“I have accompanied six human beings to their deaths. As each has been killed, I have told them to look at me. I want them to see a loving face when they die. I want my face to carry the love that tells them that they and every one of us are worth more than our most terrible acts.” -- Sister Helen Prejean
Dead Man Walking is a faithful adaptation of the non-fiction bestseller of the same name, about Sister Helen Prejean’s involvement with death-row inmates. Sentenced to death for the rape and murder of two teenagers, Matthew Poncelet reaches out to Prejean, whose religious order encourages deeds of self-testing. Responding to his letter, she must reconcile her horror of his crime with what she calls “Jesus’ biggest challenge”, to love our enemies. The emotional and turbulent journey that she makes with Poncelet is at the heart of this play. Tim Robbins, who wrote both the play and the movie’s screenplay, successfully captures Sister Prejean's faith-driven pursuit of not only justice, but human dignity. The play manages to take no sides in the issue of the death penalty, instead showing the loneliness and isolation of both victim and offender.
Dead Man Walking is a deeply moving story of the redemptive power of love, and the struggle of one nun to bring that love to a remorseless murderer and rapist who believed himself unlovable. What was once a personal and transformative experience for Sister Prejean and Matt Poncelet will become one for everyone who sees this play as well.
THE PLAY Dead Man Walking playwright Tim Robbins directed the critically acclaimed movie and wrote its screenplay. Both the play and movie are based on Sister Helen Prejean’s best-selling book of the same name, where she records her journey as an advisor to a death row prisoner, taking us through her personal and spiritual evolution into both a death penalty opponent and victims’ advocate.
Sister Helen approached Robbins to write the play, explaining that it could be reproduced endlessly, and everyone involved in performing it, as well as the audience, would be brought into deeper reflection about the death penalty. Robbins agreed, and enlisted a selected number of schools and universities across the United States to perform the play, and give him feedback for an eventual Broadway run. However, reports of the amazing power of the play to stir discussion in the local communities of the 30 schools where it was performed, convinced Tim to make the play available to schools and non-profit theatre groups across America. Thus, the Dead Man Walking School Theater Project was born.
There is one caveat for companies like Pisces Moon: that the play not be produced for commercial gain, and that we align ourselves with a school or schools in which at least two academic departments, in addition to the drama department, provide courses related to the themes and issues of the play. Art and/or music departments are also encouraged to sponsor creative projects related to the play. Hence Cabrillo College’s sponsorship and Delta School’s involvement, where the themes and issues of the play will be introduced across the curricula. To find out more about Cabrillo's and Delta's involvement, please go to our"School Collaboration" page.
THE DIRECTOR Susan Myer Silton co-founded Pisces Moon Productions in 1998. She recently directed the acclaimed play, The Exonerated, for Pisces Moon. Susan has co-directed Durang, Durang and Durang, Durang: The Second Coming and directed The Food Chain, The Altruists, The Laramie Project, Five Flights, Never the Sinner, Swimming in the Shallows, Psycho Beach Party, Dangerous Liaisons and The Last Days of Judas Iscariot for Pisces Moon. She directed Sex and Imagining and Man Walking Dog as part of Actors’ Theatre’s First and Second Annual Playwrights Festivals and To the Crows With You and What You’re Missing in the 2001 and 2003 Eight Tens at 8 Festivals. Read reviews of past Pisces Moon plays, and of The Last Days of Judas Iscariot.
PERFORMANCES Feb. 8 through Feb. 24: Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 3 pm
