2008 Woodie Awards
'Last Word' a one man show about death row convicts
Adrienne Smith, Staff Writer
Issue date: 3/1/06 Section: Entertainment
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Between Stanley Tookie Williams last December, Clarence Ray Allen this year and Michael Morales' temporary reprieve, death by lethal injection seems to be covering the headlines.
With this happening more and more frequently, and one of the only prisons that performs this act in the state just 34 miles south; it seems to be a current topic of discussion for people of all ages.
It leaves much to think about, whichever way you lean on the issue, for it or against it- the subject is always up for debate.
Because death row issues have taken precedence in the news lately, Last Words couldn't have come to campus at a more appropriate time.
Ken Carnes, critically acclaimed actor, writer and producer will be presenting his one man show on Tuesday, the 7th, in the Person Theater. It starts at 7:30 p.m. and is free of cost to SSU students and faculty with your ID; $10 for general admission.
Carnes performance is based on his extensive research which includes the account of actual death-row inmates, their friends, families, wardens, politicians' facts and opinions.
In Last Words he plays a man in the quest for redemption.
The show includes an interactive discussion at the end where-in members of the audience will participate as a judge and jury to the case being plead.
"The play does not address the innocence of crime. It assumes a flawed justice system stands on human-ness being flawed. The protagonist of the play admits guilt, goes on to show us his own history of abuse and challenges the audience/jury to think about contemporary notions of good versus evil in order to address the deeper question: what do we do with violence?" Carnes said about his show.
Carnes is not only a graduate of the theater but also has a MS in Holistic Mental Health Counseling. I asked Carnes if the show would reflect on the possible mental instability of death row inmates.
"The notion is very embedded in the performance work," Carnes answered.
According to the website: www.kirklandproductions.com/artists/lastwords-bio.html, "Last Words does NOT advocate any particular opinion about the death penalty. It does serve as a powerful means of encouraging people to think about the issue, by presenting the oft-forgotten human face behind the political walls."
The killer will be re-humanized for the audience, but what will be said for the victims? Will their stories be told too?
When I proposed this question to Carnes, he said, "Victimology is explored from three vantage points: the murdered, murderer and our own ways of being victimized."
Which ever way you might sway on this subject, Last Words seems as though it will definitely get you thinking.
Thought provoking material on such a highly debated issue is always a positive thing.
Whatever you take away from it; be it a change of opinion, solidity of your current opinion, or even more indecisiveness on the issue--it should make for a productive experience.