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SCHOOL of COMMUNICATION Center on Wrongful Convictions SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION Center on Wrongful Convictions Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law & School of Communication proudly present THE EXONERATED Based on True Lives, True Stories, and False Charges Written by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen INTERPERETED AND DIRECTED BY Jordan Donica CAST Delbert Gary HARRY LENNIX TOMMY RAPLEY* Young Delbert Young Gary NOLAN ROBINSON CARSON STEWART Sunny Kerry KATRINA LENK* CARRINGTON VILMONT* Young Sunny Young Kerry RILEY NELSON EMMET SMITH David Georgia/Female Ensemble E. PATRICK JOHNSON DETRA PAYNE Young David Sandra/Female Ensemble JAY TOWNS EMILEY KISER* Robert Male Ensemble AL HEARTLEY SCOTT MIKITA* Young Robert Male Ensemble RYAN FOREMAN JIM WEITZER* PRODUCTION TEAM Stage Manager Original Music By Editor REBECCA LISTER AUSTIN RYAN COOK QUINN KELCH April 15th, 2021 6:30 PM CST Virtual Performance Performance will be followed by a talkback with the actors alongside Northwestern’s Center on Wrongful Convitions’ co-director Laura Nirider and Death Row Exoneree Gary Gauger. (*) DENOTES MEMBER OF ACTORS EQUITY ASSOCIATION Program Editor: Owen Kiley DIRECTOR’S NOTE Exonerated… “Free from Burden…” (Oxford English Dictionary). The first time I read The Exonerated, “what does freedom mean?” rang through my head for days; I felt trapped by the lives these souls had been so brave enough to share through these words: their words, their lives, their pain, their struggle, their hope…. The existential questions the souls in these stories pose are questions that we all face. Yet not all of us are burdened with being in the wrong place at the wrong time or even the right place at the right time, for events such as these to occur. In many of the cases in The Exonerated, these people lost significant amounts of their life to being imprisoned for crimes that they did not commit. For some, the time spent in jail was only two years; for others, it was over 15 or 20 years. Still, the fact remains that each individual was going through crisis because they were faced with bearing the responsibility of punishment for crimes they did not commit. The level of mental fortitude that it takes to survive something of this nature is particularly fascinating to me… Some question the validity of a God, while others are seemingly stuck in time. This line of thinking led me to wonder: What was going on for the inner child? What happened to this person that either kept them from their truth or made them lose touch with their inner child? How were they able to see beyond the bars? Did they have hope? Where did their hope spring from? After they’ve been freed, how much of the soul is left in that cage? What does it take to be free? What is the great miracle of this piece? ...What is Chance? Versus, what is meant to be and is deemed by God? Does God Exist? Versus, how could God exist? Are these souls freed from the burden of being convicted and put on death row for crimes they did not commit? What happens to one’s mind when the reality of death is all that you face in your life? How do these people lift themselves up and free themselves of the burden that is laid across their shoulders? Is the system working DIRECTOR’S NOTE These are just some of the questions that I grapple with in regards to this piece. As I look at the lives of each individual outside of prison once they are freed, I see people who live with intent in their lives; I see people who live with hope; I see people who wish to give hope to others; I see people who wish to live and love, like every living thing. There is an empathetic- spirituality to each of these people that is palpable in the storytelling and most of them, not all, are able to use humor to navigate through their lives. I have found that to be quite a common human trait; people use humor in order to survive otherwise unbearable conditions. Humor is essential to the nature of this particular piece. At the end of it all, each of these souls has lessons to teach us about the nature of life, the mind, our relationships with law enforcement at all levels, and our relationship with ourselves. The Soul-Character In order to illustrate some of these thoughts and reflections within the piece, I have decided to incorporate a younger version of each of the exonerated. Visualizing the characters’ younger selves as they went through their journeys is something that easily places all of us in their shoes. All of us were once young(er); we were all youthful; we all strive to maintain the childlike wonder of the world for as long as we can. All of these characters have some form of youth in tact with them when they were tricked into the system. What interests me is how people stay in touch with their innocence…the innocence of youth… Adding in the younger version of the voice to explore when the characters pass the baton or listen, or don’t listen, to themselves and their story is something that draws me in to each word even more than the last. At what point in your life do you see yourself when you look in the mirror? Why? These questions of identity are all throughout the piece and each soul is at a different moment and place in their journey. All else with the dialogue is exactly the same. No words are changed. The only difference is that a younger version of each character will be present and helping to push the story along for the counterpart of their Soul- Character. They are evolving together. We are all evolving together. Thank you for joining us tonight to celebrate the lives of these exonerees and all of those who are still waiting for their chance. JORDAN DONICA PRODUCED BY CENTER ON WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS LAURA NIRIDER AND STEVE DRIZIN, SARA SOMMERVOLD AND JAJI HAMMER NORTHWESTERN DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE RIVES COLLINS PARK AVENUE ARTISTS DAVID LAI PLANNING COMMITTEE RIVES COLLINS TRICIA DAVID JORDAN DONICA STEVE DRIZIN RODERICK HAWKINS AL HEARTLEY MELISSA KAESER DAVID LAI LAURA NIRIDER KATHRYN RYAN SARA SOMMERVOLD KERRY TROTTER SPECIAL THANKS TO HEATHER BASARAB PETE BRACE JILL BRISLIN NANCY CUNNIFF JAJI HAMMER STEPHANIE KULKE STEPHEN LEWIS NATALIE ROMAN MARY KATE STRITTMATTER INTRODUCTIONS BY JORDAN DONICA, DIRECTOR THE HONORABLE RICHARD DURBIN, US SENATOR FROM ILLINOIS E. PATRICK JOHNSON, DEAN, NORTHWESTERN SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION JAMES SPETA, INTERIM DEAN, NORTHWESTERN PRITZKER SCHOOL OF LAW.
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