Sing Sing (2023) Movie Script
1
For aught that
I could ever read,
could ever hear
by tale or history,
the course of true love
never did run smooth.
But either it was different
in blood or else misgraffed
in respect of years,
or else it stood upon
the choice of friends,
or if there were a
sympathy in choice,
war, death, or sickness
did lay siege to it,
making it momentany
as a sound,
swift as a shadow,
short as any dream,
brief as the lightning
in the collied night,
that, in a spleen, unfolds
both heaven and Earth.
And, ere a man has
power to say, "Behold!"
The jaws of darkness
do devour it up.
So quick bright things
come to confusion.
Yo,
we got you, we got you.
Mike Mike, you killed
it tonight, man.
Don't I
do it every time though?
Yeah,
that's true.
But you could have definitely
used that same energy
for opening night
that you had tonight.
I'm gonna
let that one go.
Yeah,
I know, I know.
You good?
Yeah.
Okay, I'm gonna take off.
All right.
You gonna bust
outta here? All right.
B block, step forward.
Hey, fuck you, CO.
Who the fuck said that?
Who the fuck said that?
What the fuck you doin', man?
No fucking cigarettes.
Um, excuse me.
You know, I've been,
trying to catch you
in the yard, man.
It's been kind of hard,
you know?
And basically I
wanted to know,
would you mind signing,
you know this book, man?
Oh, man.
You from, wait,
you from Rikers?
Yeah. Yeah, man. I did two
years on the Island, man.
Very popular there.
Yeah, yeah.
It did really
good there, man.
- Got a pen?
- Oh yeah, absolutely.
Yeah, well, you got it
right there?
Ever ready, yeah, man.
I really appreciate this, man.
That's me. G.
Yeah.
Put a little star
right there for you.
D-DAN: Yeah, man.
Ooh wee!
I'm still flying high,
you feel me?
Still flying high.
That monologue had
everybody paying attention.
- What monologue, mine?
- Divine G, Divine G.
Coldest shit he's done, right?
No, I was all right,
I was all right.
But we still got more work
to do I think, all right?
No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
What do you mean "No,
no, no, no, no, no, no"?
Let's bask in it for a minute.
Those transitions were
rough though, hold on.
Parate con easy.
Let's just enjoy it
for a minute.
- I still just remember...
- Remember the moment.
...the feeling being
on the stage.
D-DAN: It does feel good.
You always gotta be
onto the next.
All right. Okay, I hear you.
All right, so why don't we
just go over the wait list?
- All right. See who could-
- We can do that,
- we could do that.
- Right?
See who can move up.
All right?
- Easy, man.
- All right, cool. Here we go.
- Just gotta make things better.
- Who we got?
We got, uh, Curtis Cross.
- Curtis Cross.
- Who's that?
D-DAN: I don't think so. What?
I'm with you.
Short answer, hell no.
What's the long answer?
The long answer is
he one of them dudes,
he always primping
and propping, you know,
he's gonna step in here,
sit right there,
try and take over every time
we put him in anything.
Put him in a hot seat
from the beginning.
D-DAN: He only wants to-
Yeah, but he don't
think it's a hot seat.
D-DAN: He only wants to sit
next to the females.
He makes women
feel uncomfortable.
Got you. All right. Okay.
How about, all right,
how about this?
We have, uh, now this
is his second time.
Who?
Is, uh, Divine Eye.
- D-DAN: Divine Eye.
- Mm-mm.
Eye...? From Mount Vernon?
D-DAN: I don't think
he's ready.
The brother's smart.
You gotta admit it though.
He teaches history class
at the NAACP.
I'm sure there's a lot of
smart drug dealers
in the yard.
Maybe he, what he
may need from us
is to be able to put that
- energy into this program.
- Divine G.
Divine G, you gonna
vouch for him?
I'll vouch for the interview.
Just for the interview?
Yeah, for the interview.
- And the rest is on him.
- Him getting in, it's up to us.
You know what?
Yeah, we'll give it to you.
Always trying to
save somebody.
Mike Mike, you go check him out
with me. See what's up.
- You and me?
- Yeah.
Let's check him out.
What's up? Make sure done get
that paper to me, right?
Oh, shit yo.
I gotta go do
something real quick.
Damn.
The fuck's he gotta do?
What's up, birdie?
Hey, man.
