'Sing Sing,' Rehabilitation Through The Arts, And The Healing Power Of Theater

1A

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4.4 • 4.3K Ratings

🗓️ 8 August 2024

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

How do you tie together the stories of ancient Egypt, Robin Hood, Freddy Kreuger, and Hamlet – on a single stage?

Well, through time travel, of course. But also with the minds and talent of a group of actors at Sing Sing correctional facility in New York.

Such a play – titled "Breakin' the Mummy's Code" – was made possible through a program called RTA: Rehabilitation Through the Arts. It was born in 1996 after a group of incarcerated men at Sing Sing put on a few theater productions. They decided they wanted those productions to be something more – an organized group that could bring the power of theater to people inside prisons.

The program's story is now on the big screen in the film "Sing Sing." We talk to the people who made the movie possible.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Christian nationalists want to turn America into a theocracy, a government under biblical rule.
0:07.0	If they gain more power, it could mean fewer rights for you.
0:12.0	I'm Heath Drusen and on the new season of Extremely
0:15.0	American I'll take you inside the movement. Listen to Extremely American
0:19.8	from Boise State Public Radio, part of the NPR Network. How do you tie together the stories of ancient Egypt, Robin Hood, Freddie Krueger, and
0:37.6	Hamlet on a single stage?
0:39.6	Well, through time travel of course, but also with the minds and talent of a group of
0:44.1	actors at Singh Singh Correctional Facility in New York. That play titled
0:48.6	Breakin the Mummies Code was made possible through a program called RTA, Rehabilitation Through the Arts.
0:55.0	RTA's story is now on the big screen in the film Sing Sing.
0:59.0	We hear become humbly again and enjoy the things that is not in our reality.
1:07.0	The program was born in 1996 after a group of incarcerated men at Singh
1:12.0	put on a few theater productions.
1:14.0	They decided they wanted those productions to be something more,
1:17.0	an organized group that could bring the power of theater to people inside prisons.
1:22.0	Playwright and award-winning actor Coleman Domingo stars his founding member John Devine G Whitfield in the film.
1:29.0	Coleman is also an executive producer on Sing Sing and he joins us after the break. I'm Jen White. You're
1:35.2	listening to the 1A Podcast where we get to the heart of the story. We'll be back in just a moment.
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