National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance

Webinar: How Can Arts Practice Inform Policy Change?
2021-03-31 14:00 - 15:00 (Europe/London)
31st March | 2-3pm | online | free This webinar brings together artists, policy makers, and campaigning organisations to consider how arts practices can inform the recovery and transformation of the prison service during and beyond Covid-19.
Guests including NCJAA Co-Chair Simon Ruding and speakers from the Prison Reform Trust and Arts Council England will contribute to a panel discussion, which will be followed by a participatory discussion with attendees.
This webinar emerges from the Sounding Out project, a collaboration between the University of Reading, Rideout Creative Arts for Rehabilitation, and the Prison Reform Trust that explores how creative sound and audio practices might bring the voices of people in prison into policy making conversations.

The Creativity in Youth Justice Symposium
2021-03-18 13:00 - 16:00 | Online
18th March 2021
1pm-4pm
Online
Free The Creativity in Youth Justice Symposium is a chance for artist educators and youth justice workers to come together and discuss how creative practices can be used to engage and spark creativity in young people who are in the youth justice system in the UK. The event will also celebrate the successes and highlight some of the challenges that both sides face working in the sector, with access to resources, keynote speakers and focused workshops run by seasoned professionals in their field.
Special guest speaker to be announced soon.
Read a blog from event organiser Xavier Fiddes about the story behind the Symposium and the importance of creativity in youth justice here.

BROAD: Symposium exploring dance drama techniques in secure settings
2021-03-17 14:00 - 17:00
17th March | online | free Company Chameleon, Odd Arts and UCLAN’s Psychosocial Research Unit are inviting you to an afternoon symposium exploring the impact of BROAD, a dance drama programme delivered in secure environments.
At the symposium, Company Chameleon and Odd Arts will be delivering some of the content live for attendees to join in and experience the approaches that BROAD uses. Professor Lynn Froggett and Dr Hugh Ortega Breton of UCLAN will discuss some of the concepts they explored in their research into the project.

Disrupted Lives: #ChooseToChallenge Maternal Imprisonment
2021-03-11 18:00 - 19:15 | Online
11th March | online | free Join Birth Companions and Clean Break online for a special International Women’s Day event, Disrupted Lives: #ChooseToChallenge Maternal Imprisonment.
With performances from Clean Break’s plays and a panel discussion, the event will explore the issues relating to maternal imprisonment; champion women’s resilience through adversity; and open up conversations around how we can all help drive positive change.
The panel and performances will be followed by an opportunity to ask questions and discuss what we can all do now to challenge maternal imprisonment.

Ain't Nuff Time - Research Workshop for Criminal Justice Practitioners
2021-03-02 17:00 - 18:00 | Online
2nd March | online | free Theatre company Imagine If are inviting people working in the criminal justice system to a free online workshop to share their experiences, get creative, have fun, and help shape the script for their upcoming film.
The workshop is aimed at prison officers, Learning & Skills Managers, prison chaplains, prison arts teachers, governors, probation officers or anyone else who works in the criminal justice system. Imagine If will build on the experiences of participants in writing the script for a new film to be disseminated in prisons later this year, to ensure that the film is relatable, relevant and truthful.

The Arts of Punishment: Experiences of Injustice, Prison & Artistic Expression
2021-03-01 10:00 - 12:00
1st March | online | free The University of Warwick is hosting an interactive Q&A session focused on unpacking lessons from lived experiences of imprisonment and injustice. Organised as part of Warwick’s sociology course but open to all, it features panellists who have been impacted by criminal justice institutions, policies and rationales and have used creative expression to communicate and make sense of their experiences. Focusing on a number of enduring problems facing criminal justice, the panel will explore how to move towards challenging racism, inequalities and stigma in the context of criminal justice. The event is aimed at students of law, criminology, sociology, politics or anyone else interested in hearing from first-hand accounts of prison, justice and marginalisation.
Panellists include spoken word artist Jason Smith; poet and NCJAA Steering Group member Brenda Birungi a.k.a. Lady Unchained; and Safe Ground’s Executive Director Charlotte Weinberg.
Image credit: Still from The Forgotten People by Lady Unchained and Tracy Kiryango

