Inmates of Mountjoy Women's Prison are to take part in the Dublin Fringe Festival.
The drama, aptly called 'The Women's Jail Project', depicts the experiences of Irish women held at a notorious prison in Australia in the 1900s.
Karen Martin writer and director of the theatre piece tells RTÉ News reporter Colm Connolly about the project describing the Australian prison as a bit of a dumping ground. Many of the women were locked up for being drunk, depressed, or simply because they were going through the menopause. While the performance is not a re-enactment, it does record the experiences of inmates within the institution, many of whom were wrongly convicted Irish women.
Physical theatre, movement, story telling and multi-media are combined in this thought provoking production performed by the women prisoners in Mountjoy.
Kathleen McMahon, Deputy Governor at Mountjoy, says the production gives the women a chance to develop their skills, to express themselves and to grow in confidence.
The production runs for five nights as part of the Dublin Fringe Festival.
An RTÉ News report broadcast 5 October 2001. The reporter is Colm Connolly.
