Event

Join us at Public Trust for Transformation Narratives in Mass Incarceration, a film screening and public conversation about the role of art in rehabilitation, on Wednesday, February 26, 2025 from 6-9:00pm. This event will feature a screening of Sing Sing (2024), exploring the transformative power of a theater program at Sing Sing Correctional Facility, followed by a panel discussion with formerly incarcerated artists Luis Suave Gonzalez, Termaine Hicks, Mark Loughney, and and arts administrator Abby Weissman.

In Sing Sing (A24 Films, 2024), directed by Greg Kwedar, Divine G (Colman Domingo), imprisoned at Sing Sing for a crime he didn’t commit, finds purpose by acting in a theatre group alongside other incarcerated men (Clarence Maclin, Paul Raci, and Sean San José). When a wary outsider joins the group, the men decide to stage their first original comedy. Starring an unforgettable ensemble cast of formerly incarcerated actors, the film documents a stirring true story of resilience, humanity, and the restorative power of art for those impacted by mass incarceration.

About the Speakers

Luis Suave Gonzalez is the first formerly incarcerated person to win a Pulitzer Prize Award and an IDA International Documentary Award. He is the host and creator of True Crime True Stories Podcast Network, DBI Media, a Student Success Coach at Community College of Philadelphia I AM More Program, artist, writer, executive producer to the "Suave" Podcast and a strong advocate for education.

Termaine Hicks is an aspiring playwright and member of the Innocence Project’s Exoneree Advisory Council and Board Member for the Pennsylvania Innocence Project. He was freed from a Pennsylvania prison after his wrongful conviction was vacated.

Mark Loughney is a former Reimagining Reentry Fellow at Mural Arts Philadelphia and Founder of Loughney Art, is a formerly-incarcerated painter, draftsman, and portraitist whose art acts as a national courier for criminal justice reform efforts.

Abby Weissman is Assistant Manager of Youth and Community Programs at Opera Philadelphia, and a director and arts administrator. She is a company member of Revolution Shakespeare, and an alumnus of the Arden Professional Apprentice Program.
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Presented in partnership with The Philadelphia Petey Greene Program and the Beyond Arrests student group, with support from the Stavros Niarchos Paideia Program at the University of Pennsylvania. A reception will follow.