NCJAA network hang out: Staying connected through another lockdown
2021-01-28 15:00 - 16:30 | Online
28th January 2020
15:00 – 16:30
Online
Free The National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance (NCJAA) invites you to join us for a virtual hang out. This is an opportunity for our network to come together to talk, share, and learn from each other during these challenging times.
At this event, we will discuss how we can maintain and build connections with each other and with the people in prison who have now been living under restricted regimes for almost a year. Join us to hear from others in the network and share your reflections, successes, and hopes for the year ahead.
Throughout 2020, arts in criminal justice organisations have had to radically adapt provision and approaches to stay connected with the people our sector serves. The new year brings new challenges – and new opportunities to use the experiences of the last year to engage creatively and meaningfully with people in the criminal justice system.
The NCJAA will chair the conversation, but please note that this will be a network-led discussion. We particularly welcome arts in criminal justice freelancers, practitioners and anyone else seeking to connect with others in the network to give and gain support.
Spaces are limited, so please register if you would like to attend. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing all information required to join the meeting, including a password.
We’re committed to making everything we do accessible to everyone. If you have any accessibility needs please let us know when you book and we’ll do our best to meet them.
If you have any issues registering or questions about the meetings, please email info@artsincriminaljustice.org.uk.
Keep checking the NCJAA website for further information on future events or sign up to the NCJAA newsletter here.
“It was actually a really fun and refreshing zoom session – breaking away into groups and having little chats together was something new and it was great to meet fellows who work in the CJS.” – NCJAA hang out attendee

The Forgotten People: Film Screening & Q&A
2021-01-26 17:00 - 18:00 | Online
The Forgotten People, a newly commissioned poem and film written and performed by artist and poet Lady Unchained, highlights racial inequality in the UK prison system. It was written at the Rotterdam Summer Lab in 2019, perfected during the Black Lives Matter protests in summer 2020 and filmed in South London.
Join Lady Unchained and filmmaker Tracy Kiryango for a free screening of the film, followed by an online conversation between the creatives and Q&A about the making of the film.
Captioning and BSL interpretation are available.

January theatre & criminal justice Q&A with Geese Theatre
2021-01-20 14:00 - 15:30 | Online
Geese Theatre Company is hosting a free monthly online Q&A exploring the work of Geese and the broader arts in criminal justice sector. Join one of Geese’s expert practitioners to find out more and ask questions about their work in criminal justice and social welfare settings.
The sessions are aimed at practitioners, artists, students and other people interested in discovering more about theatre in criminal justice from all over the world and will focus on a different theme each month.

Culture Recovery Fund Grants Webinar 3 - ACE
2021-01-18 12:00 - 13:00 | Online
The second round of the Culture Recovery Fund grants programme is now open to application until 26th January for cultural organisations based in England. To help explain the application process and give more information, Arts Council England (ACE) are holding a webinar series throughout January that will cover:

Who can apply and how much you can apply for
How the Grants programme interacts with the Repayable Finance programme (a second element of the Culture Recovery Fund Arts Council England are also administering)
Questions in the application
How to demonstrate cultural significance
How to present supporting evidence in the mandatory application templates, including cashflow
What any potential applicants can to do to prepare with some key deadlines and dates

Please note this webinar is repeated on the 12th, 14th and 18th of January.