That little jump shot you did...
-Yeah? You saw that?
- It was nice, yeah.
You got my shit?
- Oh yeah. Um, yeah.
- Yeah, the shit I gave you.
The shit
I gave you, you got it?
- I got it.
- Yeah. Get it.
Just a young dude.
Here we go.
Always a
young white boy.
You really
wanna watch this?
Word, well what
is this though?
What?
What? What you mean what?
What the fuck is this?
This ain't fucking what
I gave you. Do you know...
- This is...
- That, that has not come...
- This is fucking aspirin.
- ...out of my pocket.
This is not what the...
You know what I gave you?
- No.
- Not fucking aspirin.
Worth $500.
This is $500,
- did you know that, brother?
- No, no, no.
I'm gonna be needing it.
I don't give a fuck
what was in your pocket.
I don't care where you had
it or who you know, or none...
I don't know
who's fucking you,
but you not gonna fuck me
- out of 500.
- I'm not trying to fuck you...
I'm gonna be needing
all of that.
- You heard what I said?
-Look, I, I, I...
I don't care what the fuck
you's talking about right now.
This what's going on, $500.
Don't care how you get it.
Don't give a fuck what you
got to do to get it.
Get my fucking bread to me,
you heard what I said?
I can't get you $500.
- You're going to get me $500.
-I can't get you $500.
You're gonna do whatever
the fuck you got to do.
I don't give a fuck
what you got to do.
You're gonna do that shit
to get my fucking bread.
You heard what I said?
Or I'm gonna tear your
fucking face off in here.
Now here, take this bullshit
and get the fuck out my face.
Go get my money.
Peace, King. Peace.
What's happening?
Peace, brother. Hey.
That was really fucked up.
Yeah well, shit happens,
man, you know.
Dude gonna get schooled by
somebody somewhere,
so, you know,
I'm just charging
for the lessons, homie.
Expensive lesson.
Listen, you signed
up for the RTA program.
Yeah. Yeah.
And we have a few spots open.
Yeah, just like one
or two and that's it.
And we wanted to know
if you wanted to put
those acting skills
that we just saw down there
to some good use?
- What, that?
- Yeah.
Y'all thought that was acting?
Yeah, man.
You ain't seen nothing yet.
All right.
So why'd you sign up
for the program?
Yeah, you know, you got
some pretty volunteers
I saw up on that stage.
Chicks, y'all got up in here.
Yeah, man.
It's not really like that.
They're our colleagues.
Do I need a reason?
Do I really need a reason?
-Yeah.
- Well, we just...
I'm just asking you
to be honest.
- Honest, huh?
- Yeah.
All right.
Well, one day I came
across a book, man,
on keeplock in my cell,
so I ain't got
shit else to do.
So I got this book,
cracked it open
and some of the things
the brother was
saying in the book,
really resonated with me, man.
I mean, the brother said...
what'd the brother say?
He said, "When we are born,
"we cry because we're
born to a stage of fools."
And I said, yo,
whoever wrote this, man, had to
did a bid before, you know?
- Yeah.
- So...
King Lear just
fell off of a library cart
and you just happened to pick
it up and read a few pages.
Yeah. Shit funny, right?
- Yeah.
- Huh.
We'll be in touch.
All right.
Stay up.
Okay, he knows verse.
Yeah.
Two and a half hours?
He called me an old
man just a second ago.
- How much you want?
- What you got?
Yeah
man, I'm just holding uh...
Hello, everybody!
Good to see
some familiar faces.
For those of you
who don't know me,
my name is Brent and
I'll be at your service
as your director for
whatever you decide to do
for your upcoming production.
But there'll be plenty of
time for all that later.
Right now, let's just
warm ourselves up.
We're gonna warm up the space.
Warm up your instruments.
I want everybody
to start walking around
like you just won the lottery.
- Yeah!
- Whoo!
- Oh, yeah!
- Yeah!
How about a zombie,
what does a zombie walk like?
There! I like... Oh, that's...
Basehead,
that's all that is.
Some of your
best work, my friends!
Doh doh, doh doh doh doh
How about
if you're walking
- on some hot coals?
- Hot coals.
- Hot coals.
-Hot coals.
Gentlemen, congratulations
on Midsummer.
I mean, I gotta say
Shakespeare,
you guys did beautiful work.
You should all be proud.
