Warnings of depictions of suicide, drug use, self-harm and 'very strong language throughout' feature alongside the descripton of this drama written by and starring a former Durham prison inmate.
Ric Renton, who is originally from Denton Burn in Newcastle, has based this play, his second, on his own experience of time spent inside HMP Durham as a young man before he went on to completely change his life around. And here we see the now writer and actor on stage reliving the darkest of days there.
As you might expect from those warnings, it doesn't make for easy viewing. But it does make gripping theatre that hits hard and leaves its mark as it veers from moments of explosive anger to empty desperate silence.
Read more: Interview with former Durham prisoner turned actor and writer
Renton plays Shepherd in a cast of four who each deliver power - some in quiet moments; some loud - in moving performances during the play whose debut run at Live Theatre just happens to be directly across the street from Newcastle Crown Court where Renton was sentenced all those years ago.
Within the claustrophic confines of the prison set - with its black walls seeming to close in on all of us - we share the horror of the meaning behind the prison guards' regular shout of 'One Off' which gives the play its title. It refers, we learn, to there being another suicide at this institution, said to have the highest rate in the country.
We gradually see friendship build between Shepherd and two fellow inmates Brown and Knox (played by local actors Ryan Nolan and Ricky Shah): one a touching mix of bravado and vulnerability and the other a committed Pop Idol fan who's serving out the last of his sentence before he can be reuinited with his partner and son.
Their side-by-side cell spaces are marked out on the floor of the simple black-walled set and the three share banter and trade insults through the 'walls' and, although those divides are pictured only in our minds, the sense of division works well, particularly in scenes when only the audience sees inner turmoil playing out, most notably on the face of Brown as he seeks escape from his demons.
A friendship of sorts extends to the good guy nightwatchman Jock (Malcolm Shields, as the fourth member of the cast, bringing out the humanity behind the uniform) who during evening chats forges a connection with Shepherd and brings a glimmer of light - quite literally, when he's picked out from the shadows behind the prison door.
All four performances are so believeable that when we gradually learn the characters' life stories during the course of this intense drama they really hit home. There are some striking touches of physical theatre too, particularly with Brown twisting and turning as he's being dragged out his cell by unseen guards.
A brief scene of him in a nightmare sequence is also really effective. And we have just as brief - and affecting - a snapshot of life outside the prison.
There are welcome light touches - Shepherd introducing new words from the dictionary he's reading; laughs about Jock's obsession with Scrabble - to ease the play's darkness. And there is hope, just enough, at the end.
One Off, which is directed by Live 's artistic director and joint boss Jack McNamara, is a co-production involving quayside theatre, Paines Plough and Synergy Theatre. Its premere run continues until November 26: for tickets see here.
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