The Connecticut Repertory Theatre (CRT) is presenting Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen’s The Exonerated, Oct. 8-18 in the Nafe Katter Theatre on the University of Connecticut’s Storrs campus.
Winner of the 2003 Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience and the 2003 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Play, The Exonerated brings to life the compelling stories of Delbert, Gary, Kerry, Robert, David, and Sunny – six people who were very nearly wrongly executed, but lived to tell their stories.
Ranging from two years on death row to more than 20, their stories reveal the horrors behind death row, the ignorance of their communities upon their release, and their struggle to reintegrate themselves into society as the exonerated.
Their nightmarish stories are told through interwoven scenes and monologues derived from actual court transcripts, interviews, and letters. Although eventually freed by DNA and other evidence, these gripping stories depict the personal devastation that occurs when our justice system misfires. The survival stories of these six brave individuals are extraordinary, and provide a promise of hope and redemption.
“The Exonerated is a powerful indictment of our criminal justice system,” says director Dale Rose. “Working on this play fills me with anger and hope. Anger, because of the more than 800 individuals sentenced to death between 1976 and 2003; one in eight cases has been wrongfully convicted. Hope, because of the individuals who, like the six cases in The Exonerated, have survived and seek positively to change this injustice. I believe this to be a mesmerizing evening of theatre that makes us think, even as we are pulled into the real lives and circumstances depicted.”
Special Performance Oct. 14
Immediately following the conclusion of the play, representatives of the UConn School of Law and the Connecticut Repertory Theatre will engage in a panel discussion about some of the issues raised in the play. Attorney Karen Goodrow, director of the Connecticut Innocence Project, is the featured guest. The panel discussion is free and open to the public. Other panelists include Law School dean Jeremy Paul, criminal law professor Thomas Morawetz, the play’s director Dale AJ Rose, dramaturge Dassia Posner, and cast members.
CRT is the professional producing arm of the University’s Department of Dramatic Arts. CRT productions are directed, designed by, and cast with visiting professional artists, including Equity actors, faculty members, and the department’s most advanced student artists. The synergy between professional and advanced student artists creates extraordinary theatre and a unique learning environment.
Ticket Information
Please call the box office at (860) 486-4226 for tickets or more information, including specific show dates and times. Performance schedules vary and are subject to change.
Evening performances start at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and at 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Matinee performances start at 2 p.m. Ticket prices range from $11-$29.
For more information
Frank Mack, Managing Director, Connecticut Repertory Theatre
(860) 486-4799