Really.
-Not easy.
- Oh, yeah.
So have you decided
what's next?
We know what it won't be.
No more Shakespeare.
What? I like Shakespeare.
We can do West Side Story.
Not back to back.
Sacrifice?
Wizard of Oz?
August Wilson's good...
Why don't we do
one of Divine G's plays?
- Yes.
- Time we take it back
to one of our own.
-Please.
- Why don't we talk about it?
Nah.
I love that idea.
No, no, no.
I don't know about that.
I don't know about that.
Well, wait.
I... Oh, pressure's on.
Okay, well, how about, I
don't know if it's ready, but,
all right, I just,
I just finished one.
-Okay.
- Now that he just
put my business
in the streets.
It's called Fine Print.
It's a saga of Zabar Turner,
he's a record producer.
It's all about him
getting tricked
into giving up
his record studio
by a conniving Fast Freddy.
It's a story of the dangers
of overzealous ambition.
Mmm.
And how all relationships
under heaven contain...
Fine Print.
-There we go!
- I like it.
Fine Print!
You know what?
That sounds amazing.
So, have you guys decided?
Are we gonna take a vote here
or anybody else
have any ideas?
Oh, hold on, new man.
Yes, sir.
Yeah.
I don't mean to
step on anybody's toes
in here or nothing.
Or disrespect the group,
but do all the plays
have to be so serious?
Yo, what do you mean
by serious though?
I mean like every day we
dealing with trauma, drama.
Every day we got tragedy.
I mean, I think population
just might appreciate
a comedy.
How do you guys
feel about that?
Makes sense.
You got a comedy?
I ain't got a comedy,
I don't write comedies.
I got satires.
We never did it before.
What kind of
comedy would you propose?
I mean, would it
be a broad comedy
or something more
low key or...
I don't know, I'm just talking
about making people laugh.
Yeah, I understand,
but I'm just trying to
be more specific
in terms of like
what kind of comedy you want.
I mean,
that's just my opinion.
How about
a cowboy comedy?
There we go.
I always wanted
to do a western,
like Blazing Saddles
or something.
Egyptians!
Egyptian comedies?
We could sneak some
Shakespeare in there.
Hamlet.
Hamlet in the comedy?
Hamlet in the comedy.
All right.
We could do something
in the forest,
Robin Hood
or something like that?
- Peter Pan. Yeah.
- Yeah.
How about Jason?
Nightmare on Elm Street.
Could I ask a question?
Can someone name a comedy
that contains all that
bullshit that you just named?
We could do time travel.
Well now that is true.
I mean, with time travel,
we could put all
the things in there
that you guys are mentioning
and have a ton of roles.
Get more people up on stage
and maybe even
have a message in there
or not, I don't know.
What do you think
about that, G?
If you're not into it, I could
take a stab at writing it.
I think that's cool.
You take a...
You do it, you got it.
It's what everybody
else wants, right?
That's not really in my
wheelhouse, so you got it.
I'll tell you what,
I'll run it by Katherine
and if the script sucks,
we can always pivot to
something else, right?
All right.
Mike Mike, go ahead.
So Maestro,
we take it to a vote?
Yep.
Let's do it.
Let's go for it.
- Everybody?
- Raise your hand, Mike Mike.
Let's go.
Hey, man.
All right, done.
G, I've read
five drafts, at least,
of Fine Print front to back.
It is really solid, man.
And it could be funny.
I mean, you know, if you
do the right take on it.
It's a straight drama.
No point in trying to
change that, I mean, come on.
All right.
But maybe you got another
play that's funnier
and then we could run
it up for another vote?
Mike Mike, you know,
look, it's really okay.
I'm really good with it,
all right?
Okay.
Not gonna be pushy with you, man.
Maybe that knucklehead
is right.
Ah, man.
I mean, it'll take
the edge off around here.
It will be a lot easier
than all that dying
we normally do.
"Dying is easy. Comedy is hard."
A character actor said that.
I heard that from...
Brent told me that.
This shit gonna kill me.
All right, men.
Took everything you wanted,
and put it right in here.
It's got ancient Egypt,
pirates, Old West gunfights.
I even sprinkled a little
bit of the Black Plague
and Roman Gladiators in there
because at the time
it just seemed like
it was a good idea.
- Oh, yeah?
- Uh-huh.
All right.
