Ran From: April 19, 2017 – April 29, 2017 in the Keating Theatre

The Story: 

Imagine spending days, weeks or months in a space that is cold and unfamiliar, with concrete walls and floors, and bars that keep you from going where you want.  Jails are not welcoming, nor are they meant to be. Imagine spending years in one, especially if you are not guilty of the crime for which you’ve been convicted. The Exonerated reveals true stories of exonerated prisoners from interviews and court transcripts, some of whom spent as many as twenty two years behind bars.

The Forums Question

Forums Question: The Exonerated

The Honorable Larry L. Eger, Public Defender of the 12th Judicial Court and Former Sub-Committee Leader posed this question for this year’s online discussion. Read his bio by clicking here. The Question On average it costs approximately 1.3 million dollars to incarcerate a defendant for life.

Blogs from The Exonerated

Behind Bars: Writing The Exonerated

By Jordan Nickels | In 2005, The Exonerated helped opened the Stage III series at Florida Studio Theatre, as a part of our commitment to producing contemporary work that challenges our audience. What better play to reintroduce Stage III this year, than a play about the corruption in our American penal system and innocence of many…

In Arkansas, the Exonerated Speak Up

The Exonerated is such a power story because wrongful imprisonment and the death penalty are topics we are still fighting against in our government today. The video below from The New York Times shows an anti-death penalty rally in Little Rock, Arkansas. This fully immersive video from The Daily 360 takes you into the demonstration to…

Racism to The 13th Degree

By Jordan Nickels | In The Exonerated, the topic of race is very prevalent to the stories of the exonerees of color, especially in their experiences with police officers and the criminal justice system. This issues have recently been addressed in filmmaker Ava DuVernay’s new documentary The 13th on Netflix which was nominated for Best Documentary Feature…

The Pen and The Trigger Finger

By Jordan Nickels | Theater is a constant reflection of the United States. Unfortunately, we live during a time in this country where gun violence is rapid and too frequent, which changes the narrative. Which begs the question, how do we handle such a topic on stage?

John Oliver: Incarceration in America 1

By Robin Mackey | John Oliver is the host of HBO’s Last Week Tonight – a late night satirical take on the latest news, politics, and current events. Oliver has 100% complete creative freedom over the program. Each episode follows a similar structure: the first half of the show reviews the week’s headlines and the…

John Oliver: Incarceration in America 2

Yesterday we shared a video from John Oliver’s show, Last Week Tonight, on the harrowing issues with America’s prison system. Today we’re sharing another video in our installment surrounding Incarceration in America that echoes the themes and questions asked in FST’s production of The Exonerated. Three years ago today, Clayton Lockett died from a botched…

From the Dialogues on Diversity 2016-2017 Forums Season