Clean Break's Members Programme is available for free to women aged 18 and above who have lived experience of the criminal justice system or are at risk of entering it due to the challenges they are facing, such as mental ill health or substance use issues, which place them in circumstances that make interaction with the criminal justice system difficult to avoid.
The programme offers Members a foundation of learning and skills in theatre performance, creativity and wellbeing, and opportunities to engage in professional, public facing performance projects.
All workshops are led by brilliant women theatre artists and have our trauma informed approach at their heart. Our unique, holistic practice means we can support you to reach your full potential.
The workshops we offer are:
If you are interested in joining Clean Break's Members Programme you can contact us directly, or a keyworker can make a referral for you.
Call us on 020 7482 8600 or email membersupport@cleanbreak.org.uk to let us know you are interested, and we will be in touch with next steps.
Clean Break’s Young Company is for women or non-binary people aged 18 – 25 who have experience of the criminal justice system or are at risk, and may be facing barriers to arts, culture and wellbeing. Our unique programme is for people excited by developing their acting and theatre skills and creating work for the stage. It is a non-judgemental safe space for young women to thrive and express themselves creatively.
This programme is for young people with lived experience of the criminal justice system or who are at risk of entering it.
Alongside theatre skills training led by incredible artists, company members will be offered personalised 1-1 development and wellbeing support, and have the chance to perform in a new play.
Clean Break is currently recruiting for it's Young Company Programme starting September 2025 and running until July 2026.
If you are interested in joining Clean Break’s Young Company you can contact us directly, or a keyworker can make a referral for you.
Call us on 020 7482 8600 or email yc@cleanbreak.org.uk to let us know you're interested, and we will be in touch with next steps.
Clean Break runs weekly creative sessions for women on probation and attending women’s centres across London through a contract with Ministry of Justice and MOPAC, led by Advance Minerva and by Women in Prison.
Women attend sessions led by Clean Break’s artists, in storytelling, singing, drama, performance poetry and creative writing. All our practitioners are trained in trauma-informed practice and in working effectively with women with unmet needs.
Clean Break’s workshops complement the range of activities and support on offer at the centres and help women build confidence, find their voices and move forward with their lives.
Women’s centres provide practical, legal and emotional support to women who have experienced crimnalisation or who are at risk.
Women are treated as individuals and offered gender-specific, trauma-informed support that takes all their intersecting needs and experiences into account. This could include experiences of trauma and abuse, racism, poverty and imprisonment, as well as the skills, strengths and passions which can help her heal and move forward.
The holistic, strengths-based support available at the centres empowers women to build their self-belief and confidence. Specially trained, non- judgemental staff work with women to find solutions together, making them active participants in their own care.
In prison, women are displaced away from their communities and families and are not offered the same specialist support that they could receive from a women’s centre. The knock-on effect of this displacement not only impacts women’s lives, but also the lives of their children, families and wider communities.
With the support on offer at women’s centres, women’s risk of criminalisation can be reduced, and their lives can be transformed while still being part of our communities. This is why Clean Break supports the use of women’s centre services as an alternative to prison sentences.
If you would like Clean Break to deliver theatre workshops at your women’s centre, please get in touch at participation@cleanbreak.org.uk.
Clean Break’s work in prisons includes theatre-based programmes run by highly skilled drama practitioners and playwrights, production tours and workshops, as well as collaborative work with universities and other arts charities.
“It’s been better than any other programme I have ever done because it’s real. This is what resettlement should be”
Our workshops break down barriers to learning and enable positive outcomes for women, including:
In delivering these positive outcomes, our practitioners maintain high retention rates and help prepare women for release.
Our unique approach motivates learners who have been failed by formal education by offering workshops and projects that are carefully designed to meet their needs and interests. Our workshops and projects are accessible to women with a broad range of personal and educational backgrounds, including women with specific needs or literacy difficulties, and require no previous theatre experience.
If you would like to enquire about Clean Break coming to a prison you work at or have a connection to, please email production@cleanbreak.org.uk.
