The Exonerated is a heartfelt production of a hugely powerful piece of theatre. The writers’ goal was to reveal the human stories behind the statistics, but in doing so the play also exposes the failings of a system that it’s difficult to believe still exists in the 21st century. Looking for the scripts matching exonerated? Find all about exonerated on Scripts.com! The Web's largest and most comprehensive scripts resource.

'I did not do this,' Michael Morton said as he was led away in handcuffs, convicted of murdering his wife in 1987. Hardly anyone believed him. Now, after twenty five years in prison, Morton has been proven right and freed based on DNA tests. Morton and his lawyers say they recently discovered something astonishing: sitting in his prosecutor's file all those years was evidence that could have established Morton's innocence during his trial. Lara Logan reports.

The following script is from 'Evidence of Innocence' which aired on March 25, 2012. Lara Logan is the correspondent. Andy Court and Anya Bourg, producers.

It's not every day that a convicted murderer clears his name and then returns to court to argue that his prosecutor should be prosecuted. But that's what happened recently in a high-profile case in Texas that raises broader questions about the power prosecutors have and what happens when they're accused of misusing it. At the center of this story is a man named Michael Morton. He was once an ordinary citizen with a wife, a child, a job, and no criminal record whatsoever. But then he was sent to prison for life.

In 1987 in a very public trial, Michael Morton was convicted of brutally murdering his wife. As he was led away to prison, he insisted he was innocent.

[Michael Morton: I did not do this.

Inqscribe 2.2.4 crack version. Reporter: I'm sorry what?

Michael Morton: I did not do this.]

Hardly anyone believed him until last year when he was exonerated by DNA testing. By then, he had spent nearly 25 years of his life behind bars.

Lara Logan: What was it like for you to walk from the court a free man?

Michael Morton: It was so alien at first. It wasn't quite real. We stepped out of the courtroom and it was a beautiful sunny day. The sun felt so good on my face, on my skin. I can just feel like I was just drinking in the sunshine.

Lara Logan: Had you felt it in 25 years?

Michael Morton: I'd felt the sun, but I hadn't felt free sun.

The Exonerated Script Pdf

Lara Logan: And free sun feels different?

Michael Morton: It does. It sounds stupid, but it feels different.

The Exonerated Film

His nightmare began on a summer afternoon in 1986 when he came home from work in Austin, Texas and found the sheriff at his house. A neighbor had discovered his 3-year-old son Eric alone in the yard, and his wife Christine bludgeoned to death in the bedroom.

Michael Morton: I didn't really have the opportunity to grieve for her, because it-- everything changed so rapidly away from her to me.

Lara Logan: So were you a suspect from the very first moment?

Michael Morton: Yeah, if-- all the questions were adversarial, accusatory. It became clear to me that the sheriff showed up, looked around, and 'Okay, husband did this.'

Lara Logan: And not long after that, you were arrested.

Michael Morton: About six weeks, yeah. They literally pulled my son out of my arms 'cause he was screaming for me. And, you know, the little hand is out. And they're be-- he's being pulled away. That was one of the worst parts.

Auditions Sunday June 20 and Monday June 21 by appoinment, click here to reserve a time slot

Directed by Scott R. Brill

The Ridgefield Theater Barn is seeking four actors to join the cast of this powerful and socially relevant play that chronicles the true lives and stories of six wrongfully convicted survivors of death row in their own words. Moving between first-person monologues and impactful scenes, The Exonerated provides an excellent and rewarding acting challenge in a truly ensemble production. We are seeking versatile actors to join our cast who can convey the emotional journeys of these characters as they experience desperation, fear, hope, and life purpose. Actors will be asked to read from sides from the script (Robert side, David side, Male Ensemble 1 side, Male Ensemble 2 side).

The Exonerated Script

Performances are September 11th through October 2nd, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8pm

Sunday matinees at 5pm September 12th, 19th & 26th

The roles to be cast are:

ROBERT (African-American Male, 30s): was a horse groomer in the Deep South when he was wrongly convicted of murdering a white girl whom he had dated. Described as “hardened but not lacking a sense of humor,” he is married to Georgia. He expresses optimism that there is less racism in the United States now than there was when he was convicted by a jury consisting of eleven white men and only one black man. Robert is based on the real life Robert Earl Hayes.

DAVID (African-American Male, Late 30s, 40s): A gentle, sad man, born and raised in northern Florida (otherwise known as southern Alabama). Has a very strong spiritual sense and had aspirations to the ministry before being put on death row at 18. However while in prison, he lost his sense of his relationship with God and is still trying to recover it. He is continually engaged in a battle between resignation and hope. David is based on the real life David Keaton.

ENSEMBLE (2 Males, 20s-50s): Two versatile actors to portray numerous characters including Judges, Sheriffs, Lawyers, Cellmates, Friends, and Police Officers. As an ensemble production, these roles are crucial to the narrative structure of the play and are onstage throughout along with the whole cast. Ensemble actors should also be adept with different accents including southern and mid-western.

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All other roles have been cast from a pre-pandemic audition for the RTB production which was originally scheduled for 2020. Rehearsals will start in July. Not everyone will be called for every rehearsal, as most rehearsals will be individual or for two or three characters. Rehearsals will be planned with respect for everyone’s time and schedules. Production dates are September 10-October 2, 2021. Join us as we help bring community theater back in a safe and welcoming environment.

Please send all inquiries via e-mail to info@ridgefieldtheaterbarn.org and put “Exonerated Auditions” in the subject line.