Lung Theatre’s essential and evocative play: Woodhill

© Alex Powell, Lung Theatre

Abolition and art functions within an intricate ecosystem of makers, activists and creatives who are all fighting within, and against, our current systems of injustice. At Glasshouse, we want to be a proactive and engaged member of this community, so we leapt at the chance to see Lung Theatre’s essential and evocative play, ‘Woodhill,’ at Shoreditch Town Hall. 

Their production is a timely and vital piece that shines a light on the hidden story of HMP Woodhill. Told in their own words, three families investigate what happened to their boys who were incarcerated there and all died by suicide. They uncover the chronic failings of the system to support complex needs and mental health diagnoses. Audiences bear witness to the families' trauma and their ongoing battle for justice, which the system itself thwarts at every turn. 

The performance was gut-wrenching and held the audience in silent horror, the performers' movement captured the pain, inflexibility and torture of incarceration. The energy in the room as ‘Woodhill’ concluded was bereft and breathless. And as a piece of theatre, it does more than just create art and empathy. It is a platform for the families campaign, inviting audiences to take direct action against the injustices it exposes. It is essential that wider society lends its voice to the abolition and immediate reform. Lung have partnered with Inquest to deliver their campaign, and their website highlights means by which people can take direct action - through petitions, letters to your MP and awareness raising.