Using the arts in prison.
To help change lives.
Testimonials
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Its been a beautiful thing, therapy in a way and given us the opportunity to be ourselves.
Cast member, Rio’s Extraordinary Christmas, 2019
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Without this theatre company, I would still be incarcerated. After almost twenty-one years inside Her Majesty Prison’s, while in a resettlement prison at the end of a really long sentence, I was a broken man with no clear pathway towards the light. Then I met the guys..they took me in like an abandoned puppy. My life has never been the same since. I would do anything for this company they gave me a platform to express myself and after my release, have continuously enabled me to climb the mountains in front of me, supporting me and being an ever-present force full of consideration, thoughtfulness and love. I LOVE KESTREL.
Steve, performer in Rio’s Extraordinary Christmas (2019), Signal Fires (2020) and member of Drama Club.
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Getting involved with Kestrel is one of the best decisions I have ever made. I never dreamt that I would perform live on stage or on Zoom in brilliantly written and produced productions considering where I was up until very recently. It has totally helped me with confidence and my way of thinking about life and I know I am not the only one. A brilliant charity that actually produces results.
Brian, after performing in After Time online, March 2021
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I am so glad I did this. My kids will love it and I hope it will make me apparent in their lives. It’s something that they can keep for the rest of their lives that shows I care. We are stuck in a horrible place but doing this we can be dads again, which is all I ever wanted to be.
Participant in Puppetry Project at HMP Bullingdon, 2019
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It’s been challenging but I wanted to do it, I wanted to prove to my kids that I’m not this ‘serious man’. When you're on the outside, you have to be this serious man - something to look up to, you know. But I wanted to show that… I can be someone different. And just prove it to my kids.
Cast member, A Cactus Short of Christmas, HMP Springhill 2024
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Tuesday evenings working with Kestrel have literally kept me going and helped me through the dark periods during the last few months. I don’t know what I would have done without them.
Group member, Drama Club, HMP Springhill, 2019
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I have been incarcerated for 13 years now and I have never been on a project where I have laughed so much...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.
Cast member, Jack and the Beanstalk, HMP Springhil, 2018
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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!!!!!
Cast member, Broken Dreams at the Royal Court Theatre and HMP Springhill, 2018
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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 Conway, Kestrel trustee & original cast member of Broken Dreams at the Royal Court Theatre
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I was watching everyone else realising - actually, everyone's got their own obstacle that they're getting over. And they’re getting better at it. So I might as well just give it my all as well. So I think everyone's confidence and everyone's ability of finding themselves helped me become a better person in the whole thing as well.
Cast member in A Cactus Short of Christmas, HMP Springhill 2024
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Kestrel has provided moments of escapism from incarceration and helped us feel uplifted and empowered. In a little over 3 weeks we had to write a screenplay, and script, rehearse and film. We had worked with Kestrel before so we knew that the work ethic and determination would produce work to a very high standard.
Participant in The 360 Degree Man, A film devised, written and shot at HMP Springhill, March 2017
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You opened my eyes on day 1…thank you for making me an actor. We’ve really built a bond this week – you guys are like my family.
Declan, performer in Youngers, NDT Broadgate, 2022
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It has been the highlight of my prison sentence and I’ll remember it forever.
Matty, cast member of Blood and Water, HMP Springhill and Royal Court Theatre, 2016
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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... 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...The performance at Royal Court Theatre was a triumph, a day that will live long in my memory.
Jamie Bennett, ex-Governor of HMP Grendon and Springhill, reflecting on Blood and Water, 2016
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It’s given me more confidence, made me believe in myself. I never thought I could do it, but it turns out I can.
Archie, writer and performer in Living in an Enabling Environment, a film made with young men at HMPYOI Aylesbury, 2016
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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, performer in Blood and Water at Royal Court, 2016.
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"This was by far the best week of my working career...There was so much mutual respect and kindness within the group it really made me feel so proud of their journeys and where they were now heading too. It has even made most of them want to continue with activities such as these. Thank you, Kestrel you were all amazing and I feel very privileged to have been on this journey with you all."
Claire Morris, Neurodiversity Support Manager at HMP Elmley after Change Takes Time, July 2023
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"Yet again I am in awe of what you have encouraged and brought forth: all five plays were well structured and absolutely held our attention. As a bonus to be ale to talk to the playwrights afterwards and see how proud they felt."
Audience member at A Festival of Short Plays at HMP Grendon
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"We understand from feedback from those who participated that the experience had a very powerful positive impact on them overall, the opportunity to listen and hear ‘played back’ to them their own words, in the voice of another, surrounded by an audience who were also witness to this. Some residents who participated later stated they were very moved by this performance, the sense of recognition for their talent, and the opportunity to engage in a different way in some of the emotions contained within their stories."
Jo Augustus, DTC Lead Core Creative Psychotherapist, HMPPS Grendon.
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I was nervous about doing this but it’s been the highlight of my time here. I feel like when I get out I will be a better dad than I was before – time away gives you time to reflect. You feel so disconnected, everything is taken away from you, but this gives you the chance to show your kids that their dad is OK. It shows us being normal, how we used to be.
Participant in Puppet Stories project, HMP Bullingdon, 2019
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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, a musician in Jack the Lad in the Beanstalk, 2018
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As human beings we need hopes and dreams and aspirations and this project has given us those.
Actor in Broken Dreams at the Royal Court, 2018
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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, participant in A Celebration of the Spoken Word, 2018
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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, actor in The 360 Degree Man at HMP Springhill
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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, actor in Blood and Water at the Royal Court 2016
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I believe this has given me the confidence I never had before. I really enjoyed the acting part and felt amazing at the end of the show as did all the team. It was purely emotional and I have never felt like that before. As I am 49 years old it gave me a real sense of achievement and I now believe I can take what I have learned into the community upon my release.
Dave, actor in Sky Fall at HMP Springhill, 2015
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"I spoke to all of the participants after the show and every one of them said what a positive experience it had been for them. They also said they’d almost given up at the start of the course because they didn’t have the self-belief they could control their nerves to speak and perform in public; but that the level of encouragement and belief in them was amazing…What a testament to the Kestrel Theatre Company team."
Deputy Governor of HMP Elmey after performance of Change Takes Time, July 2023
After Time
Watch Kestrel alumni Brian talk about his experience of performing with Kestrel in Broken Dreams at the Royal Court Theatre in 2017, while completing his sentence at Category D prison HMP Springhill.
This film formed part of a series of four short films made by our Associate Artist Dorothy Allen-Pickard, exploring the complexities of navigating life after a prison sentence.
Magnify
In August 2024, a cast of six Kestrel alumni actors created Magnify, a show from scratch, performed at the New Diorama Theatre to sold out audiences. Watch the cast and directors reflect on the creative process.