The Carleton Players will present “The Exonerated” at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 22 and 23, and Friday and Saturday, Oct. 29 and 30 at the Carleton College Arena Theater. The event is free and open to the public, but reservations are recommended.
“The Exonerated” depicts the experiences of six innocent individuals who spent between two and 22 years on death row, until they were eventually exonerated by an attorney and dedicated law school students. The play, written by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen, was first produced in New York in 2002 and concluded its tour in Minneapolis a year and half later. “The Exonerated” was originated after Blank, a University of Minnesota alumna, attended a conference with Jensen. The conference included discussions about the death penalty as well as first-hand accounts of individuals who were convicted due to confessions obtained by the suspected. In the process of writing the play, Blank and Jensen traveled through the country talking to people who had been exonerated and reading through court records. Consequently, much of the play’s dialogue is produced from actual interviews with the individuals. In an interview with a University of Minnesota alumni publication, Blank said that in writing the play, she realized “the incredible gap that exists between how the criminal justice system is laid out in the Constitution and how it actually works…” “The Exonerated” has received awards from both the theater and the social justice communities, including a Champion of Justice Award from the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the 2003 Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards. Past performers have included Mia Farrow, Anthony Michael Hall and Cary Elwes, among others.
For the play’s director David Wiles, associate professor of theatre arts at Carleton, the issues portrayed in “The Exonerated” are important, to both the community at large, as well as to the students of the Carleton community. Wiles said, “This is a long-term issue. It will always be with us, the question of innocence versus guilt. It’s an imperfect system that believes in finality.”
The cast consists of Carleton students and guest artist Benny S. Cannon, a member of the prestigious Penumbra Theatre Company, which offers an African American-oriented perspective and training for actors, directors, choreographers and designers.
“We have a very talented and smart cast,” Wiles said. “Everyone has developed a complete connection with the real people they’re portraying.”
The Carleton Players produce three faculty-directed productions each year. The Carleton College Arena Theater has limited disability accessibility. For reservations, more information, or disability accommodations, call the Arena Theater office at (507) 646-4471.