Culture Recovery Fund Grants Webinar 2 - ACE
2021-01-14 10:00 - 11:00 | Online

Culture Recovery Fund Grants Webinar 1 - ACE
2021-01-12 18:00 - 19:00 | Online

The Anne Peaker Lecture 2020
2020-11-17 16:00 - 18:00 | Online
Beyond survival: Creativity in confinement
17th November
16:00-18:00
Online
Free
Book your place here
“The reason prisoners can create extraordinary art and poetry is because there is no lockdown in the imagination.” – Lemn Sissay
We’re delighted to invite you to join us at the 2020 Anne Peaker lecture with keynote speaker Lemn Sissay, author, poet, and broadcaster.
Lemn’s critically acclaimed 2019 autobiography, My Name Is Why, reflects on his childhood, self-expression and Britishness, and explores the institutional care system, race, family and the meaning of home. Lemn will join us to talk about the role creativity can play for people at risk of being institutionalised and how people use creativity to exercise agency and shape their own destiny.
The event will be hosted by Brenda Birungi, poet and Creative Director of Unchained Poetry, and will also feature performances from Jamal Khan and others, a Q&A and opportunities to engage.
The talk will be broadcast at a later date via National Prison Radio to 80,000 people in prison across England and Wales.
Our annual lecture honours Anne Peaker’s pioneering work and legacy, which forms the basis of the work of the National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance today.
If you have any questions about the event, please email events@clinks.org.

Arts Council Project Grants information sessions
2020-10-20 14:00 - 16:15 | Online
Tuesday 20 October 2020
14:00 – 15:00 and 15:15 – 16:15
Online
Free to attend
Register for a session at 2pm here or at 3:15pm here
Arts Council England (ACE) recently announced that it is reopening applications for its National Lottery Project Grants. ACE has pledged to make the new fund more responsive to the needs of smaller independent organisations and individual practitioners during Covid-19.
As part of the Network for Arts and Social Outcomes, the National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance is delighted to invite you to this free information session, where you can find out more about the grants and ask questions from ACE representatives. We will be joined by:

Richard Ings, the NCJAA’s Relationship Manager at ACE and the London Area champion for Arts in Health, Wellbeing & Criminal Justice
John McMahon, Arts Council lead for Arts and Health.

Please join us if you are interested in learning more about Project Grants and the overall ACE Let’s Create strategy.
This event is intended for individuals and organisations that are not National Portfolio Organisations. Please note that we are running this session twice (2pm and 3.15pm) and that it will cover similar content to the NCJAA Hang Out: ACE Project Grants we held in July 2020. Spaces are limited, so please register to attend. If you have a question for ACE (or any questions about the event) please email hello@counterpointsarts.org.uk. Live captions will be available.

NCJAA network hang out: Navigating the new normal
2020-09-30 10:00 - 23:30 | Online
Date: Wednesday 30 September 2020
Time: 10:00 – 11:30
Location: Online
Cost: Free
Register in advance for this meeting here
We’re six months into the global pandemic, and the future remains uncertain. We’re all in this together, yet it’s different for everyone. With the furlough scheme winding down and increasingly strict lockdown measures on the rise across the country, arts in criminal justice organisations and practitioners are facing more difficult decisions.
The National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance (NCJAA) invites you to join us for a virtual hang out. This is an opportunity for our network to come together to meet, discuss, share and learn from each other during these challenging times.
At this event, we will discuss how we can continue to rise to the challenges that Covid-19 poses to the arts in criminal justice sector, and how we can look after ourselves and support each other in the coming months.
The NCJAA will chair the conversation, but please note that this will be a network-led discussion. We particularly welcome arts in criminal justice freelancers, practitioners and anyone else seeking to connect with others in the sector to give and gain support.
Spaces are limited, so please register if you would like to attend. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing all information required to join the meeting, including a password. If you have any issues registering or questions about the meetings, please email info@artsincriminaljustice.org.uk.
Keep checking our website for further information on future events or sign up to the NCJAA newsletter here.

NCJAA network event: Project grants and arts in criminal justice
2020-07-20 14:00 - 15:30 | Online
Monday 20 July 2020
14:00 – 15:30
Online
Free to attend
Online bookings for this event are now closed. Please contact events@clinks.org for further information.
Arts Council England (ACE) recently announced that it is reopening applications for its National Lottery Project Grants from 22 July. Detailed guidance for applicants will be published soon. In the meantime, ACE has pledged to make the new fund more responsive to the needs of smaller independent organisations and individual practitioners during Covid-19.
We are delighted to be joined by Richard Ings, the NCJAA’s Relationship Manager at ACE and the London Area champion for Arts in Health, Wellbeing & Criminal Justice. Please join us if you are interested in learning more about project grants for arts in criminal justice.
Spaces at this event are limited, so please register if you would like to attend. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing all information required to join the meeting, including a password. Registered participants will have an opportunity to submit questions in advance, for discussion at the event.
If you have any issues registering or questions about the meetings, please email info@artsincriminaljustice.org.uk.

