A husband is separated forever from his wife and children because his friend frames him for murdering two cops. A man accused of murdering his parents is tricked into giving a false confession. A young man is convicted of murder simply because he is black. A man is wrongfully accused of a woman’s death despite evidence that the man from her failed affair had been in her apartment the night of her murder. The Exonerated, written by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen, tells these and other stories chosen from interviews with “about 60 people who had been wrongly convicted, sentenced to death, and exonerated,” according to the program. Each story is a powerful account of corruption in the criminal justice system and the suffering it inflicts on innocent people.
The cast portrayed the personal stories of the six exonerated people with honesty and emotion. The actors appeared to be caught up in what their characters were feeling.
“We had to get to that place where we could in some way relate to what these people had gone through. I would often leave a run of the story feeling so overwhelmed. The character you are playing begins to consume you and it is some times hard to let go,” said actor Sean Finan.
Both the cast’s dedication to the message of the play and acting abilities impressed director Katie Yow. “Everyone has known from the beginning what an important story we have to tell, so they worked really well as people and they all are very talented as artists,” said Yow.
“Everyone has been so committed to the play, in telling the stories of these people honestly and sincerely and also in conveying the underlying message of this play – that there are major problems within our criminal justice system that need to be addressed,” said production manager Tim Scales.
Scales, Yow, and Finan agree that the performance was meant to inspire the audience even after they left the theater.
“If you changed one person’s mind or inspired one person to do something about the terrible injustice in this country, then it was all worth it,” said Finan.
The Exonerated brought each stories’ tragedies to life and confronted the audience with all of its implications. The effects of the wrongful imprisonment went far beyond the lost years. For example, the play discussed children growing up while their parents are in prison and the struggles of all the accused to adjust after their release.
The only props used were folding chairs the actors sat in. This lent the production an impression that the audience was sitting around with a group of people listening to their stories as they transported everyone into their experiences.
“The whole play was very simple. I felt that it was a wise choice seating the actors in front of the audience, as though they were just talking with us. With hardly any other effects, the play still managed to enthrall me and bring me to tears,” said sophomore Amy Drolet.
Amy stayed for the speaker after the play and appreciated the chance to hear a first-hand account of the damage wrongful convictions cause.
“What struck me the most from the discussion with Daryl [an exonerated prisoner] was the fact that 19 years of his life had been taken away from him. This is my entire lifetime, and it’s almost impossible for me to imagine having spent every day of my life in confinement, never knowing if I would ever see the outside world again,” said Drolet.
One of the most haunting effects of the play was how normal the characters appeared. The actors portrayed everyday people, wearing everyday clothing, sitting around having a calm conversation, which forced the audience to see how the corruption in the criminal justice system can destroy any life.
Yow wanted the play to inform people, but to also to inspire people to do something about the problems presented in the play. “My hope is that the audience walks away feeling not only moved but inspired,” said Yow. “I hope they see the importance of not just the issues, but also the importance of taking action.” To this end, the program provided resources to continue learning about the death penalty, such as www.deathpenaltyinfo.org, www.amnestyusa.org/abolish/index.do, and www.ncmoratorium.org, along with a list of book suggestions.
Although admission was free, there was a suggested donation to the Darryl Hunt Project for Freedom and Justice. The Darryl Hunt Project helps both wrongfully incarcerated people and people re-entering society after incarceration, in order to “wake up the system for those that are innocent,” according to Darrylhuntproject.org.