Guest Blog: 'Stories Like These Deserve To Be Told: Writer Kerry Wright On Her Debut Play, KAILEY, and Why Representing Parental Imprisonment On Stage Matters  

When we talk about representation in the arts, one experience that remains almost invisible in mainstream storytelling is what it’s like to have a parent in prison. It’s a silent crisis affecting tens of thousands of young people in the UK, and yet it rarely appears on our screens, our stages, or even in everyday conversation. That silence is part of the reason I wrote KAILEY.

When I was a teenager, both of my parents went to prison. Almost overnight, my life changed. I had to leave my family home, leave school, and try to survive in a system that had no idea what to do with me. I was too old for the care system, but not legally an adult. I was stuck in a no man’s land of broken pathways where the children of prisoners are often treated as an afterthought, or worse, assumed to be “trouble” themselves.

For a long time, I carried that experience quietly. Partly out of shame, and partly because I never saw it reflected anywhere, in the media, in the news, on screens or stages. There were no stories like mine told from a place of personal experience, and so I had to learn that it was something I could - and should - talk about. 

Writing KAILEY was a way of reclaiming that narrative, not as a sob story, but as a way to explore the complexity of being eighteen and trying to navigate life without parental support. It was the first time I allowed myself to really look at that part of my life and explore it in my own words. I chose theatre as the medium because it demands your presence.

It asks an audience to sit in the same room as a character and step into their world. There’s an intimacy to live performance that makes it the perfect place for stories that are often overlooked or misunderstood. That’s exactly what KAILEY needed, a space for the humour, the chaos, the love, and the struggle that come with growing up in that kind of situation.

Since sharing KAILEY, I’ve had people quietly approach me to say, that they have similar experiences too. I specifically remember an audience member from an early KAILEY script reading say that it gave her hope that her children, who had similar experiences, would also do well as they found their paths into adulthood. Those conversations have meant everything, ‘reinforming’ my belief that the arts should be open to everyone, and that powerful stories can come from any background. I never thought that theatre was for me but I knew I had a story to tell, that needed to be told. If we want theatre to reflect the world we live in, we need voices from all walks of life and we need to make sure those voices are truly heard.

Additionally, for me, representation on stage is not just about visibility, it’s also about making an impact. The show aims to affirm those with shared experiences, give them a place where they can see their stories reflected back at them, and foster empathy in those without. KAILEY is just one story, but it speaks to the experiences of thousands of young people currently going through it. Even if a handful of people see it and feel a little more seen, a little less alone, then that’s the impact I hope to have. Stories like these deserve to be told and theatre is exactly the place to tell them.

KAILEY is currently on tour: Blackpool Grand Theatre: 16 September, Red Ladder Local Circuit Venue, St Bartholomew's Church, Armley - 17 September, Red Ladder Local Circuit Venue, BITMO, Belle Isle - 18 September, Godber Studio, Hull Truck - 19 September, Red Ladder Local Circuit Venue, The Cluntergate Centre, Wakefield - 20 September, McCarthy Theatre, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough - 23 September, Theatre41, York - 24 September, The Studio, The Civic Barnsley - 25 September

Mian Photo Credit: Nathan Gill