I wait whilst the world carries on, whilst my family
Written by Luke Barnes and directed by Josh Parr, The jumper factor was originally staged by prisoners to fellow inmates. Barnes collaborated with HMP Wandsworth to create an intimate and powerful new piece of theatre with eight inmates about how they survive life in prison. The play explores the stories of people behind bars and the resilience they need to face a world that moves without them.
This new production, performed in The Maria studio, is presented by a cast of young men aged from 18 – 25, whose lives have all been affected in some way by the criminal justice system.
The Artiscape spoke with actor Ayomide Adegun about his role in this production.
We asked Adegun what about the play appealed to him.
Originally he saw it as an opportunity to gain more acting experience, but after reading it, he said “I felt a surge of interest in the content matter.”
“I feel like The Jumper Factory depicts true life in prisons in a very honest way that encapsulates
We asked him, what he found challenging in playing his character.
The challenge for him he said was “[in not allowing] the circumstances of my characters overpower my ability to tell the story clearly.” When Adegun met with the prisoners who had originally performed the play in the prison, he said “I was able to gauge how
So what other character did Adegun find interesting in the play?
“I find the child, Jay interesting because of his innocence and how that is portrayed in the play,” he tells us.
Finally we asked him how he felt the play is relevant to an audience today.
He feels “we can be unaware of the negative intricacies that are present in life for prisoners regarding survival.” He concludes, “The Jumper Factory will give the audience a chance to have conversations about reform in a light they have not done so before.” He hopes the play will “encourage steps being made towards change.”
The jumper factory runs from 27 Feb 2019 – 9 Mar 2019 at the Young Vic, London.
