World Premier Play - 'Penned Up' - tours from September 2025

The Hal Company in association with Suzanna Rosenthal Productions presents the world premiere of Penned Up, a new play by award-winning playwright Danusia Iwaszko, on tour this autumn. Drawing on Danusia’s 15 plus 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?

The Cast of Penned Up

Penned Up will star 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 will tour to Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds (10-11 Sept), The Stahl Theatre, Oundle (12 Sept), Greenwich Theatre (13 Sept), New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich (16-17 Sept), The Garage Norwich (18-19 Sept), Sudbury Quay Theatre (20 Sept), The Theatre Chipping Norton (22 Sept), Chelmsford Theatre Studio (23 Sept), Trinity Theatre, Tunbridge Wells (24 Sept) Pavilion Arts Centre, Buxton (25-26 Sept), Grand Theatre Blackpool (29 Sept), South Mill Arts, Bishop’s Stortford (1 Oct), The Alexander Centre Faversham (3 Oct) and Arcola Theatre, London (7-11 October). The show will also tour prisons including HMP Hollesley Bay and HMP Highpoint.

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.

For more information on the Penned Up tour, visit: https://www.thehalcompany.org

Age guidance 12+.  Content warning: Strong language.