NCJAA Annual meeting 2020
2020-06-23 15:00 - 17:00 | Online
What does the arts in criminal justice sector need to survive and thrive through Covid-19 and beyond?
Date: Tuesday 23 June 2020
Time: 3-5pm
Location: Online
Cost: Free
Click here to book
On the three month anniversary of the day the UK went into lockdown, we will be asking What does the arts in criminal justice sector need to survive and thrive through Covid-19 and beyond? We will be reflecting on the impact of the crisis and ongoing challenges, as well as celebrating the resilience and innovation that has characterised the sector’s response so far. The annual meeting is also a chance for us to look back at the year to March 2020, reflect on our work, achievements and the health of our sector prior to the Covid-19 crisis.
We are excited to be joined by Andrea Hadley-Johnson, Artistic Programme Manager, and Dr Martin Glynn, Writer in Residence at the National Justice Museum, who will speak about the museum’s Constraint Restraint exhibition, which explores ideas of constraint through historic objects and contemporary art, and their ‘Letters of Constraint’ project, developed in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
We will also be thanking the members of our Steering Group who step down this year, and welcoming six newly elected members to the Steering Group.
We hope you can join us.
Click here to book

NCJAA network hang out: Planning for an uncertain future
2020-04-22 10:00 - 11:30 | Online
Wednesday 22 April 2020
10:00 – 11:30
Online
Free to attend, email events@clinks.org to register
We’re five weeks into a national lockdown and prisons are closed to all visitors. We don’t when or how it will end, or what the new normal will look like for arts in criminal justice when we do emerge. All we do know is that the future is uncertain. So how can we plan for that future when so much is unknown?
The National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance (NCJAA) invites you to join us for a virtual hang out. This is an opportunity for our network to come together to meet, discuss, share and learn from each other during these challenging times. This week we will discuss how you are meeting the challenges that Covid-19 has posed to your arts in criminal justice practice, projects and long-term plans. Have you had to make some tough decisions? Are you about to?
The NCJAA will chair the conversation, but please note that this will be a network-led discussion. We particularly welcome arts in criminal justice freelancers, practitioners and anyone else seeking to connect with others in the sector to give and gain support.
Spaces are limited, so email events@clinks.org if you would like to register for this event. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing all information required to join the meeting, including a password. If you have any issues registering or questions about the meetings, please email events@clinks.org

Future events
Our next hang out will be on Wednesday 6 May (theme tbc). Keep checking our website for further information on future events or sign up to the NCJAA newsletter here

Covid-19 survey
Please complete our short survey so we can help policy makers understand the impact of Covid-19 on arts in criminal justice. We need to hear from you if you’re a voluntary organisation or a practitioner who delivers arts in criminal justice settings. The survey closes Friday 17 April at 5pm. Find out more here

Image credit: Erika Flowers

Shakespeare on screen in prisons symposium
2020-03-31 | york, York, United Kingdom
31st March 2020
10am – 5pm (registration 9.30am)
York St John University
Free
The symposium will explore the potential for new and innovative creative partnerships within the arts, higher education and the criminal justice system.
The day will open with an exploration of the six-year partnership and Shakespeare Trilogy between York St John University, HMP New Hall and the Donmar Warehouse. The partnership resulted in a digital and artist-led participatory drama project and pedagogy, co-created with and by women in prison, artists, academics and students.
The whole mission was to represent the voiceless who felt they had no stake in our culture. The project has witnessed first-hand the transformational power of women’s creative engagement with the Trilogy films in prison.
Phyllida Lloyd, Director
Delegates from across the prison service, academia and the arts sector will have the chance to experience a day of workshops, talks and film screenings. Darren Henley, CEO of Arts Council England, will be in attendance. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.
Find out more and book here

