I have been incarcerated for 13 years now and I have never been on a project where I have laughed so much. I enjoyed seeing people come together from different backgrounds, working with the same enthusiasm to create something brilliant. I was encouraged to push myself to a point where I felt I really excelled. It allowed me to develop and identify skills I didn’t know I had, it has opened up a new world in terms of what I would like to do with my life.

Noel (Actor)

I’ve enjoyed it more than any of you can know. I’ve done something I never thought possible – bought something to life that we wrote ourselves for our families, especially as I know how difficult life can be for them. In this pit of despair that is prison, this project has been a beam of sunshine in all our lives. I’ve loved being able to give people a breathe of fresh air. Everyone is special and talented in their own way and this project has shown us that.

Conall (Actor)

What I take away is the knowledge that we can do things differently  – that we can drop our guard and be normal and human. I have been in jail a long time and it’s been a treat to see softness and emotion come through and the joy in people’s hearts in taking part.  

Ben (Musician)

Looking at the faces of the kids today I could see they were tuned in and entranced. It was a great feeling that it was us who was doing that.
Today for the first time I forgot I was in prison. I’ve never done group work before and doing this made me realise I’m good at it. I’m definitely going to try doing more.

Jay (Actor)

I bought my wife and kids to see the show. For the first time ever during visits, we were able to forget we were in a prison, and enjoy the normality of having fun together as a family.

Resident

The panto personified everything that a rehab culture should. The interaction with the men and staff took us momentarily away from the norm – you could really see the joy on the men’s faces at the end.    

Mike Vail – Senior Officer HMP Grendon and Springhill

As human beings we need hopes and dreams and aspirations and this project has given us those.

To be honest I’m not really a confident person and I suffer from
anxiety a lot. My main worry was failure and being laughed at and once I realized that we were all in the same boat and all in it
together things got much easier. I feel like I was a product of my
environment and I just did the stuff that was happening around me which was some bad stuff. I’ve been around a lot of positive people here and it’s helped me feel part of something positive and I like that feeling.

When we are in prison we wear a kind of mask – you cannot show vulnerability. This project has helped take us out of that zone. It shows how the environment is a big factor on how we all are and how we reflect ourselves in society. It’s a lesson that we shouldn’t write all people off because imaginative projects like this can reach those people. Everybody who gets the hand extended to them can move forward in a positive way.

This project has taught me that you should never set limits for yourself, you can do whatever you put my mind to.

It has been a unique experience. It has given me unforgettable
memories, friendships for life and a new meaning to teamwork.

Saw Broken Dreams at Royal Court today. Beautiful storytelling, rich and layered yet uncomplicated honestly told – thanks to all for creating these kind of opportunities for audiences and performers alike.

I will never cease to marvel at the power of theatre. Broken Dreams at Royal Court is multi layered and poignant and not to be missed.

Powerful, moving, and utterly believable. Nobody in that audience would have believed what you and the guys gave us was possible. They have proved that, given the chance, people are so much more than the sum of their parts. Thankyou.

I thought working with puppets would be easy, you’d just stick your hand up them and away you’d go. But it was a lot more challenging than I thought.

It’s reassuring that our kids can see us in a library, a normal place like they see at school, that that where we live is not all barbed wire and locks and keys. It’s something special for them to keep that says I care. Faz

You did a great job putting us at ease and getting the best out of us all. Marcus was brilliant, and his knowledge and enthusiasm for the puppet world I found inspirational. Thank you for helping me give this fantastic gift to my 3 little monkeys at home. Martin

The main thing for me is building that bond. I can’t always see my son but now he has the chance to see me whenever he wants by putting on that DVD. Moses

Doing this gave me the chance to be emotional – I could be more personal than on a visit when there’s never enough time to say what you want properly. It was about building our relationship and giving them a present. Thank you. Bill

Having the puppet there put me at my ease, it bought comedy to the whole thing, and made it all feel very normal. I loved the way the puppet cuddled up to us all, it showed that we can all do with a cuddle. Stephen

I found the process of collaborative writing fascinating. I didn’t think it would ever come together a whole. But it did and it gave me a real positive reinforcement to my own ability. Performing gave me a real buzz – I’d really like to do more stand up when I get out. Giles

It gave me a sense of joy that we were able to be creative in an environment that definitely isn’t. At the time I didn’t feel I had a voice in prison and this was a way of saying what I needed to say to the right people. The process reminded me who I was and as a result of this I gave an interview to the prison magazine about being an openly gay man in prison. I hope it encourages others to stand up and say I count as much as the next man, and I’d have never done that without being part of this
project. Pank

I felt humbled to be there tonight and to hear so many positive affirmations of the work done by Kestrel. The men’s work was outstanding, intelligent, poignant, political, thought provoking and plenty of laughter too. The evening was a memorable and moving treat.

I really enjoyed the Performance last night @ Springhill The whole evening was full of a wonderful nourishing creativity.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to see a part of society that I’d never encountered before. We experience different situations all the time, but last night was quite exceptional. The dignity of those men was so powerful.

This project has honestly opened up a new world of possibilities. I’m not sure if you even understand how empowering the work that you do is….keep going because you are changing lives, FACT!!!!!

Ricardo

I’ve been a prisoner a long time. Sometimes I get a chip on my shoulder that those outside don’t understand us. I was determined that this play should show us in a light that was not stereotypical. At the Royal Court, we were treated like human beings, people were interested in what I had to say.  To know there are good people out there gives you the inspiration to keep going. We can’t help the cards we are dealt with but you can choose how you play them. Marc

I made something positive out of being in prison and I have done something, performed at The Royal Court in London, that people only dream of. It has changed me. It has made me look at life in a totally different way.

