Living Justice

In 2000, Jessica and Erik embarked on a journey across America - one that would change their minds, ideas, and lives forever. They were a pair of young actors from New York who happened to have the idea to interview 'The Exonerated' - men and women who had been sentenced to die for crimes they didn't commit, spent anywhere from three to twenty-two years on death row, and were freed amidst overwhelming evidence of their innocence - and create a play from their words. The result was the award-winning show THE EXONERATED, which has been embraced by such acting luminaries as Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon, Richard Dreyfuss, Robin Williams and Stockard Channing. It ran to sold-out houses in New York City for more than 600 performances and after a tremendously successful tour of America, it has now transferred to the London stage. This book is the story of the creation of THE EXONERATED, from the first germ of the idea, to the play's opening and performance before Governor George Ryan as he was weighing his decision to commute the sentences of 167 men and women on Illinois' death row. The story of the nearly three years in between is the story of one couple's adventure in America: a love story, a political education, an artistic journey, and encounters with the most powerful life-and-death ordeals out there.