Celebrating Performing Arts in Prisons at the Koestler Exhibition

Southbank Centre and Arts Alliance present a day of networking and professional development around performing arts in the criminal justice system, which is open to all.

FREE is the UK's annual national showcase of arts by prisoners, offenders on community sentences, secure psychiatric patients and immigration detainees. Marking the 50th anniversary of the Koestler Trust, it is the fifth exhibition of the Trust's ongoing partnership with Southbank Centre.

To showcase and highlight the range of artistic work that takes place in prisons and secure units, this conference celebrates some of the best performing arts organisations working across the criminal justice system today. It is run in partnership with The Arts Alliance, the national body for the promotion of arts in Criminal Justice, representing a coalition of arts practitioners and organisations working in prisons and the community to support people to lead crime-free lives.

Chief Executive of Koestler Trust Tim Robertson introduces the day and there are networking opportunities throughout, with lunch provided.

Delegates can take part in a range of workshops and discussions, as detailed below. Please note, once you have purchased a ticket, you will be contacted by Southbank Centre conference organisers with a full programme for the day in order to help you select your workshops.

Koestler Trust
Koestler Awards judges for music and drama talk about their experiences, giving examples from award-winning entries. The Trust seeks delegates' views about how it can better encourage and showcase the performing arts. Speakers are Andrew Wilson, who has worked in the media for over 13 years, including music, radio, TV and film; and Anthony Banks, Associate Director for National Theatre Learning, whose recent directing credits include 'The Hotel Plays' by Tennessee Williams in the West End and Bryony Lavery's new play 'Cesario' for the World Shakespeare Festival at the National Theatre.

Music in Prisons
Inspires and engages prisoners, ex-prisoners and young people at risk to achieve their potential. Music in Prisons advocates that taking part in a creative music project can provide the catalyst for change, raising individuals' self-esteem and enabling them to play a positive role in their communities. Music in Prisons showcases presentations from ex-prisoners, to enable participants to gain a full understanding of the innovative work they do.

Good Vibrations
Aims to help prisoners, patients in secure hospitals, ex-prisoners and others in the community develop team-working, communications and other important life skills, through participating in gamelan (Indonesian percussion) workshops. Good Vibrations illustrates its unique approach via a practical gamelan session, offering participants a hands-on experience.

Dance United
Dance United works with those people who are marginalised in society and whose potential is often unrecognised or unfulfilled. Dance United believes that contemporary dance training and performance of the highest quality have the power to unlock this potential. Dance United delivers work that is tough, tightly-focused and highly disciplined.

Clean Break
Clean Break has been working with women in prison since it was founded in 1979 and has considerable expertise in delivering high-quality theatre-based programmes for women to participate in during their sentence, and beyond. These programmes have a positive and powerful impact and help to develop women prisoners' creative talents, confidence and communication skills.

If you are interested in being involved in the debate about literacy in prisoners, do stay on for English PEN's event Words and Sentences - How Books Can Save Your Life (At Any Time - But Particularly When You're Doing Time). It features spoken-word artist Simon Mole, writer, critic and broadcaster Bidisha, and author, screenwriter, and literary activist Courttia Newland. Tickets available here.

 Tickets available here.