Cast Announced for Piven Theatre's DEAD MAN WALKING

Piven Theatre Workshop proudly presents Dead Man Walking, a play by Tim Robbins, adapted from the 1993 best-seller Dead Man Walking: The Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty That Sparked a National Debate by Sister Helen Prejean. The 19-member cast is led by Patricia Lavery co-starring as Sister Prejean alongside Jay Reed as Matthew Poncelet. Dead Man Walking, directed by Mikalina Rabinsky, will be performed at Piven Theatre Workshop, 927 Noyes Street in Evanston, April 14-May 15, 2016.

Robbins received a 1996 Academy Award nomination for directing the film adaptation of Sister Prejean's autobiographical book, an unprecedented look at the human consequences of the death penalty. Robbins' powerful adaptation tells the story of Sister Helen's journey through this country's system of capital punishment. Through the lens of her role as spiritual advisor to a death row inmate, the play meditates on the deeper issues of justice and mercy and the implication that we are all involved in the human consequences of our justice system: the condemned, the bereaved, the executed, the executioner, the individual, the community.

"I feel incredibly lucky to have this rich material that gives voice to people who normally don't have their voices heard. Sister Helen's story is so inspiring and is a wonderful challenge to us as humans and artists to live up to her example of social justice work," said Rabinsky.

Dead Man Walking is the centerpiece of Piven Theatre's The Quality of Mercy Project, an expansive three-month public programming initiative addressing issues of forgiveness, compassion and social justice. The Quality of Mercy Project is a collaborative effort of Piven Theatre Workshop and five key community partners: The Chicago Innocence Center, Evanston Art Center, Literature for All of Us, James B. Moran Center, and Evanston Township High School. A complete calendar of events, the majority of which will be free of charge and open to the public, can be found at http://piventheatre.org/deadmanwalking

Performance schedule and tickets: Dead Man Walking will be performed at Piven Theatre Workshop, 927 Noyes Street, April 14-May 15, 2016: Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30pm, and Sundays at 2:30pm. Tickets, which range in price from $15-$35, are available by calling 847-866-8049 or by visiting www.piventheatre.org.

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