Documentary: Amazing Grace to be Shown at The Schoolhouse May 20

Amazing Grace, a documentary about the making of the first and only musical ever staged inside Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, will be shown on Wednesday, May 20, at The Schoolhouse Theater under the auspices of the Katonah-based non-profit organization Rehabilitation Through The Arts (RTA). The documentary, which was filmed during six months of rehearsals and interviews with cast members, will begin at 7:00 PM. There is no admission charge, but donations to RTA are welcome.

The musical grew out of a writing class for inmates led by RTA facilitators Phyllis Ross and Tony-nominated actress Anne Twomey Lloyd. Asked to write autobiographical pieces, the women turned in such eloquent and poignant stories that composer-songwriter Michael Minard, also an RTA facilitator, was inspired to add original melodies in the favorite styles of the authors—rock, salsa, rap--and turn those words into more than a dozen songs. The resulting musical, in July 2013 in the prison gymnasium, drew roof-raising applause from other inmates and invited guests.

RTA was founded by Katherine Vockins in 1996 as a small theatre group in Sing Sing Correctional Facility. Today, RTA’s volunteer facilitators teach dance, creative writing, music, visual arts and theater in five New York State correctional facilities in the Hudson Valley. As the Amazing Grace film demonstrates, RTA is a transformative program that uses the arts to teach critical life skills to men and women behind prison walls. RTA changes the lives of its incarcerated participants, their families and the communities to which they return.

Over the years, The Schoolhouse Theater has earned a reputation as the go-to theater in Westchester, where audiences can see Broadway quality productions at a fraction of the cost. The Schoolhouse is a regional Equity theater, dedicated to presenting professional productions by award-winning playwrights and supporting and promoting all the arts.

For more information about Amazing Grace and RTA, contact Ann Mitchell at 914-232-7566 or send an email to info@rta-arts.org. For more information about The Schoolhouse visit www.schoolhousetheater.org or call 914-277-8477.

The Schoolhouse is located at 3 Owens Road, Croton Falls, NY, just off exit 8 on I-684, and can be “Liked” on Facebook.