DIY Theatre through the gate is a space where ex-offenders can work alongside hard-to-reach teenagers. By creating and performing new work, new opportunities and ways of communication develop.  

Bringing these groups together has had a profound impact on everyone involved. It is the best way to effect change that we have seen and has won accolades from probation staff, school teachers, ex-offenders, school students and volunteers alike. The overriding realisation is that through telling these stories, we all find common ground.

DIY Theatre has produced two performances with inmates at at HMP Leicester; “Matters of the Heart” and “Not for Human Consumption”. “Not for Human Consumption” has toured schools in Leicestershire to great feedback and has been turned into a radio play, which was aired on Derby Sound on 30th January (link).  

The rap-performance “Matters of the Heart” won a commended prize in the Koestler Awards in 2018.

Drum and Brass works closely with the Reducing Reoffending Service, Turning Point, Soft Touch Arts, DMU Local and local secondary schools Rawlins Academy and Millgate School to ensure continuity and safety for all participants.

We are now starting a new programme of creative arts at HMP Leicester and we plan to produce “Matters of the Heart” with our through-the-gate team and local hard-to-reach teenagers to coincide with HMP Leicester’s 3rd annual Talent Unlocked Arts Festival.

The project has been funded by Awards for All.