Local play ‘Lucasville’ slated for NYC Fringe Fest

Published:Sunday, June 8, 2008

By SHELBY SCHROEDER

The play relates the story of a 1993 inmate uprising in Lucasville, Ohio.

An original Youngstown play will be under the spotlight on a New York City stage come August.

“Lucasville,” an adaptation of the book “Lucasville: The Untold Story Of A Prison Uprising,” by Niles author Staughton Lynd, was selected as part of the 12th annual New York International Fringe Festival (FringeNYC).

“Lucasville” is the story of the inmate uprising at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville, Ohio, in 1993. Lynd wrote the book to chronicle the deaths of nine inmates and one guard, and the trials that led to death sentences for five prisoners. Lynd argues in his book that faulty inmate testimony and a biased jury wrongly put the five men on death row.

The book came to the stage after Lynd presented actor Gary Anderson with a copy following one of Anderson’s shows in Youngstown. Anderson quickly took interest in the project, and helped co-write a play. Soon after, actors from the production “The Exonerated” at the Oakland Center for the Arts were recruited for the performance.

The show, which has toured several cities in the past two years, was one of approximately 200 acts chosen for the festival. Elena K. Holy, producing artistic director for FringeNYC, said jurors for the festival eliminate around 75 percent of entries, in search of “innovative, vibrant and diverse” pieces.

Lynd called the selection process “excruciating,” with about 100 adjudicators reviewing and ranking shows.

Holy said the passion the “Lucasville” crew showed for the story made the project leap off the page, and “made the application glow.”

That’s because the play is based on a very real story of five men who are still incarcerated, said Ray Beiersdorfer.

Beiersdorfer, the producer of “Lucasville,” said the actors and stage crew are hopeful that their play leads to renewed interest in the story. With the likelihood of being mentioned in New York entertainment publications, he said, “I’m hoping it will actually go over to the news pages as well.”

Ultimately, the attention could lead Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland to reopen an investigation into the Lucasville 5, he said.

Beiersdorfer also sees the production as a great opportunity for the play’s director, Youngstown State University student Brandon Martin. At 23, Martin said taking the play to New York City has been the biggest opportunity he’s received. Still, he regards the story as most important.

“I want for the five guys’ story to get out, before any theatrical aspect,” Martin said.

Holy said “Lucasville” drew a remarkable reaction from the other participants at a meeting to review the list of this year’s performances.

“They can’t wait to help support and embrace this show,” she said. “And that goes double for our volunteer staff.”

FringeNYC has not yet posted a lineup for the shows, which will be Aug. 8-24. Information will be provided through the festival’s Web site, www.FringeNYC.org.

The “Lucasville” crew also plans a kick-off in Youngstown to show audiences the faster-paced, audience-inclusive version Martin and the cast have prepared for the festival.

FringeNYC is North America’s largest mixed-arts gathering, modeled after the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland. Along with plays, the event is host to a range of performances, from stand-up comedy, vaudeville and puppetry to clowns, musicals, dances and more.

CYNTHIA MCKINNEY URGES REVIEW OF LUCASVILLE CONVICTIONS

McKinney has written the following letter to Ohio Governor Ted Strickland. February 1, 2008

Febr

Dear Governor Strickland:

It was with great hope that many of us celebrated your election as Governor of Ohio. It is always good to know that we have a man of conscience in elected office. And now my best hopes for you have the opportunity to be realized in a very concrete way. I am writing to ask that you please review the case of Siddique Abdullah Hasan. I am sure you are aware of the reasons for this request:

1. There was no eyewitness testimony that Hasan is the guilty party;

2. There was no evidence linking Hasan to murder; and

3. Hasan was not able to afford the type of defense required in a case of this magnitude, including the inability to pay expert witnesses.

For a man of conscience, it is not easy to do nothing in the face of injustice. Indeed, Dr. King reminded us of this when he said, "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

Governor Strickland, I know you are the ultimate measure of a man and I encourage you to leave your mark for justice on this case.

Sincerely,

/s/ Cynthia McKinney

The Warren Tribune Chronicle - Saturday, Jan. 19, 2008

YOUNGSTOWN — Family members of Ohio death row inmates — wanting more personal contact with their loved ones inside the prison walls — turned over a pile of letters penned by the convicted killers to prison officials at the Ohio State Penitentiary on Saturday.

The letters call for closer contact with visitors and in general, better treatment. A prison official met with protesters and accepted the packet in behalf of Warden Marc Houk, who wasn’t working Saturday.

In what is becoming an annual event to oppose Ohio’s death penalty, the family members, the Lucasville Five Defense Committee out of Cleveland and other prisoner-advocacy groups openly protested executions and prisoner treatment in general inside the walls of the facility that now houses most of the death row inmates.

Local attorney and author Staughton Lynd, who is still fighting for prisoner rights and contact prisoner visits in his lawsuit that has been to the U.S. Supreme Court and now back in northern Ohio Federal District Court, spoke to the gathering at a brief news conference that preceded the protest.

‘‘Here in Ohio, we consider ourselves among the enlightened. But we don’t have the contact that we see in places like Louisiana, Georgia, Arkansas, Missouri, Virginia and Tennessee. We allow one visit right before execution,’’ Lynd said.

Lynd also has written a book about the 1993 deadly prison riots at Lucasville Correctional Institution.

‘‘The last time I had a chance to hug him, we smoked a cigarette together. And then they killed him,’’ said Marquita Dennis of Akron, whose son Adremy Dennis was executed Oct. 13, 2004, after nearly 10 years on death row.

Dennis was convicted of the killing of a Barberton Speedway race car driver Kurt Kyle in June of 1994, when Kyle walked a visitor from his home to his car.

Saadiqah Hasan reminded supporters of a ‘‘State of emergency Summit’’ Feb. 1-2 at Cleveland State and reminded of the Web site that features her husband, Siddique Hasan, death row inmate and one of the Lucasville Five convicted of murder during the riots.

‘‘Giving up is not an option here. This is similar to the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King ..

WKBN 27 Youngstown -A rally today shows how one group continues its fight 15 years after one of the worst prison riots in state history. Members of the Cleveland Lucasville Five Defense Committee gathered with valley residents today to share their stories of pain, suffering and support for death row contact visits. Saadiqah Hasan husband has been on death row for fifteen years for his role in the 1993 Lucasville prison riots. She feels contact visits are crucial for death row inmates and their families.

"WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE MOTHERS BE ABLE TO TOUCH THEIR SONS. WIVES ABLE TO TOUCH THEIR HUSBANDS. THERE'S SITUATIONS THAT ARE CAUSED BY SENSORY DEPRIVATION, THAT CAUSES HALLUCINATIONS, CAUSES SOCIAL DYSFUNCTION. TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THE REGULATIONS OR PRIVILEGES TO CHANGE, IT HAS THE CAPACITY TO BENEFIT THE INMATES PSYCHOLOGICALLY AS WELL AS THE FAMILY MEMBERS."

James Conway the fourth, along with his aunt and sister came to support his father who was placed on death row six years ago. He is looking forward to the day when he may get the chance to spend time with his father.

"IT WOULD MEAN THE WHOLE WORLD TO ME."

Thursday, December 20,2007

Kenneth Richy will be released from prison after his nightmarish experience of being on death row for over 20 years. This is a victory not only for Kenneth Richy, but also a victory for opponents of capital punishment and those still languishing in prison wrongfully accused