The Forgiveness Project and "Punch" at Nottingham Playhouse.
On Friday 10th May, The Forgiveness Project was thrilled to take part in a post-show talking circle in collaboration with Nottingham Playhouse, following a performance of the powerful and spell-binding play, Punch.
Punch is written by Olivier award-winning playwright James Graham, and adapted from Jacob Dunne’s memoir Right From Wrong. This was a phenomenal achievement for Jacob, whose story we’ve shared for many years and who has facilitated our RESTORE prison programme.
The post-show discussion was held in a specially designed circle outdoor structure intended to entice the audience to stay behind after to process what they’d just seen.
The Forgiveness Project Co-Leads, Marina and Sandra, alongside our colleague Ruth Chitty, with Jacob and actor Julie Hesmondhalgh, who plays Joan Scourfield, the mother of Jacob’s victim, James, took part in the post-show discussion where we discussed forgiveness and all its implications in this real-life, beautifully staged, story of judgment, redemption and forgiveness.
Marina says:
“What struck me most about the whole evening was the reaction of the audience. Spellbound, deeply moved, and at times overwhelmed, the rapturous standing ovation was proof of an unprecedented level of engagement. A triumph in the art of storytelling, it reminded me again of the power of drama to connect audiences with restorative narratives – stories of hope and restoration which urgently need to be heard and which help us make sense of the world.”
In further reflection, Julie Hesmondhalgh shared the following:
“In these very divided times, when it feels as though we are constantly pitted against one another, The Forgiveness Project offers a radical new model, based on mutual respect and listening. I can’t think of a single section of our society and culture that wouldn’t benefit from its principles. It has been an honour to learn more about their incredible work during the making of Punch.”
Sandra, writing on the experience, says:
“When I saw the beautiful talking circle outside the theatre, newly built and never used, I turned to Jacob and said 'we need to christen this tonight'. 'YES' said Jacob and yet quietly to myself I was thinking ‘how is this going to work?’: 700 people were watching his extraordinary story being taken to the stage, and would all be coming out at the same time when we would be starting the discussion. As people cried and rose for a standing ovation, Jacob and I left to go outside to the circle, followed by Marina and Ruth. All we could see was a sea of people starting to come out into the darkness of the night. I took one silent look at Jacob and suddenly picked up the microphone. 'This is Jacob Dunne, this is his story - please join us'. Everyone stopped, turned around and didn't move. We began. More people joined. They stayed and stayed and stayed.
We all were astounded. 'It was amazing, we christened the circle and I will never ever forget this moment,' said Jacob.”
and Ruth reflects:
“To see and feel the attentiveness of those gathered and to hear more from Jacob felt like a great privilege. To be part of one of these precious and rare moments that gather themselves in an urgent need to connect, hear more, and witness what is hardly ever witnessed was such a gift. I could sense in those gathered the need and want to hear more - it was as though a hunger had been stirred that was not necessarily known but keenly felt when nourishment was offered. My feeling is that the hunger is for deep and meaningful conversations, being offered perspectives that are not normally heard in public narratives, witnessing humility and striving in a young man when so often we only hear the struggle and the story of ‘failure’ and disaster, to be challenged and walk away with the question ‘what would I have done?’, and the sense of now they have perhaps been offered a different answer to that question - a different option should the unthinkable happen. It truly was a remarkable evening.”
The wider response to Punch has been extraordinary, with East Midlands Theatre calling it a play “infused with hope”, The Telegraph defining it as “eye-opening”, and The Financial Times summarising it as “a drama that runs counter to the acrimony that defines so much public discourse and quietly champions compassion and deeper understanding of what drives social unrest.”
Punch also made its way into Parliament, carried into discussion by Lilian Greenwood, Labour MP for Nottingham South, who praises the play’s ability to “shine a light on the potential power of restorative justice”.
You can view the whole video by clicking on the Tweet below:
Punch will remain at Nottingham Playhouse until Saturday the 25th of May. More information, including show times and tickets, can be found via the button below.