Graeae: Bad Lads at Unity Theatre

Graeae’s Bad Lads arrives at Liverpool’s Unity Theatre this autumn, an urgent new production that confronts a shameful chapter in British history. The show premieres at Live Theatre, Newcastle, before landing in Liverpool for two performances only this November.

Borne out of real-life testimonies, Graeae invite Liverpool to confront a neglected truth: what happened inside Medomsley Youth Detention Centre in the 1980s, and how its legacy still lingers.

The play, written by award-winning playwright Mike Kenny, tells the story of boys incarcerated at Medomsley, County Durham. Officially, the regime there was meant to discipline “wayward youth” with a “short, sharp shock” – but the real story is far darker. Testimonies reveal abuse, neglect, and the failures of a system supposedly protecting society. Kenny’s text is constructed from the voices of those who survived, capturing both the brutality of their treatment and the endurance of spirit.

Directed by Graeae’s Artistic Director Jenny Sealey, the production features Robin Paley Yorke (Billy Elliot, Curve Theatre) as Younger Jackie and Danny Raynor (I Fought the Law, Hera Pictures/ ITV) as Older Jackie, alongside performance interpreter Craig Painting. Sealey has been closely involved with the men’s testimonies since 2021, describing the process as “a living history of government-funded brutality” and emphasising the privilege of bringing these voices into the public domain.

Graeae Theatre Company has been at the forefront of accessible, inclusive theatre since 1980, championing Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists and audiences. Every performance of Bad Lads integrates BSL, audio description, creative captioning and is presented in a relaxed environment – making access an integral part of the shaping of the performance.

Unflinching and deeply human, Bad Lads isn’t simply about the past – it’s a call to listen, to bear witness, and to ask how accountability might finally be found.