Dear Friends,
If you are around this Sunday, March 3rd, I’ll be hosting a talkback after the afternoon performance of RIFT, or White Lies, a provocative Luna Stage production that is soon moving to its new digs off-Broadway!
RIFT tells the story of two brothers–one a progressive novelist, the other a convicted murderer and high-ranking member of a white supremacist prison gang–as they navigate the complexities of their relationship and their past. A work of fiction, RIFT is inspired by playwright Gabriel Jason Dean’s relationship with his brother, a currently-incarcerated high-level member of the alt-right.
I had the pleasure of seeing the show last night, and I highly recommend it. It’ll have you talking for hours. I hope you can join me in conversation on Sunday afternoon. But if that doesn’t work for you, this terrific play has been extended locally to March 10th — and it’s directed by Montclair’s very own Ari Laura Krieth. Be sure to check it out! Tickets and more info at www.lunastage.org/rift.
Blind Injustice also played last month at Montclair State University’s Peak Performance theater. The opera received great reviews and hearing the personal experiences of the exonerees featured in the opera was incredibly moving. My students and I loved it — and it was wonderful to see so many of you there!
In Michigan this week, Ivory Thomas, was released at the age of 77 after serving 60 years in prison for a murder he committed when he was 18. Thomas, who is ill, was a mentor in prison with an exemplary prison record; a change in law allowed the court to reconsider his sentence. I’m struck by the severity of his punishment, and the length of time Thomas spent behind bars. Even given the seriousness of his crime, did Thomas really need to serve sixty years to ensure that “justice” was done? And what of all the other people who have reformed and changed, but who have not, and may never, be given a chance for release?
In other news, as you may well have heard, Ivan Cantu was executed in Texas this week despite strong evidence of innocence. We need to do justice better. Lives literally depend on it.
On a personal note, as we round the corner from winter to spring, I wanted to give my mom a special shout-out on her upcoming 85th birthday. Happy birthday, Mom! I am grateful for you.
Wishing all of you a productive and positive March.
Take good care,
Jessica