Homo Promos, Britain’s oldest LGBT+ Theatre Group, has been banned from taking its latest production, 1944: Home Fires, into HMP Wormwood Scrubs next Tuesday, Sept 6th. The visit, which had the full support of staff at the prison, has been stamped on by ‘senior leaders in the prison service’, according to Jake Booth, the Neurodiversity Support Manager at the Scrubs organising the visit. No reasons have been given.
The performance, which was to take place in the prison chapel, consisted of a 50-minute opera about Ivor Novello’s incarceration in the prison and a piano recital on Novello’s own piano there.
Peter Scott-Presland, the producer, who was in the prison only yesterday with his team to finalise arrangements, told QX: “We are devastated. This would be the high point of the tour and a homage to a great gay icon. To cancel at four days’ notice without any reason given is unbelievably unprofessional and a great step back in the progress the Prison Service has been making towards equality and diversity. We can only apologise to all those staff and inmates looking forward to this show, many of whom were LGBT+ and looked to this to give some affirmation.”
For those of you who’d like to see the performances, there are two shows being staged out of prison:
Sun September 3rd, 8.30pm. Cockpit Theatre, Gateforth Street NW8 8EH. Tickets from here – https://rebrand.ly/home-fires-3
Wed Sept 6th, 8pm. Tower Theatre, 16 Northwold Road, N16 7HR.Tickets from here – https://rebrand.ly/home-fires-6
