John Browns Body - At San Quentin Prison - this Saturday On Saturday January 17 at 7pm at Congregation Shomrei Torah 2600 Bennett Valley Road in Santa Rosa, the highly acclaimed documentary John Browns Body – At San Quentin Prison will be presented as the first event in a mini film series by the Shomrei Torah Social Action Committee. This event is FREE and open to the public. San Quentin, like almost any prison in America, is marked by racial tension, segregation and violence – on the yard, in the showers, in the dining halls. Filmmaker Joe De Francesco convinced reluctant prison officials to let him direct inmates in a production of John Browns Body, a Pulitzer prize-winning play about slavery, freedom and the Civil War that within prison walls, had the potential to be incendiary like the abolitionist John Brown. His violent raids polarized pre-Civil War America. After a grueling two and a half years of rehearsal – interrupted by lockdowns, shakedowns, transfers, parole dates and months-long trips to the hole, the theatrical adaptation of the neglected American masterpiece was fully mounted, to great acclaim, by a mixed-race cast of nine inmates, all but two of whom were convicted murderers. John Browns Body at San Quentin Prison, is the story of the play and what it has meant to the men who performed it. Interviews with the actor-inmates combined with excerpts from the play reveal startling parallels between the text of the play and the mens lives in prison. Some tell of their crimes. All try to articulate how the long and difficult experience changed them, educated them and put them on the road to positive change. The emotional tone of the interviews is highly charged and opens discussion of weighty subjects: How does the question of race figure in their lives today? And to what degree do they see their world differently from when they first stepped inside their cells? The documentary probes these questions while offering a new glimpse at how those torn by the legacy and reality of racism might be able to begin again. Special guests include film maker Joe De Francesco and former San Quentin inmates who will discuss the film and answer questions from the audience. For a preview of the film go here vimeo/44280784 Social Action Goes To The Movies is a mini film series designed to address issues of social and restorative justice. For more information please call 707-578-5519 or go to cstsr.org Shekeyna Heru Sankofa Ronald Susan
Posted on: Wed, 14 Jan 2015 06:57:17 +0000
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