James Tillman and CT Innocence Project at Chase Collegiate

James Tillman, Wrongly Convicted of Rape in 1988, to Speak about His Exoneration

Students in Chase Collegiate’s Highlander Theater Co. are preparing for the October 27 opening ofA Lesson Before Dying, which centers around the wrongful death sentence of a young black man in Louisiana in the 1940s. Before the play runs, the actors will have the unique opportunity to hear a modern-day version of their play’s tragic premise when James Tillman speaks at Chase on October 23 at 2:00.

In 1988, Tillman was wrongfully convicted of raping a Hartford woman and was sentenced to 45 years in prison. The CT Innocence Project organized DNA testing in 2007, exonerating him after spending 18 years behind bars.

Tillman will tell his story to Upper School students at Chase and will be accompanied by CT Innocence Project Attorney, Patrick Culligan.  Bob Cutrofello, Chase’s Theater Director said, “I believe one of our theater duties is to inform and debate important issues."

A Lesson Before Dying will run from Thursday, October 25-Saturday, October 27 at 7:00 p.m. All shows at the
Fulkerson Arts Center, Chase Collegiate School, 565 Chase Parkway, Waterbury.  Tickets are $12.  All tickets are
available by calling the Box Office at 203-236-9545. For more information, visitwww.chasecollegiate.org.

For more information about the Tillman event, please contact Aline Rossiter at 203-236-9588.