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The premiere of Held, written by Tina Jay and directed by Richard Elson, is coming to the Tristan Bates Theatre in the West End, funded by the Arts Council.
Set in a modern UK prison facing all the crises and failing living conditions we have recently seen in the news, the story explores the desperate, broken lives of five inmates and the chains that bind them.
We caught up with cast members Jack Brett Anderson and Duran Fulton Brown to find out more about this exciting new play.
Held is at Tristan Bates Theatre 6th – 17th June
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Held is at The Tristan Bates Theatre, What can you tell us about the show?
Jack: Held is a show that zooms us into an environment that brings to life five characters that all play a part in the audience’s experience – based on the writing alone, one they will remember and be moved by one way or another.
Duran:  For me the show is about factors that drive us to do what we do consciously or subconsciously. It also begs the question, are these characters born out of nature or nurture?
What attracted you to the show?
Jack: I found Held to be a very arresting piece of writing, raw and quite hard hitting but also in the most unlikely of situations super tender and quite touching. I was on a journey from reading it and found the world that Tina had created and how honest her writing was made me want to be a part of it. I’m glad the opportunity came my way.
Duran: Â What drew me to the play was the complexity of the emotion within the writing. And topics such as these, rarely usually get to see the light of day.
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Jack, you play two characters how do you prepare yourself for that?
Jack: I think firstly, it’s quite daunting because there is such a big responsibility that comes with taking on two characters in a play but exciting nonetheless as I see it as a challenge and I think you should always challenge yourself – the job now is to not mess it up haha.
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How did you prepare yourself to play a character that is confined in a prison setting?
Duran: I myself dwell in the heart of our city, a Central Londoner. Confinement is something I have to deal with on a daily basis. Which makes it easier to understand, purely on a physical level. My room, my cupboard is actually smaller than what is allocated at her majesty’s pleasure. The average prison cell 6 by 8 feet. I’ve such a tiny room I don’t even have a bed, and as for windows, nope. I have so little room, I sleep in a hang away hammock. I wish for a single ray of sunshine to enter my space. But all that being said, over time your brains learns, this is your reality! And finds a way to tolerate it, even enjoy it.
Jack: You know, the three weeks rehearsal we have running up to the show in itself is a sort of confinement. Working closely with people, over long hours and in close proximity. I think for me that all feeds into the angst and levels of restrictions if committed to the work load and the job at hand. I usually go on instinct and life experience and draw on them and bring them as close as possible with being as present as possible within the story. We haven’t all been through every scenario but ones similar.
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How do you feel the characters (particularly your own) connect with their surroundings and environment?
 Duran: The character’s feelings are antagonised by the surroundings and environment. In a way similar to going to school, any fractured relationships are exaggerated as you’re forced to be amongst these people day in day out. In the adult world, when we grow up if there are people in our lives that challenge us in an unconstructive way, we simply remove ourselves from their presence or the situation. There is no option for that, while incarcerated. Turning it into one big pressure cooker.
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