Preview: 28 February
Post-show Panel Discussion: 1 March
Matinee: 2.30pm, 2 March
‘I’d like the people to know I’m not an animal. Did I cause harm? Yes. Should I be punished? Of course. But do I deserve my human rights? Absolutely I do.’
The Examination is a new theatre performance by Brokentalkers exploring the theme of healthcare in the Irish prison system.
Featuring Brokentalkers’ distinctive blend of biography, socio-political discourse and breathtaking theatricality, The Examination draws on historical research and testimony from current and former prisoners. With powerful imagery and a visceral sound scape, The Examination is an uncompromising and revelatory interrogation of an aspect of society too often ignored.
The Examination is the outcome of a 12-month research and creative process period, that has seen Brokentalkers’ directors Gary Keegan and Feidlim Cannon hold theatre workshops and interviews with prisoners and former prisoners in various settings including Mountjoy Prison and PACE Training and Education Services. They have also drawn on wider historical analysis undertaken by Associate Professor Catherine Cox (UCD), with Professor Hilary Marland and Dr Rachel Bennett (University of Warwick).
The Examination is part of a Wellcome Trust project, “Prisoners, Medical Care and Entitlement to Health in England and Ireland, 1850-2000” based at the School of History, University College Dublin. It explores the history of health and healthcare in Irish prisons.
Based on real life prisoner testimonies, The Examination is an uncompromising and revelatory look at an aspect of our society that is all too often ignored.
