Funding to bring prison to stage

A journalist has been awarded funding to create a production based on the lives and experiences of prisoners in the Isle of Man.

Ffinlo Costain has been given a grant by the Isle of Man Arts Council to interview inmates at Jurby Prison before writing his first draft.

Mr Costain, who was an actor until 2005, will then bid for further funding to complete the full production.

It will be the first time a playwright has been allowed prison access.

'Real stories'

Mr Costain said: "I'm interested in why people commit crimes, what happens to them mentally and emotionally as they pass through our justice system, and what happens when they leave.

"I'm also interested in looking at the impact on the families of criminals - they are victims of crime too, but are often forgotten by the media."

Mr Costain, orginally from the Isle of Man, worked extensively in London theatres before returning to the island four years ago.

Quintin Gill, from the Isle of Man Arts Council said: "A lot of us know Ffinlo as a provocative journalist, and that's one of the skills necessary for this project.

"He'll need to gain the trust of prisoners and their families very quickly to learn their real stories, and as a journalist he has a lot of interview experience."