Marlon

This has lifted our spirits. When you’re inside you lose a bit of your personality but through this experience I have gained some strength. We’ve met people from different worlds, different social strata, it makes us feel we could go anywhere, all things are possible. It’s about finding that inspiration and this project has given it to me. Andy

A privilege to have this here ‪@royalcourt – brave political work which broke our hearts. Vicky Featherstone, The Royal Court

What a triumph that was. It was subtle, clever, funny, brilliantly performed, superbly directed. And so moving. I wasn’t alone in finding myself dabbing away a tear at the end. To come up with an original piece of work of that calibre in such a short space of time is quite remarkable.

It’s quite magnificent that the very first UK play to comment on Grenfell comes from Springhill and not from an ordinary un-imprisoned dramatist; moreover, as a play with Grenfell as a theme, it was notable that instead of being top-down observations of a thoughtful dramatist, it was ordinary people involved in one type of tragedy expressing themselves about ordinary people involved in another.

The boys were exceptionally professional – moving beyond words. Bravo to each and every one of them. Stunning.

This was totally outside my comfort zone  but it wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought. I liked the applause at the end of the performance and I liked seeing the work grow from week to week. I learned that performing in front of people was probably like riding a bike; and mine still has stabilisers! Mark

I wanted to achieve something I’d never do on the outside and I did that. It taught me that its OK to lean on each other for support, that working in a team is a good thing. Abs

I learned to respect the others in the group and to listen to everyone’s views on things. And I learned how to conduct myself in a good way while performing. Mohammed

An uplifting, fascinating, magnificent evening. These were guys who had never written before, certainly never performed before, giving a strong, persuasive, compelling performance of their own poetry. As a boost to self-confidence it cannot be bettered.

Congratulations on what was a hugely engaging, and moving, experience – the performances, of course, but also talking to the performers and to some of the ‘local’ audience over tea afterwards.

Nathanial

We had really fun times, so many laughs. I’ve always done stuff on my own outside but this has taught me how nice it feels working as a team. Charlie

Watching the lads flourish together as a team has been a privilege. They drove it forward themselves and to have helped facilitate this has made me very proud.

Mike Vail, Prison officer

The project was challenging, motivational, in depth, insightful, educational, encouraging, self esteem boosting, self worth developing, exciting, confidence improving, spirit raising, creativity developing, skillfully put together, run and delivered. We find we can do things we thought we were not capable of, we learned things about a world we did not know about while at the same time learning about ourselves. Darel

It got the best out of everyone. I’d always avoid having to stand up and do something in front of people, but doing improv everyone is in the same boat, we encourage each other, it’s given me confidence. Greg

You have helped me step outside my comfort zone and given me confidence in myself. Working alongside a professional director has given me experience and insight into professional directing, better people skills and how to respect people in a professional environment. Thank you for picking me up and making me feel bigger than myself. I hope you continue changing people’s lives in the way you have changed mine. Charlie

I have been reflecting on the ways in which arts in prisons can have a positive impact. For the people who participate, it can develop confidence, self-esteem and nurture talents and interest. For the prison, it can contribute towards a positive culture where men engage with activities and make constructive use of their time. For the wider community, it can be a bridge developing better understanding and collaboration. All of these benefits were clear to see in the excellent play Blood and Water written, performed and co-directed by men from Springhill alongside Kestrel Theatre. I was delighted that the three performances were really well supported. The performance at Royal Court Theatre was a triumph, a day that will live long in my memory. Jamie Bennett - Governor of HMP Grendon and Springhill

It is amazing what a group of men who are prisoners, who are constantly made to feel they are worthless, bad and a danger to the world, can achieve when dedicated professionals place their confidence and trust in them. …I’ve seen a dyslexic man excel at directing, and another organize rehearsals in his own time, supporting others to learn scripts and access their inner actor. I’ve seen a disparate group of men remove the mask and come together as a team, a family and work together to achieve a resounding success. Thank you for having faith in me personally and us collectively, in helping, encouraging, teaching and leading us to a once in a lifetime performance of our play at The Royal Court in London. Darel

We have all changed through this unique experience. It gave me the chance to be me, not just a hardened criminal. I could show there is more to me than my past. A fantastic and captivating journey we will never forget. Terry

It has been the highlight of my prison sentence and I’ll remember it forever. Matty

Really outstanding. One of the benefits of theatre is surely to get the idea that behaviours are optional – you could behave like the brother or the loan shark or the godfather but behaviours need to be chosen with some care….

Really wonderful to have the Royal Court endorsing it. Diana Parker

Thank you and the Company for such a fine play and bringing out the talent and confidence of the cast. I was interested to hear comments that the actors felt the workshops and the play allowed them to be ‘real’ and released them from the pressures of being inmates/ being tough/wearing a mask…. They all said they had discovered abilities and skills they did not know they had! Hilden Charitable Trust

It was a wonderfully powerful performance, at times hilarious but also very moving, especially the Amazing Grace singing. John Lister

Prison Education Trust

It really was superb. The standard of the writing and acting was absolutely first-class. You wouldn’t have known it wasn’t a professional production.

It was very heartening, too, to hear the cast members afterwards saying what a difference Kestrel had made to their lives in prison. James Rampton