Name: Tattoo
Start: 2025-10-25T19:45:00+01:00
Location: Barnfield Theatre

Every tattoo has a story and these have never been heard before.
With stories from prison, the depths of addiction and recovery rooms, we tell the stories buried under ink and time.
They’re raw, exquisite, fearless, and uncensored.
Every word is written and performed by our outstanding outsider artists.
Expect strong language, uncensored stories and brilliant writing.
Tattoo is a collection of first-person stories performed by artists with extraordinary lived experience. A true celebration of unheard voices. Directed by Jo Billingham, Creative Director of The Outsiders Project and Co-Artistic Director at Forest Forge.
“The Outsiders performances at the Kneehigh Asylum were the best things I’ve seen and heard for a decade. It has changed the way I think about the stories we tell. And that goes for every single person in the audience” Anna-Maria Murphy, Kneehigh Theatre
“Some of the best theatrical writing ever — so brilliantly performed. Muscular and clever, vital and warm and so fu*cking human. It’s astonishing work” Audience member
The Outsiders Project was set up by novelist and playwright Nell Leyshon, deputy chair of Shakespeare’s Globe. It began with one piece of work for BEAF Festival in 2018. Since then we have grown and created multiple performances, toured our work to prisons, produced publications and exhibitions, as well as running weekly workshops and regular scratch events to support our artists — helping them find their voices and creating a welcoming creative community.
This Outsiders Project is a BEAF Arts project, supported by Arts Council England, The Alpine Fellowship, Sovereign Centre, Talbot Village Trust and Recreate Dorset.