An interactive experience with live performers allowing people the chance to find out what it’s like to be banged up in prison is opening in Birmingham.

The Library of Birmingham is offering visitors the chance to find out what prison life is really like. Between Tuesday 1 and Saturday 12 March, the Centenary Square venue will host a replica cell, built to government regulations and housing two ‘prisoners’. Visitors can either observe the prisoners through the window or enter the cell to chat with them – asking questions about their lives, their sentences, and how prison affects them.

Although the two prisoners are performers, both are former inmates who’ve served time in Her Majesty’s prisons.

The Go To Jail project has been developed by Rideout – one of the UK’s leading creative organisations working within the field of criminal justice:

Unless you’ve actually ‘served time at Her Majesty’s pleasure’, it’s hard to imagine what life is really like for those incarcerated in our over-crowded prisons. Go To Jail allows people to see the reality, and hear real stories from those who’ve served sentences.

The Go To Jail experience has previously visited other West Midlands locations, including Mander Centre in Wolverhampton, Stoke-on-Trent City Centre, and Kidderminster Town Hall, and had over 4,000 ‘cell visits’ to date

This project aims to contribute to an increased public understanding about the role of prison, and has a clear crime prevention remit.

Go To Jail is open in the Library of Birmingham from Tuesday 1 to Saturday 12 March 2016 (closed Mon and Sun) between 11am and 4pm at The Gallery (Floor 3), Centenary Square, Broad Street, Birmingham B1 2ND.

Admission is free and no booking required.

There will also be a LIVE VIDEO STREAM from the ‘cell’ as soon as the sentence begins on 1 March

More information about the GO TO JAIL project 

 About the creators – RIDEOUT

Rideout (Creative Arts for Rehabilitation) was established in 1999 in order to develop innovative, arts-based approaches to working with prisoners and staff within U.K. prisons.

They have retained a special emphasis on working in the West Midlands where the company is based.

Rideout’s prison programmes explore the impact of criminal behaviour on offenders, their families and others. The programmes vary from drama or film-based activities leading to performance, to programmes that analyse and challenge offending behaviour.

The Co-Directors of Rideout are Saul Hewish and Chris Johnston

Here at WestMidlandsTheatre.com we think special mention should go to the co-directors of Rideout, whose work within this field has been relentless

Saul Hewish was a founder member and former Director of Geese Theatre Company (UK) with a remit to develop performances, workshops and residencies for prisoners and ex-offenders. Saul was instrumental in the development of a number of long-term partnerships with the Probation Service in which drama was used as the key methodology for challenging and dealing with offending behaviour.

In addition to co-running Rideout he also teaches a module on Theatre in the Community at the University of Warwick. He is a co-author with Geese Theatre (US) founder John Bergman of Challenging Experience: An Experiential Approach to the Treatment of Serious Offenders

Chris Johnston was the founder and Director of Insight Arts Trust and Insight Theatre company, which took a number of plays featuring ex-offenders in the cast, into prisons and arts centres. These included ‘The Art of Being in the Wrong Place at the Wrong Time’ with Richmond Trew and Emilio di Girolamo that used sound and video in a mixed-media production.

Chris is also the author of House of Games: Making Theatre from Everyday Life, and The Improvisation Game, published in 2006.  He is also Director of Fluxx, the improvisation company, and Co-Director of Livestock, a company exploring issues of mental health and well-being.

In 2005, Saul and Chris were recipients of a Butler Trust Certificate Award. The Butler Trust is a national charity which identifies and celebrates the achievements of people who work in the UK Correctional Services who have shown exceptional skill or initiative in their work with offenders.

Rideout welcomes enquiries from community and criminal justice organisations in respect of delivery of programmes, making of films and other contributions to the prison or probation estates.

Rideout, The Roslyn Works, Uttoxeter Road
Stoke-on-Trent, ST3 1PQ

Tel: 01782 325555

Email: admin@rideout.org.uk