'Ron comes to appreciate Quaker silence and toleration. Prison is a noisy place; the nights are awful.'
Backdoor Parole, by Journeyman Theatre
Theatre production by Journeyman Theatre. Review by Fred Ashmore.
How wonderful it was to be back at Friends House in July to attend a live performance by Journeymen Theatre. Both were sources of joy.
A capacity audience in the George Fox room welcomed an excellent performance of Journeymen’s latest play about the UK prison system (which appears to be not really a system so much as a series of malicious coincidences). Prison and how it works are presented to us through the relationship between lifer Ron and newbie Quaker chaplain Katarina (or is she Kathy or Kate?). Ron tests her resilience and equanimity systematically as he learns whether he can trust her and talk to her.
In this first meeting, he explains why people like him go to their allowed hour a week of religious activity. It has something to do with biscuits. Ron has worked his way round the worship offerings, even trying the Mormons for a while because being with them means drinking chocolate in the mornings instead of prison tea. He explains to her the way that prison works on people. Her sort doesn’t understand the true nature of freedom for someone like him. It’s being able to make choices routinely rather than having every decision controlled. Quakers are the last available choice unless he wants to give Judaism a try, which does have the advantage of kosher food. Circumcision would be a consideration, of course.
Ron comes to appreciate Quaker silence and toleration. Prison is a noisy place; the nights are awful. His conversations with Kathy open up important thoughts about the system and the politicians who shape it. We learn about the appalling idea of Indefinite Public Protection sentences: ‘two strikes and you’re in prison for ever’. It was introduced by David Blunkett and remains apparently immovable.
Some of the exchanges are poignant and moving; others are hilarious. Ron comes to trust enough to talk about the death of another prisoner, denied a chance at parole by a whim of the system and denied the chance of a vital medical scan by another whim of the system.
Ron never tells Kathy what he did; and he knows that she hasn’t taken the steps necessary to find out. But he talks to her about how things work and how prisoners are buffeted around by the way things are done to them. Ron yearns for stability, and he knows he’ll never get out. He is old, ailing, and isolated. The play closes on a cruel trick of the system and a cruel trick of his body.
I do highly recommend this play, uncomfortable though it is. Journeymen will come back to London (Kingston Quaker Centre) in October for a repeat performance. We hope we can have a full house again.
The play was performed for the benefit of RECOOP, which provides support and services for old male prisoners (www.recoop.org.uk). Friends can organise a visit from Journeymen at lynnmorris32@yahoo.co.uk or on 07796210867.
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