Image courtesy of York St John University

Unlocking Potential
2020-03-19 | London – Generic, London, United Kingdom
19th March
10am – 4:30pm
London
From £55
This one-day training course is for theatre artists and early career group work practitioners interested in the art of creating safe and transformative women-only spaces.
Drawing on decades of practice from Clean Break’s current Members Programme and former award-winning Education Programme, this course will explore setting clear boundaries, facilitation skills and managing challenging situations. It aims to provide participants with the space to build their confidence and develop a toolkit to improve their practice.
Find out more and book here

Image courtesy of Clean Break Theatre Company, credit Tracey Anderson

Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance national conference 2020
2020-03-19 - 2020-03-20 | derby, Derby, United Kingdom
19th – 20th March 2020
Derby
Save the date
The Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance’s national conference will this year be held at Derby Museum.
The theme is ‘A Culture of Care’: care for one another (participants, practitioners, commissioners), care for the environment, and caring economies.

Book here

Image courtesy of Derby Museums, photographer David Edge

Postponed: The work of the arts and culture in prisons and probation research think-tank
2020-03-18 10:00 - 18:30 | London – Generic, London, United Kingdom
*This event has been postponed*
As a result of the evolving situation regarding Covid-19, we have unfortunately had to take the decision to postpone all Clinks and National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance events being held in March and April. We will be keeping the situation under review in order to make decisions about whether to postpone or cancel future events with the aim to provide as much notice as possible of any postponements or cancellations. We apologise for the inconvenience caused and thank you for your understanding.
We will be in contact with delegates directly with further information. Updates will also be available in Clinks’ weekly Light Lunch ebulletin. Please contact events@clinks.org with any enquiries.

Wednesday 18th March 2020
10am – 6.30pm
London
From £15
The National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance is delighted to announce its first research think-tank on the work of the arts and culture in prisons and probation, co-curated by Professor Sarah Colvin, University of Cambridge, and Professor Lorraine Gamman, Central St Martins.
The day will focus on moving towards a rounded evidence base, and towards a community of knowledge. We are looking for new perspectives via a cross-disciplinary and cross-sector approach. By the end of the day we hope to have taken our understanding of the work of the arts in prisons and probation to a new level.
Speakers/respondents include:

Professor Rosie Meek, author of the Ministry of Justice review of sport in prisons, A Sporting Chance (2018)
Dr Rosie Perkins, Royal College of Music/Imperial College London, HEartS (Health, Economic and Social impact of the arts) project team
Andrew Mowlah, Director of Research, Arts Council England
Dr Caoimhe McAvinchey, Reader in Socially Engaged and Contemporary Performance at Queen Mary, University of London
Dr Claire Westall and Dr Michelle Kelly, editors of Prison Writing and the Literary World (2020)
Professor Loraine Gelsthorpe and Dr Caroline Lanskey, lead researchers, University of Cambridge/ National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance Inspiring Futures project.

All delegates will be sent a summary piece before the event, outlining Where we are now: research on the work of the arts and culture in prisons and probation. The think-tank will focus on key questions including:

What does research into arts and culture in prisons and probation need to evidence?
What data are needed to provide evidence, and how are they best collected?
What are the lessons from other sectors (e.g. health and sport)?
What is the potential of creativity in the criminal justice system?
Can it help shift culture and society’s understanding of prisons and punishment?
What ideas about the function or work of the arts and culture already exist in arts, humanities and social science research? Can they be “joined up” to advance our understanding of the work of the arts and culture in prisons and probation?
What stepchange in policy in the next 5-10 years would best reflect this understanding of the work of the arts and culture?

Book here
We are offering two free places to individuals with lived experience of the criminal justice system and/or of black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. Please email events@clinks.org with brief details.

