By ABBY LUBY //
The most poignant scene in the new film, “Sing Sing,” is when its main character, John “Divine G” Whitfield, an incarcerated individual played by award-winning actor Colman Domingo, fully depicts his personal anguish after being repeatedly denied parole.
Physically escaping imprisonment from Sing Sing, the infamous maximum-security prison in Ossining, is never an option. But Rehabilitation Through the Arts, a theatrical program within the towering barbed-wire enclosure offers a different kind of escape, one that has saved the soul of Whitfield and countless others during the program’s 28 years.
Preparing for a performance is where incarcerated persons can learn to shed their inner turmoil, tap into their unique sense of creativity and experience emotions typically suppressed while struggling to maintain self-preservation in a justice system based on punishment.
“Sing Sing” was viewed last month at a special screening at the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville, just a few miles away from the prison. With the exception of professional actors Domingo and Paul Raci, all performers were formerly incarcerated RTA alumni playing themselves.
Whitfield, the character played by Domingo, served time for a crime he didn’t commit. In the film, he clashes with another incarcerated person, “Divine Eye.” Their scenes together are strained, but both come to accept one another and share moments of laughter.
In real life, Whitfield was later acquitted and released from prison. He has a cameo appearance in the film as a book fan asking Domingo to autograph one of his novels.
The high success of the RTA program is seen in the low recidivism rate for participants, with less than 3% of RTA members returning to prison compared to the national recidivism rate of over 60%.
“The life skills you learn in the theater are applicable to everyday life and show that you can take authority in conflict resolution,” said RTA founder and Katonah resident, Katherine Vockins, who launched RTA at Sing Sing 28 years ago.
Vockins attests to how the film portrays the humanity and how incarcerated persons “came out of the yard into the program and their lives were changed. They have gotten behind the mistakes they made and moved themselves to life’s new chapter.”
The New York state correctional facilities offering the RTA program include Bedford Hills, Collins, Fishkill, Green Haven, Sing Sing, Taconic and Wallkill.
“Sing Sing” was shot in 18 days and premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. It was picked up by A24, an American independent entertainment company. The film opens Friday, Aug. 16, at Jacob Burns Film Center.
One of the film’s producers is Karin Shiel, a resident of Pound Ridge. Shiel, along with Katonah resident Allison Chernow are both RTA board members. They have spoken publicly about RTA in the town of Bedford.
In 2019, the town created a Prison Relations Advisory Committee to connect with the women’s prisons Bedford Hills Correctional Facility and Taconic Correctional Facility. The initiative was a joint venture of the Interfaith Prison Partnership Program, the Bedford town supervisor and the superintendent of both women’s prisons.
Shiel and Chernow also co-produced two short films about the RTA program. “Unlocked: The Power of Arts in Prison” and the award-winning documentary “Behind These Walls.”
“There are so many misconceptions of the criminal justice system,” said Shiel. “Audiences of our films understand what a little respect coupled with art can do for marginalized, huge populations of people who are invisible.”
Many scenes in “Sing Sing” were shot at the decommissioned Downstate Correctional Facility in Fishkill. For former inmates of that facility who were in the movie, that was especially difficult. Shiel described one scene with Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin where Maclin is alone in a cell that was below the cell where he actually served time. “Clarence remembered how he felt then at age 17 and how traumatizing it was,” Shiel said.
In a recent interview with The Recorder, Charles Moore, RTA director of programs and operations, described his RTA experience while serving 17 years at Sing Sing. Moore, who is the first RTA alumni to work full time for RTA, said the film shows the humanity of those incarcerated.
“The process of learning to perform reveals emotions and how we care about each other. A new sense of morale develops and depicts our human side and what goes on inside a correctional facility,” he said
Moore, who holds a bachelor’s degree in human services and a master’s degree in professional studies, moderated the Q&A session after the JBFC film screening. On the panel was Maclin, the film’s co-star, along with RTA alumnus Peter Gomez and Dario Peña. Moore asked what they hoped would be the film’s ultimate impact.
“The message I would like people to get from this film is that people who are incarcerated are exactly that — people,” said Maclin. “They are human beings. People with emotions, with families, friends, people with ambitions. They are just like you and I.”
Maclin added that learning trust from the RTA program changed him. “Every time I was asked my opinion it seemed like it was valuable; they gave me back a piece of my dignity,” he said.
Peña, who now works at Columbia University teaching a free, online course for web development, said the film had many nostalgic moments. “RTA served every aspect of my personal growth as a guy on the inside. That’s where I learned to become a human being,” he commented.
Gomez, who was released from Sing Sing five months ago, said the film really hit home. “I got emotional when Divine G hit a breaking point,” he said. “A lot of us go through that. But seeing Divine G overcome that, that was the key. When I was in that RTA room, I felt alive, I felt freedom.”
The high point for Maclin was working with Domingo. “Domingo was a great guy,” he said. “We instantly clicked through our Zoom rehearsals held during the pandemic. He wanted to become one of us and there was a bonding.”
