I have done theatre for a large portion of my life, and I was astounded to see theatre inside a prison. It was never something I had contemplated being available in a custodial setting, but then again, I had never truly contemplated what was in a custodial setting, full stop. I began questioning everyone I could about how I could get involved with the theatre. Imagine my disappointment at learning there was no funding for adults in theatre, only for under-25's in HMP Polmont.
Fast forward to summer of 2020, and we in the custody of SPS were spending large swathes of time behind our door. I started listening in to the Inside Radio channel for Polmont, and I found a programme called "Women Talk" produced by Glass Performance. I'll never forget my first one I listened to, and it was these women talking about periods! Those who know me know that I am incredibly blunt and honest, and I believe that women shouldn't be embarrassed about having periods or talking about them, and I am what I happily call "hippy dippy". This woman, Jess, she was talking about reusable feminine hygiene products. I swapped to those in 2011, but I found it something not many women want to discuss. So hearing it on a jail radio had me intrigued.
A few months later I was given the opportunity to work in the newly revamped Media Centre, and I jumped on it. As soon as governmental guidelines permitted, "Women Talk" became a programme that Glass cultivated, and was run by the women's population in our jail. We met once a week, and we developed the programmes and the parts of our shows ourselves. We had women of all ages, from the young offender population to women in their golden years, and we all would work together to put on a show. The sense of community that developed was astounding! We began to be resources for each other in the hall, working on ideas together, leaning on each other for support when going through hard times, and the young offenders began to develop relationships that weren't about what someone could do for them, or about being part of a clique; these relationships lasted even out of the jail, with the older women encouraging the youngers. We worked together for a few years, and Jess fielded hundreds of questions from me about when could the women do theatre, because it was incredibly unfair that women couldn't engage that way.
Spring of 2023, Jess pulled me aside and said it was happening, we would have a chance in a few weeks to do a show in a week, working with some of her students from RCS on their graduation project. We began cultivating a list of people to participate, and nearly every single one who got invited to join said some version of "I can be a tree, but I don't know about performing". But by the end of that week, the change was incredible! We had a show that honestly could've been curated from any community theatre, not just inside a jail. The women bonded together, we lifted each other up, we held space for each other when emotions were high, we hyped each other up backstage, and we bonded with the students from RCS.
We finally got funding for a theatre group for the women’s population, and we began working to create a show. Our very first show with the group wasn't until March of 2024, and the women's nerves were all over the place. But we did it, and the change you began seeing in the women was amazing. Their confidence began building, relationships were deepening, and there was no stopping us..
Theatre and the arts bring people together, and they provide an outlet that is much needed in a custodial setting. In a place where you have zero say over what is happening to you, theatre gives you an outlet to express how that makes you feel, while helping you forget that that's what you're living. Anyone who has worked with Glass Performance in Polmont knows that the Performing Arts space is a magical location that helps you forget that you're a prisoner. In that environment you are simply a person. And the benefit of that is far reaching. I have been out of SPS custody for some time now, and I still maintain contact with the people I had done theatre with, male and female. We encourage each other in our separate troubles, and we keep encouraging each other to progress in our lives and our talent. I have seen amazing evolutions from the people who have engaged with Glass, and I am so lucky to have had a part in that. The work that Glass does - the advocating for safe spaces, the supplying of biscuits and teas we cannot get from canteen, the encouragement, and the love - is priceless and can't be praised enough. The Glass team works so hard to not only develop talent, but to help inmates find their sense of self and to realise they are valuable individuals with valuable contributions to society. I would not be who I am today without that support, and I know many who would say the same.