Clean Break (theatre company)

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).^{[citation needed]}

[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.^{[citation needed]}

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. "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.

External links

• Clean Break Official Website