Clean Break is a women's theatre company based in London, focused on telling the stories of imprisoned women.

History

Clean Break was started in 1979 by prisoners at HMP Askham Grange,[1] who expanded the prison's annual Christmas show into Efemera, a two-hour show about prison life. It was later performed for a two-night run at York Arts Centre, which made its 21 cast members the first British prisoners to perform onstage outside of a prison.[2] Upon their release, founders Jenny Hicks and Jackie Holboroug formed the theatre company, Clean Break, in order to tell the stories of women in prison.[3][4]

In 1998 the company moved from its base in Camden to a refurbished building in Kentish Town.[5][6]

Productions

Productions include Sam Holcroft's Dancing Bears at the Soho Theatre,[7] Little on the inside by Alice Birch at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2014,[8] and Pests by Vivienne Franzmann (a co-production with Royal Court Theatre and Royal Exchange Theatre).

[BLANK], a play by Alice Birch, premiered at the Donmar Warehouse in October 2019.[9]

In 2019 Inside Bitch was performed at Theatre Upstairs at The Royal Court Theatre.[10]

In 2021, Typical Girls by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm ran at Sheffield Theatres,[11] and in 2022 Favour by Ambreen Razia premiered at Bush Theatre.[12]

Clean Break's first co-production with the National Theatre, Dixon and Daughters by Deborah Bruce, premiered in April 2023.[13]

Residencies

The company also organises residencies in women's prisons in the UK, using directors, playwrights, and actors to work with women in prison to create their own work.

The playwright Lucy Kirkwood was writer in residence at Clean Break in 2015.[14]

Recognition

Clean Break trustee Alice Millest was named Young Board Member of the Year at the 2014 Arts & Business Awards.[15]

Clean Break were shortlisted for the Guardian Charity of the Year Awards in 2014[6] and received a Highly Commended Award from the Longford Trust.[16]

References

  1. ↑ Gardner, Lyn (8 November 2010). "Clean Break and the invisible women | Stage". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  2. ↑ Trueman, Matt (26 February 2019). "'A world to escape into': how theatre gives prisoners a way out". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  3. ↑ Joseph, Naomi (8 July 2014). "Working with women: Clean Break". Arts Professional. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  4. ↑ "Clean Break". Arts Council. 1 October 2009. Archived from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  5. ↑ Perman, Lucy (13 March 2013). "Restorative theatre: working inside out with prisons and offenders | Culture professionals network". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  6. 1 2 "Charity Awards 2014 - shortlist | Voluntary Sector Network". The Guardian. 1 October 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  7. ↑ Bowie-Sell, Daisy. "Charged, Clean Break, Soho Theatre, review". The Daily Telegraph. London. ISSN 0307-1235. OCLC 49632006. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  8. ↑ "Little on the Inside, Almeida Theatre". Everything Theatre. 1 August 2013.
  9. ↑ "Production – Donmar Warehouse". www.donmarwarehouse.com. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  10. ↑ Billington, Rachel (29 March 2019). "Bitching drama – insidetime & insideinformation". Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  11. ↑ "Review: Typical Girls –'Energetic and empathetic, punk-tinged gig-theatre'". The Stage.
  12. ↑ Razia, Ambreen (30 June 2022). "Playwright Ambreen Razia: Why do we never hear stories about working-class South Asian women?". Independent.co.uk.
  13. ↑ Akbar, Arifa (26 April 2023). "Dixon and Daughters review – comic domestic noir reveals grim shadows". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  14. ↑ "Lucy Kirkwood". Playscripts, Inc. 2015. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  15. ↑ Millest, Alice (2015). "Alice Millest & Clean Break | Arts & Business". artsandbusiness.bitc.org.uk. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  16. ↑ "Longford Trust - Longford Prize Winner: Prisoners' Advice Service (PAS)". longfordtrust.org. 22 November 2012. Archived from the original on 10 November 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
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