Sing Sing Soars and Uplifts The Arts to The Heavens and Back

In a year at Sundance where incarceration has been immortalized on screen with features and docs (Daughters), nothing has been more impactful than Sing Sing.

Shakespeare or live theatre is not the first thing you think about when the image of incarcerated men comes to mind.  But, at Sing Sing not only is this a reality, but their theatre program provides these men with lessons in discipline, unity and collaboration skills that will serve them well on the outside.

Based on a true story, ‘Sing Sing’ shares the firsthand account of “Divine G (Colman Domingo),”and  is based on the life story of his co-star, Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin and spotlighting Through the Arts (RTA) program. Founded at Sing Sing  in 1996, RTA has been a guiding symbol of hope for thousands of incarcerated individuals through arts-based workshops that have proven to be life-changing.   Since its inception, RTA has expanded from a workshop to a comprehensive arts program operating in multiple New York State prisons. Statistics have shown that fewer than 3% of RTA members return to prison, a stark contrast to the national recidivism rate of 60%, once again proving that the power of art prevails.

Audiences have become accustomed to witnessing commanding performances from this Oscar nominee and this time is no different.  As Divine G, Domingo leads a theater troupe seeking escape from the realities of incarceration through the creativity of putting on a play. However, as pitch perfect as Domingo is, it is Maclin who steals the show and their scenes together are breathtaking and heartbreaking.

This beautiful portrait not only showcases the power and joy of theatre featuring real life participants of the program, but also sheds the light on the difference between those inmates who support versus those with no support.  Audiences witness these brothas become prison lawyers to save their own loves in an American justice system that is sometime s seemingly broken beyond repair.

It is often said how the arts are necessary and have healing powers.  We have seen this to be true with the 2024 Oscar winning short “The Last Repair Shop” and now once again through the direction/adapted screenplay from Greg Kwedar based on the writings of John “Divine G” Whitfield, Clarence Maclin’ “Unlocked: The Power of the Arts in Prison” and John H. Richardson’s “The Sing Sing Follies.”

This film will make your heart sing, soar and lift your spirits for a world that not only embraced the arts, but encourages the arts to do more for humanity than one could ever imagine.