By Ernio Hernandez
17 Nov 2003

Kerry Max Cook (top), Delbert Tibbs, and Sonny Jacobs
photo by Andrew Gordon

Four of the real-life exonerees portrayed in the Off-Broadway staging of The Exonerated will play themselves at The Culture Project's 45 Bleeker Theatre, Nov. 18-23.

Kerry Max Cook, Gary Gauger, Sunny Jacobs and Delbert Tibbs will perform eight shows in Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen's The Exonerated Off-Broadway. Bob Balaban (the actor seen in "A Mighty Wind") directs.

Drawn from interviews of forty former death row inmates by playwrights Blank and Jensen, The Exonerated explores the variety of experiences and feelings of those who spent from 2 to 22 years imprisoned only to be later by found innocent and release.

The production has raised $300,000 in donations in its first year for the six exonerees, portrayed in the play, who received no remuneration after being released from prison. The work has garnered a number of awards including a Lucille Lortel Award, an Outer Critics Circle Award and a Drama Desk Award.

The Exonerated is produced by The Culture Project, Dede Harris, Morton Swinsky, Bob Balaban, Allan Buchman, Patrick Blake, David Elliott, Jane Bergere, Ruth Hendel and Cheryl Wiesenfeld.

Past cast members of this run have included Eric Bogosian, Peter Boyle, Josh Brolin, Avery Brooks, Gabriel Byrne, Robert Carradine, Judy Collins, Tim Daly, Kristin Davis, Fran Drescher, Richard Dreyfuss, Cary Elwes, Mia Farrow, Peter Gallagher, Sara Gilbert, Jeff Goldblum, Tony Goldwyn, Mariska Hargitay, Sarah Jones, Anthony Michael Hall, Marcia Gay Harden, Anne Jackson, Carol Kane, Christine Lahti, Chad Lowe, Andrea Martin, Andrew McCarthy, Esai Morales, Rob Morrow, Joe Morton, Bebe Neuwirth, Rhea Perlman, Amanda Plummer, Aidan Quinn, Lynn Redgrave, Eric Roberts, Richard Schiff, Kyra Sedgwick, Ally Sheedy, Brooke Shields, John Spencer, Mary Steenburgen, Fisher Stevens, Susan St. James, Marlo Thomas, Kathleen Turner, Ben Vereen, Montel Williams and Debra Winger.

The Exonerated plays at Off-Broadway's 45 Bleecker, where it opened Oct. 10, 2002. The theatre is located at 45 Bleecker Street. For reservations, call (212) 307 4100. For more information, visit www.45bleecker.com.