with a run at London’s Arcola Theatre. Dates and tickets at www.thehalcompany.org 

Photos by Luke Witcomb