Synergy Theatre Project, New writing

New writing

Synergy fosters the creativity of prisoners in order to give them a voice, make a new and unique contribution to the arts and raise awareness of issues surrounding imprisonment. New writing is at the centre of this process and we pursue this in a number of ways.

Synergy is leading the way in seeking out voices for the stage from within the criminal justice system, cultivating new work by prisoners and ex-prisoners through national prison scriptwriting competitions and working with a team of professional playwrights and dramaturgs to deliver a programme of courses and one-to-one work.

Commissioning professional playwrights to explore prison-related themes allows Synergy to present these issues in the public arena. These commissions ensure a high standard of work appropriate for mainstream theatres, creating greater potential to raise the profile of issues relating to the criminal justice system.