A staggering number of self-inflicted deaths have happened at HMP Woodhill. Now, the testimonies of the deceased’s loved ones have been turned into a shattering piece of theatre
Matt Woodhead has always wanted to expand the possibilities of theatre. Now he may well have invented an entirely new genre: the verbatim investigative dance piece. Even Woodhead is not sure how to describe his latest show, but one thing’s for sure: it’s a compelling piece of journalism and a wonderfully ambitious meshing of art forms.
Woodhill is an exposé of multiple self-inflicted deaths at the prison of that name in Milton Keynes – and the institutional failings that have allowed them to happen. In June 2018, the HM Inspectorate of Prisons reported that, “staggeringly”, a total of 20 men had taken their lives in seven years at Woodhill, higher than at any other jail in England and Wales. There have been further cases since then.