Blame and belonging - an interactive drama performance
2020-03-17 18:00 - 20:00 | Manchester generic, Manchester, United Kingdom
17th March, 6-8pm
Z-arts, Manchester
Free
Manchester City Council and Odd Arts present an interactive drama performance to explore “Blame and belonging.”
They are calling all young people aged 16-25 years and interested in social action, community cohesion and challenging hate to come along to an evening of live theatre and debate. This particular performance will focus on media influence, male radicalisation, hate crime and Islamophobia.
Food and drink will be provided.
Find out more and register

Image courtesy of Odd Arts

Unlocked 2
2020-03-07 - 2020-04-26 | Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
7th – 26th April
Leicester
Free
New Walk Museum & Art Gallery and Soft Touch Arts invite you to visit their second ‘Unlocked’ exhibition.
The art on display was created by prisoners at HMP Leicester, HMP Stocken and by people on probation. The aim of the installation is to give an opportunity to get a sense of what life is like in prison and how art provides opportunities to maintain wellbeing.
The exhibition includes testimonies from the artists about how creative practice has helped to transform their lives.

Image courtesy of Soft Touch Arts

The Special Relationship
2020-02-26 - 2020-03-21 | London – Generic, London, United Kingdom
26th February – 21st March
Soho Theatre, London
From £10
Yes I was deported back. Old Trump sent me here. Anything happens to my family, I’m coming across that ocean if I got to come in a tugboat, singing, “Row, row, row your boat”.
Synergy Theatre Project‘s latest production uses interviews with ex-prisoners and experts in immigration and criminal law and features true stories of people caught up in immigration detention and deportation.
The Special Relationship was written by Hassan Abdulrazzak and researched in collaboration with Prisoners Abroad, a UK charity supporting British citizens imprisoned overseas and returning to the UK.
Book now

Image courtesy of Synergy Theatre Project

To be seen is to be perceived
2020-02-17 18:00 - 19:00 | Birmingham – Generic, Birmingham, United Kingdom
Monday 17th February 2020
Ikon Gallery, Birmingham
6 – 7pm
£3
Ikon Gallery’s artist in residence at HMP Grendon, Dean Kelland, and other guests will share slides from the Art and HMP Grendon exhibition.
The talk will be followed by a screening of Samuel Beckett’s Film (1965), which plays with the notion of self-perception. The screening will be repeated for residents of HMP Grendon with the support of Flatpack and BFI.
Book here

Image: Dean Kelland, courtesy of Ikon Gallery

Prisoners on Prisoners
2020-02-08 - 2020-09-06 | Ripon, Ripon, United Kingdom
8th February – 6th September
Ripon
From £5.50
Prisoners on Prisoners is an installation at Ripon Prison and Police Museum that shares the experiences of current and historic female prisoners through audio, textile and photography.
Artist Faye Claridge has been connecting prison archives with inmates at HMP Askham Grange, to explore similarities and differences in their lives and prison experiences. Workshops using the museum’s Edwardian and Victorian criminal record books to give prisoners a way to share their perspectives and for museum visitors to consider the individual lived experience of justice systems.
The results have been compiled as a film and large-scale fabric print installation for cell 13 of the Victorian Ripon Prison and Police Museum.
The participants at Askham Grange really connected with the museum archives. Their thoughts on how prison has changed their lives and what changes might have helped prisoners 100-or-so years ago are really moving.
Faye Claridge
Book here

Image courtesy of Faye Claridge

In Plain Sight
2020-02-05 19:30 - 2020-02-15 20:30 | Stoke-on-Trent, Stoke-on-Trent, United Kingdom
5th – 8th, 12th – 15th February
7.30pm
Stoke-on-Trent
£10
Rideout’s new show, In Plain Sight, is an interactive improvised promenade performance taking place in a former tyre garage in Stoke-on-Trent in partnership with B arts.
Commissioned by Voices of Stoke-on-Trent, the show uses performance, storytelling, song, interactive debate, and food, to explore the experiences of those who find themselves sleeping rough, and tackle some of the issues that contribute to homelessness.
Developed in consultation with people with lived experience of complex life circumstances, In Plain Sight makes a special focus on why the help offered by professionals is sometimes rejected, and offers insight into strategies that might enable more meaningful connections between those who sleep rough and those who seek to provide help and support.
The show contains stories that some people may find upsetting, and is not considered suitable for those under 16. Audience members are advised to wear warm clothing and strong footwear as the performance takes place in a range of building spaces that are not all heated.
Book here

