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Theatre

Discover more about Clean Break’s work on stage, putting women’s voices in the spotlight.

Pearl Mackie as Baby, wearing a yellow fur coat

Pearl Mackie on Her Role as Baby

Actor Pearl Mackie talks about playing the lead in our one-woman co-production with Brixton House, written by Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti
a rehearsal of Macbeth from Italian prison theatre company

Blog: Anna Herrmann Visits Prison Theatre Company in Italy

Clean Break's Artistic Director attends a study day with European prison theatre companies

Spotlight on...
Theatre Making

a photo of Deborah Bruce in a theatre

Writing a Clean Break play with Deborah Bruce

Dixon and Daughters writer talks about writing a Clean Break play
a photo of three cast members from dixon and daughters

Performing in a Clean Break play with the cast of Dixon and Daughters

An interview with Alison Fitzjohn, Yazmin Kayani, Posy Sterling, Andrea Lowe and Liz White
a photo of Maya Ellis in a theatre

Co-producing a Clean Break play with Maya Ellis

Producer Maya Ellis explains how a Clean Break play is made
Emma Dennis-Edwards

Sisterhood and Storytelling with Playwright Emma Dennis-Edwards

An interview with Clean Break commissioned playwright Emma Dennis-Edwards
Nubian Co-hearts laughing together

Wisdom and Laughter with Nubian CoheARTs

Interview with Nubian CoheARTs, a Black women led theatre company
Liz Whitbread presenting the I am a theatre exhibition

Liz Whitbread on becoming a designer

Liz Whitbread tells us about her journey to becoming a designer through Clean Break
A blueprint for Hope front cover

Blueprint for Hope

A toolkit of ideas, exercises and prompts to accompany our co-created film, Hope.
a photo of Fuke on the set of Sweatbox

My journey with Sweatbox

Actor, Funke Adeleke shares her experience of working on Sweatbox from tour to screen.
Roisin McBrinn Headshot

Interview with Blis-ta director Róisín McBrinn

Roísín's experience of working with Sonya Hale and directing Clean Break's audio drama Blis-ta

Spotlight on...
Hope

the cast of Hope embracing

Co-creating Hope

We asked Hope's co-creators, what was unique about making this film?
Natasha eating a pot noodle, wrapped in a blanket

What does Hope mean?

The message behind our film Hope, in the words of it's Co-creators
Lead still for Clean Break film, Hope

Hope

A film from Clean Break
A blueprint for Hope front cover

Blueprint for Hope

A toolkit of ideas, exercises and prompts to accompany our co-created film, Hope.
A photo of Carina gardening

Dr. Emily Hart on Hope

An activist's response to Clean Break's film Hope
Lead still for Clean Break film, Hope

Hope: official trailer

"It's not us that needs to change, it's the world"

Spotlight on...
Pregnancy and Motherhood in Prison

a photo of a pregnant woman

Why the campaign to end the imprisonment of pregnant women must include new mothers

An introduction to the research behind our touring production, Scenes from Lost Mothers
three cast members of scenes from lost mothers

Interview with the cast of Scenes from Lost Mothers

Claire Bayley, Shabina Cannon and Ro Florence share their experience of Clean Break's Acting Traineeship programme
scenes from lost mothers

Hearts, minds and bodies: cultural power will end the imprisonment of pregnant women and mothers

Janey Starling is co-director of Level Up, a feminist organisation that campaigns for an end to the imprisonment of pregnant women and mothers. After seeing Clean Break's play Scenes from Lost Mothers, she writes about the power of culture in creating political change.
Anna Herrmann and Neetu Singh

Behind the Scenes from Lost Mothers

Director Anna Herrmann and Assistant Director Neetu Singh discuss the process of creating Clean Break's touring play
Dr laura abbott presenting research findings

The Lost Mothers Project: Revealing the Hidden Trauma of Maternal Separation in Prison

Midwife and researcher Dr Laura Abbott shares insights from her ground-breaking research project
a woman looks out of the window of a prison van

Sweatbox

Chloë Moss’s Clean Break play is transformed into an electric adaptation for the screen.
ro florence

Arts for Impact with the Cast of Scenes from Lost Mothers

Claire Bayley, Shabina Cannon and Ro Florence talk about the transformative impact of theatre for the people on stage and in the audience
Claire Bayley in Scenes from Lost Mothers clip

Watch: Clip from Scenes from Lost Mothers

Claire Bayley performs a scene from Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti's play about motherhood and imprisonment
Pearl Mackie as Baby, wearing a yellow fur coat

Pearl Mackie on Her Role as Baby

Actor Pearl Mackie talks about playing the lead in our one-woman co-production with Brixton House, written by Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti
Professor Laura Abbott at an event sspeaking at a lectern, and Pearl Mackie on stage as Baby holding a baby doll

Professor Laura Abbott on Baby: a story we cannot afford to look away from

Midwife and lead of the Lost Mothers research project on maternal separation in prison reviews Baby, a co-production from Clean Break and Brixton House

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Professor Laura Abbott at an event sspeaking at a lectern, and Pearl Mackie on stage as Baby holding a baby doll

Professor Laura Abbott on Baby: a story we cannot afford to look away from

Midwife and lead of the Lost Mothers research project on maternal separation in prison reviews Baby, a co-production from Clean Break and Brixton House
Natasha Bucknor MBE

Black History Month: Honouring Community Leaders with Executive Director Natasha Bucknor MBE

Clean Break's Executive Director explores the 2026 Black History Month theme of 'Honouring our Communities', sharing reflections on the spaces and people she's found community in
Pearl Mackie as Baby, wearing a yellow fur coat

Pearl Mackie on Her Role as Baby

Actor Pearl Mackie talks about playing the lead in our one-woman co-production with Brixton House, written by Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti

Visit the store

a photo of a stack of book, with Dixon and Daughters by Deborah Bruce on top
Find books from Clean Break
Keep us going
Support Clean Break
An illustration of 6 magical women in the clouds, with the title 'A proposal for resisting darkness by Yasmin Joseph in collaboration with HMP Downview theatre company'

A Proposal for Resisting Darkness

An audio drama by Yasmin Joseph in collaboration with HMP Downview Theatre Company
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About us

a production photo from more than we can bear at the Almeida theatre, the cast are taking their bows on stage
Clean Break changes lives and changes minds through theatre – on stage, in prison and in the community. We produce ground-breaking plays with women’s voices at the heart of our work and use theatre to transform the lives of women with experience of the criminal justice system or at risk of entering it.

Our History

Clean Break Theatre Company with the Mayor of Camden outside HMP Holloway, 1986
Clean Break was established by two women in prison in 1979, at HMP Askham Grange, who believed that theatre could bring the hidden stories of women who are criminalised to a wider audience. Explore Clean Break’s radical and unique story in our interactive digital archive.

Keep up to date with Clean Break news, productions, training and more.

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