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Event Information:
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Thu25Sep2025Fri26Sep20257:30 pmBuxton Opera House, Buxton, Derbyshire
Penned Up
Penned Up, a new play by award-winning playwright Danusia Iwaszko, is coming to the Pavilion Arts Centre in Buxton on Thursday 25 and Friday 26 September at 7.30pm, as part of a world premiere UK tour which also visits prisons including HMP Hollesley Bay and HMP Highpoint. Drawing on Danusia’s 15+ years of experience teaching playwriting in prisons, Penned Up offers an unflinching look at life inside.
Think Porridge meets Brassed Off - a laugh riot and a gut-punch in equal measure. Witty, raw and full of heart, Penned Up is a powerful celebration of storytelling, second chances and the unexpected bonds that form behind bars.
Welcome to HMP Ditchfield, where every week a group of prisoners are challenged to write their own plays. From boxing rings to the Brazilian rainforest, from painful pasts to wildly imaginative futures, these men discover that theatre is more than words on a page - it’s a lifeline, a way to reclaim their voices. But when creativity clashes with control, tensions rise, secrets unravel, and laughter gives way to rebellion. Can words be the greatest escape?
Penned Up stars Ntabiso Bhebhe, Chris Clarkson, Geir Madland, Heydn McCabe, Shelley McDonald, Ashton Owen, Rebecca Peyton and Liam Watson. The creative team is Writer and Director Danusia Iwaszko, Designer Madeleine Roberts and Lighting Designer Tim Westerman.
Penned Up is produced by The Hal Company CIO in association with Suzanna Rosenthal Productions, who are grateful for the support of Arts Council England, Suffolk County Council, Suffolk Community Foundation, Conservatoire East, Suffolk Town Council, Menagerie Theatre, The Drapers Charitable Trust, The Ridley Godfrey Foundation, St Giles and Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds in association with HighTide and Synergy Theatre Project and thanks to Suzanne Drown and commercial sponsors.
Danusia Iwaszko is an award-winning playwright and director. Her plays have been staged across the UK, in Ireland and Australia. She is an Artistic Associate at Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds and has previously been an attached writer at the National Theatre. Danusia has taught playwriting in prisons for over fifteen years. Danusia also works in communities delivering writing and drama workshops with the elderly, young people, people experiencing homelessness, in women's refuges, with people with additional needs with organisations such as Age UK, YMCA & Refuge. Danusia shares their life experiences and gives them a voice through her plays.
To book tickets visit: buxtonoperahouse.org.uk/event/penned-up-2025