This powerful and poignant piece follows Lee as he finds his way through a ten-year stretch inside, after just one terrible mistake. Experience the highs, and definitely the lows and witness just how it affects him and those nearest to him.
A play that discusses an all too current issue and the support given to those incarcerated and those trying to rehabilitate and reinstate themselves into society.
Written with input from the pastoral team at HMP Forest Bank and based on true experiences, this extended version is set to be even more powerful than the first outing almost a year ago.
By TV writer Joe Ainsworth, ‘The Stretch’ will continue to raise the bar for fringe theatre in Manchester and draw in a new and more diverse audience.
A sensory journey using spoken word, movement & music to spark discussion about a subject all too present in the media; how one decision can change lives. The piece also looks at how people in this situation deal with the decision and its consequences in what some would consider a failing prison system.
Alongside the production, MAP and the team will look to engage with companies such as Clinks, the National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance and Young Identity to run workshops with their members and have them perform alongside Manchester poet Argh Kid on a fundraiser night on Sunday 10th March. All proceeds going towards charities that support the rehabilitation of those convicted and/or offer support inside prisons.
Director Simon Naylor explains; ‘The first time I directed this piece, in its shorter format, I knew Joe had written something special. James, our lead actor felt the same and this combined passion to discuss the problems that prisons and their inmates face, as well as highlighting to a younger audience that decisions last beyond the instant they are made in, was all we needed to move the piece forward. It’s an incredibly important piece of writing and now with ACE Funding, we get to really let fly.’
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The Stretch
Venue: 53two
Dates: Wednesday 6th – Friday 15th March (No show Sunday 10th – Fundraiser Night)
Time: 7:30pm
Cost: £10 (£2 Unwaged tickets)
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53two, 8 Albion St, Manchester
07432 198 724
