New season of Black Theatre Troupe opens with powerful real-life stories

The Black Theater Troupe is opening its 2026-27 season with “The Exonerated” on September 11, 2026. The play, written by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen, is a recounting of six wrongfully convicted people awaiting their fate on death row for crimes they did not commit. Blank and Jensen traveled all over the country conducting interviews and stories to recount this personal production.

Matthew Wiener, Director of “The Exonerated,” and David Hemphill, Executive Director of the Black Theatre Troupe, joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss the production and what’s in store for the Black Theatre Troupe’s new season.

“It doesn’t lean into its own sadness because these people are very strong. They’re warriors, they’re survivors,” Wiener said.

Wiener said the play is meant to inspire people to change their behavior and think differently about death row.

Hemphill said he chose the play for the theatre because it connects with their mission of resilience.

“It’s a very, very good story of resilience, like Matthew said, we don’t want people to think about sadness about it. It’s about resilience,” Hemphill said.

Hemphill said he wants people to leave the play thinking of the power of resilience and change.

“Lives can change, situations can change, and we would hope they would take that with them, and most importantly, we hope they take becoming involved in the various civil rights activities, et cetera, that this play represents,” Hemphill said.

The documentary-style drama “The Exonerated”, will run from September 11 to September 27, 2026. Tickets can be purchased on The Black Theatre Troupe website.