Play inspired by real life prisoners performed in Greenock jail on break from Fringe run

Now Insiders has been performed in a Scottish jail as it takes a break from its first Fringe run.

Inmates at Greenock Prison were this week able to watch the play, first developed during lockdown in partnership with men in HMP Shotts.

Originally performed over a live webcast during the pandemic, it is now running until Saturday as part of the Just Festival at St. John’s Church in Edinburgh.

The play, which is set inside a prison and was created in partnership with charity the Bethany Trust, follows three very different men played by actors Gary Sweeney, Neil Leiper and Sam Rowe.

Mr Rowe, who is co-creator of the play as well as acting in it, said many of the Greenock inmates had assumed the actors had themselves been prisoners.

He said: “Many spoke about how authentic they found the voices and details in the play, which was thanks to the openness of the men who contributed to the script. They were very generous in sharing their lives with us, to the extent that some audience members assumed all of us actors had been to prison.

“They couldn’t understand how we could have known some of the finer points described in the play without lived experience ourselves.”

He said he hoped he play would “encourage debate” around how prisoners are supported to reintegrate back into life on the outside.

He added: “Prisons are of course places of punishment, but they are also places where people live and work, and in time most people incarcerated there will be released and return to their communities. Encouraging the kind of values the play advocates for is essential to make prisons safer and for the longer-term rehabilitation of offenders.”

Actor Sean Connor, who plays Craig, said: “The show is such an intimate exploration into the life of a prisoner. It’s been so interesting for me to dive into the head of someone who is living in such a restricted way. It’s forced me to understand just how much we take for granted, but how important it is to resist doing so.”

Teresa Medhurst, chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service said: "The Covid pandemic was a period of immense uncertainty and fear for us all but for people in prison during this time, their experiences were particularly profound. I am therefore very grateful to the Bethany Christian Trust for giving individuals in our care at HMP Shotts a unique opportunity to share their experiences of prison and together, creating ‘Insiders’.

“We know that creative opportunities give individuals in prison a positive outlet to express themselves, build their confidence and improve their communication and life skills. It is fantastic to see their work being shown at this years Edinburgh Fringe and those involved should be extremely proud of what they have created."