| Escape
Artists' origins distinguish it from the vast majority
of performing arts companies. Founded in 1996, it has
performed in numerous theatres throughout the UK and
mainland Europe. It emerged from a critically-acclaimed
theatre group founded by prisoners, and directed by
Matthew Taylor, at HMP Wayland in 1990. |
Its ethos and practice is largely determined by these
roots, providing a bridge from custody to the theatre
world for prisoners and ex-prisoners interested in a
theatre career.
Escape Artists' remit has broadened to develop performing
arts amongst groups on the margins of society. In 2000
and 2002 it hosted the bi-annual Edge Festival in Cambridge,
incorporating art from the social margins into mainstream
culture. Much of its work is in the Criminal Justice
System. Its roots as a prison theatre group differentiate
it from others working in the field, steeping it in
knowledge of the penal system, several of its arts practitioners
having experienced life from "the other side".
Prisoners attending its workshops come for a variety
of reasons, not necessarily interest in theatre. Some
come to break the monotony, certainly if they would
otherwise be locked in their cells. Some come not knowing
what the workshops entail, others come with friends
on different wings they would rarely see otherwise.
The result can often be a difficult group to work with.
The fact that the company's workshop facilitators include
ex-prisoners gives it an edge other practitioners may
not have. Prisoners be cynical about the company, even
regarding them, at least initially, as exploitative.
They may regard the activity as tangential to their
lives and preoccupations. The discovery that Escape
Artists includes ex-prisoners quickly dissolves initial
barriers.
The company draws heavily upon its beginnings as a prison
theatre group. Suspicion, if not outright paranoia,
is a disease in penal establishments. Distrust of the
authorities, and between prisoners, is rife. Life inside
has a hierarchy - an armed robber serving 12+ years
may consider himself an "aristocrat", refraining disdainfully
from fraternising with fellow prisoners serving 6 months
for shoplifting. Prison often instils a "look after
number one" mentality. In such an individualistic environment,
inter-prisoner relationships barely develop beyond the
broadly superficial. The instigators of the group at
Wayland quickly realised that these were obstacles that
had to be removed. Theatre is a collective endeavour
requiring a high degree of trust, discipline and application
to be successful. Escape Artists bring those lessons
to their work in prisons today.
The company prefers to work towards creating a devised
production at the end of the workshop process. Much
early work is devoted to trust and status exercises,
often with a lot of physical contact. Prisoners often
have reservations about looking foolish in front of
their peers. Escape Artists tackles this head on with
games and exercises where everyone looks foolish simultaneously.
There is, hopefully, a keen emphasis on enjoyment, pleasure
and fun - rare commodities within a prison regime.
Prisoners are told about Escape Artists' history and
about the Wayland group, to illustrate what can be achieved
and underline the necessity for mutual respect, self
and collective discipline in achieving goals. The importance
of these qualities quickly becomes apparent to participants
through the games and exercises.
Founder member Paul Malcolm, an ex-life sentence prisoner,
now works as a professional actor alongside working
for Escape Artists: "There's no magic formula for what
Escape Artists does. I think much of our success stems
from a deep historical knowledge of the environment,
the individuals we work with and how to devise and approach
our work accordingly. Delivering a quality product also
helps, of course. Being an ex-prisoner is an advantage.
I've been through, more or less, what the people I work
with are going through. There is a ready identification
which breaks down barriers. This, combined with the
quality of the work, gives a credibility to everybody
attached to the company."
Contact:
Escape Artists, 91 Cherry Hinton Road,
Cambridge CB1 7BS,
tel: 01223 245945,
e-mail: houdini@escapeartists.co.uk
www.escapeartists.co.uk
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