Controversial, Award-Winning Play, "The Exonerated," to Be Performed

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Department of Theatre and Dance at the University at Buffalo will present the Western New York premiere of the controversial play, "The Exonerated," winner of the 2003 Lucille Lortel Award, the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Play and a Drama Desk Award, March 1-4 in the Black Box Theatre in the Center for the Arts on the UB North (Amherst) Campus.

Performances of the play, which Margo Jefferson of The New York Times named the No. 1 play of 2002, will be held at 8 p.m. March 1-3 and 2 p.m. March 3-4

Playwrights Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen constructed "The Exonerated" from their personal interviews with more than 40 exonerated death-row inmates and court transcripts of the inmates' trials. The play follows six of these individuals through their arrests, trials, incarcerations and eventual releases when found innocent beyond doubt. These six people stand as living proof of the enduring nature of the human spirit under unthinkable conditions, an inspiring story of how human beings survive injustice.

"The Exonerated" ran for more than 600 performances off-Broadway with performers such as Gabriel Byrne, Kristin Davis, Richard Dreyfuss, Mia Farrow, Sara Gilbert, Jeff Goldblum, Lyle Lovett and John Spencer rotating through three of the lead roles, before touring the country with stars such as Robin Williams, Brian Dennehy, Stockard Channing and Avery Brooks. Thus far, productions of the play have raised more than $800,000 for the people depicted in the play, who are, by law, not entitled to compensation for their wrongful imprisonment.

Fortunato Pezzimenti, associate artistic director of the Irish Classical Theatre Company and the director of ICTC's exquisitely staged performance of "Amadeus" last season, will direct this production in concert style, as the play was performed in New York and London, to emphasize the actual words of the people who experienced these unfathomable journeys. The cast, comprised of B.F.A. and B.A. students in the Department of Theatre and Dance, consists of Heather Ackerman, Tyger Barros, Megan Benjamin, Winston Duke, Rebecca Globus, Jason Healy, Robert Hinds, Jordan Levin, Tyrone Smith and James Wild.

Several special events open to the public will be offered in conjunction with the production. Playwright Jessica Blank will attend opening night on March 1 and answer audience questions following the performance. On March 2, the Baldy Center for Law and Social Policy will offer a symposium on the death penalty. The College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Theatre and Dance will sponsor a complimentary open coffee house in the Atrium of the Center for the Arts following Saturday's matinee to encourage informal discussions among audience members.

Tickets for "The Exonerated" are $8. Tickets are available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday in the Center for the Arts Box Office and all Ticketmaster locations, including Kaufmann's. To charge tickets, call 852-5000; in Canada, call 1-416-870-8000. For group sales, call 645-6771. For more information, call 645-ARTS. The Center for the Arts is a Ticketfast location.