A play written by Colin Prescod and directed by Pevaiz Khan.
A play about an issue not widely discussed in the media, especially in the Theatre world.
It is a very disturbing portrayal of real life sufferings of three black men - Satpal ram, Alton Manning and George Jackson at the hands of authorities which are responsible for ensuring the morale building and rehabilitation of the jail inmates.
The three main characters, who never met in real life are brought together(one only in voice) by the power of theatre production. The production is very successful in portraying the side of life of these prisoners which so easliy escapes our minds - that they are human too. The other thing that comes across so vividly - every jail inmate is not a violent criminal or a crook. Many have ended up there because of the ills in our society - poverty, prejudice and class barriers.
George Jackson, an inmate of American jails in the 1960s stood up for his rights and fought for a more humane treatment and paid the price - he was shot by the Tower Guards of his prison. Satpal Ram, who shares George's strong will and strength to stand up for himself is suffering a similar fate in the British prisons - already served 17 years of his life-sentence and moved over 65 times between prisons. Alton Manning, a petty criminal, died while in Blakenhurst prison - after constant violent treatment by the jail officials.
The clock on the wall is an apt depiction of the time in jail - which progresses at a very different pace for the inmates - and not always forward. An excellent production, which is a beacon to those who get scared by the thought of bringing any such issues forward for public discussion. Michael Aduwail nad Vincent Ebrahim, who play the two characters are very successful in bringing across the suffering and pain to the public eye. As Geroge Manning said - One cannot survive in these conditions without paying the penalty of psychosis.
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