Woodhill theatre review: Trauma and tragedy
A struggle for justice is powerfully rendered through dance theatre
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This explosive piece of dance theatre captures the trauma and tragedy of young men’s lives lost to suicide (33 at last count) at HMP Woodhill near Milton Keynes. Depressingly, three years since it debuted, their families’ fight for justice goes on. Disembodied voices narrate touching testimony from those left behind, as well as prison staff and other experts. One witness grimly relates how the authorities spent so long trying to keep the men safe from each other, they forgot to keep them safe from themselves. That failure to protect vulnerable inmates with mental health issues has inspired both writer/director Matt Woodhead’s thrilling work and the ongoing campaign to make the prison safer.
In an ominous incantation, the names of all those who have taken their lives are called out progressively throughout the 80-minute performance. Set in a grim warehouse, its shelves stacked with cardboard boxes, a trio of dancers represent three of the bereaved families. In touching audio diaries, we hear of how their brother, stepbrother and son fell through the cracks, voices unheard as their minds deteriorated. Through jagged, shuddering movements, as if electrocuted at times, the trio (Tyler Brazao, Marina Climent and Miah Robinson) use their bodies to powerfully rage against the machine, while a ghostly fourth dancer (Chris Otim) symbolises the victims. Harrowing and tense, Woodhill is a righteous rebuke to a broken system.
Woodhill, Zoo Southside, until 30 August, 2.25pm; picture: Alex Powell.