Naima Khan talks to director Esther Baker and actor Clifford Samuel about the rise of Muslim gangs in prison ahead of the Synergy Theatre series 'Convictions'
“Make sure to say ‘fuck off’ right on the beat, straight after he calls you a battyman.” I'm at rehearsals for Every Coin, soon to run at Soho Theatre, and watching actor Clifford Samuel, pretending a pencil is a knife and attempting to keep it concealed. His eyes dart around the room and when he flinches – just for a moment – I think he's been busted. And the words of blunt advice? They're from the production's otherwise incredibly polite director, Esther Baker.
They're rehearsing a scene as part of Synergy Theatre project, Convictions, which showcases plays by former prisoners and those still serving time. The play, which explores the rise of Muslim gangs in high security prisons, is by Carlon Campbell Robinson, himself currently serving time in just such a facility. It's unlikely he'll even be able to see his own play live – although, Esther tells me, there will be a recording.
As the scene unfolds before me – in its barest form with few costumes and stand-in props – the confused and threatening relationships between the characters jump out. “What this play is all about,” Esther explains, “is the detrimental psychological effects that high security prisons have on people and their relationships.”
Every Coin follows Mark (played by Samuel) and his encounter with Islam and the 'brotherhood' that forms in such confined environments. “We find him wrapped up with a lot of demons,” says Samuel of his character. “He knows if you need to survive and you’re outnumbered, you either go down fighting or you join the faction or the wolf pack. There are other gangs in prison and Muslims are now the in thing. It’s almost the pop culture to convert to Islam.”
“The main currency of prison is power,” Esther explains, “and the sense of brotherhood is very empowering. It’s all about hierarchy and status. Combine that with a lot of people who have been stripped of everything and you have a lot of vulnerable people seeking an identity. Sometimes they turn to religion. And of course you’re going to get individuals who use the power that comes with religion and knowledge in a negative way. But then there are a lot of people, like the main character Mark who, as well as all this power play, has a genuine encounter with religion whilst he is in prison.”
As they fill me in on the plot (“one man’s struggle to deal with his past and survive a volatile environment”), Esther and Clifford also talk about working with Synergy Theatre, a company interested in challenging what people think about prison and prisoners. Synergy directly confront audiences with a rare first-hand account of an environment most people don't like to think about too much, right down to the smallest details. As Clifford explains: “When working with chairs as part of the set, we can’t really move them around because in prisons they’d be screwed to the ground. Prisoners, like Carlon, can be helpless and powerless; they can try and control the outside world but ultimately, there’s little in their own hands they can do.”
“Carlon's highly intelligent,” says Esther when I ask her about him, “and his choices in prison are severely limited.” Then, suddenly straightening in her chair: “Choices are fundamental to our humanity. Lack of choice keeps people like children, and there’s no adult responsibility for their lives. There's a lot of boredom in prison – for people serving long sentences there's nothing to lose, and things escalate...”
As the rehearsal continues around me, it becomes clear that there are possible paths through the futility portrayed in the play. For all the problems facing Carlon, he's succeeded in writing a piece of forceful, compelling theatre. From within the confines of a politically flawed prison system, creativity has nonetheless been given the chance to flourish.
Synergy Theatre's Convictions series runs at Soho Theatre from 9th-14th May.
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