Image courtesy of Rideout

Irene Taylor Trust performances
2020-02-04 - 2020-03-20 | Various – UK, Various, United Kingdom
Dates in February and March
London, Cambridge
Free
The Irene Taylor Trust is holding a series of public performances to showcase its various projects creating original music with people in contact with the criminal justice system.

Tuesday 4 February, 1.45pm – Lullaby Project (collaboration with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra) performance with migrant & refugee mothers from Praxis Community Projects (Pott Street, London E2 0EF) – RSVP to projects@irenetaylortrust.com
Tuesday 11 February, 2pm – Lullaby Project (collaboration with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra) performance with migrant & refugee mothers from Praxis Community Projects (Pott Street, London E2 0EF) – RSVP to projects@irenetaylortrust.com
Friday 28 Feb, morning (tbc) – Music in Prisons project with adult men, Cambridgeshire – RSVP to projects@irenetaylortrust.com
Tuesday 3 March, 3pm (arrive by 2.30pm) – Lullaby Project (collaboration with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra) performance with mothers & fathers with experience of the criminal justice system from Clean Break & Sounding Out (Expedia, Angel Building, 407 St John Street, EC1V 4EX) – RSVP to projects@irenetaylortrust.com by 27/02/20
Friday 20 March, 3pm – Making Tracks project with The Prince’s Trust (The Prince’s Trust Morgan Stanley Centre, 124 St Paul’s Way, London E3 4QA)

Keep an eye on its upcoming performances page for new dates.
See upcoming performances here

Image courtesy of The Irene Taylor Trust, credit Lizzie Coombes

Good Vibrations prison play-throughs
2020-01-31 - 2020-03-27 | Various – UK, Various, United Kingdom
31st January – 27th March 2020
Various prisons in England
Free
Good Vibrations‘ play-throughs are the culmination of its gamelan courses. These courses help prisoners, patients in high security hospitals, former prisoners and vulnerable people in the community to develop crucial life and work skills such as communication and team-working. This is done through learning to play gamelan (an Indonesian bronze percussion orchestra), an extremely accessible and communal form of music.
The next play-throughs will be taking place at:
HMP Stoke Heath (Market Drayton) – morning of Friday 31st January (likely start time 10.00am)
This will be our first visit to HMP Stoke Heath, an adult male prison in Shropshire. We’ll be working with more vulnerable prisoners with mental health issues who are often isolated. We’ll be offering the men the chance to gain an OCN Team-working qualification award.
HMP Thorn Cross (Warrington) – morning of Friday 7th February (likely start time 10.00am)
HMP Thorn Cross is a Category D adult, male open prison in Cheshire. This will be our fourth visit and we hope to end the week with a special performance with past participants.
HMP Parkhurst (Isle of Wight) – morning of Friday 21st February (likely start time tbc)
We’re looking forward to going back to HMP Parkhurst on the Isle of Wight. On this course we’ll be offering participants the opportunity to gain an OCN Team-working qualification award for the first time.
HMP Manchester – morning of Friday 28th February (likely start time 10.00am)
HMP Manchester, formerly known as Strangeways, is a local prison which accepts people remanded into custody. We will be running morning sessions only with a performance on the last day.
HMP Liverpool – morning of Friday 27th March (likely start time 10.00am)
This will be our fourth visit to HMP Liverpool, a category B/C local men’s prison. The course will end with a performance in front of participants’ friends and families.
If you are interested in coming along to any of these play-throughs, please contact Good Vibrations as soon as possible: jane@good-vibrations.org.uk

Image courtesy of Good Vibrations
