Intelligent, articulate and gentle, actor Patrick Keating has been a mainstay of Vancouver’s independent theatre scene for years—not the kind of guy who leaps to mind when you hear the word “criminal.” You’d be hard pressed to imagine him robbing a bank, but that’s exactly what he once did, and in this enthralling production he breaks down his years as a repeat offender. His story is harrowing, but laced with wit and plenty of hard-earned wisdom.

This is a show in the finest tradition of the prison memoir—as riveting as fiction, but with the authenticity of documentary. Your notions of criminality will be shaken, perhaps broken altogether: with humility and integrity, Keating stands before us as the violation of a stereotype. Whether romanticized or vilified, lawbreakers play a central role in our social narrative, but rarely do we get to hear them speak for themselves. This is one chance you shouldn’t miss.

Delicately observed and thoroughly engaging… a vivid and necessary reminder that people in prison are, first and foremost, human beings.

—The Georgia Straight