Whoa.
147 pages?
In one weekend?
Well, I had a lot
to fit in there,
but it's got
a couple of dance numbers,
a couple of songs,
a Hamlet soliloquy.
But at the heart of the story,
it's all about an
Egyptian prince
who follows clues through
time to find his mummy.
Freddy in this?
Oh, Freddy is
definitely in this.
It'll make sense when you guys
start to read it, okay?
But while you're reading it,
I want you to pick out a
role that you identify with.
Now, the cast list
is on the board.
Pick a time slot.
There's enough in here
for everybody
to have at least one role.
Good afternoon.
My name is Dario Pena,
and I will be auditioning
for the role of Whiskerandos.
My name is Carmine.
I'm auditioning
for the part of Coal.
My name is Patrick Griffin,
they call me Preme.
I'm gonna read the role
of the ring announcer.
I'm D-Dan, reading
for the part...
Alotincommon.
"Now indeed, I am a prisoner.
"Yes.
"Now I feel the galling weight
of these disgraceful chains,
"which cruel Tilburina,
"thy doting captive
gloried in before."
"I'm tired of bashing guys'
brains out with mallets
"and ripping their hearts
out with my bare hands.
"I gotta get outta here."
My name is David James
Giraudy, also known as Dap.
And I'll be reading
for Leslie.
"Mummy, mummy, is that you?"
D-DAN: "Yes, son,
that is your mummy."
"Oh, mummy, mummy,
I miss you so."
"Draw your gun, Marshall.
"Point it at me
and pull the trigger.
"In the time it takes
"for your little bullet to
travel from there to here,
"I'll have ducked, rolled,
"and filled you
with so many holes
"that you'll whistle like
a steam kettle
"when the wind blows."
"Coal, prepare to meet
your maker."
There's no other lines.
You pull a carrot
and I pull a broccoli.
D-DAN: No, that's fine,
that's pretty good there.
- There's no lines.
- D-DAN: No, no, no.
You're absolutely right.
Everything's good.
"We like maiming,
flagellation,
"skewering and flailing.
"Nothing pleases us more
than to see an exposed liver
"or a popped eyeball."
"I'll duck, roll, and
fill you so full of holes,
"that you'll whistle
like a steam kettle
when the wind blows."
Hello, my name is
James Williams,
also known as Big E.
And I'm reading for the part
of the ring announcer.
And I'm six foot five.
I want you to
imagine yourself
in a coliseum, and I want
you to be a gladiator
fighting to the death,
not only for survival,
but for performance.
Survival?
And the performance,
as gladiators do.
I got this signature move,
you gotta wait for it.
What other roles
have you played
in other productions?
To be honest with y'all,
I lost count.
I could sit here and tell you
Chief Bromden, Stratford.
I was in Macbeth
as King Duncan.
I was in
The Silence of the Heart,
I was a police officer.
And I was the boss
in Of Mice and Men.
Once I played an angel.
Except that wasn't
here in RTA,
that was when I was
three years old.
I've been playing
a role my whole life, bro.
"To be or not to be.
"That is the question.
"Whether 'tis nobler
in the mind
"to suffer
the slings and arrows
"of outrageous fortune,
"or to take arms against
the sea of troubles
"and by opposing,
"end them.
"To die,
"to sleep,
"no more.
"And by asleep to say
we end the heartache
"and the thousand natural
shocks that flesh is heir to
"'tis a consummation
"devoutly to be wished.
"To die.
"To sleep.
"To sleep.
"Perchance to dream.
"Ay...
"there's the rub."
Thank you.
D-DAN: Divine,
can you step out please?
- Sure.
- D-DAN: Divine G.
Thank you.
D-DAN: We got someone
else reading for Hamlet.
I'm sorry, somebody else
is going out for Hamlet?
Divine Eye.
Okay. All right, thanks.
You're up.
You sounded
great in there. Intense.
Thank you, I appreciate it.
Hey, yo.
Can I ask you something?
-Anything.
- You wanted to do a comedy,
- right?
-Sure did.
Now we're doing a comedy.
And I'm excited.
And yet you're auditioning
for the only dramatic role
in the whole play.
Comedy's very difficult, man.
I don't wanna get up
on that stage
and get ya'd off
the stage, bro.
Hey, there my boys,
right here.
How about some Hamlet?
Whoa, Laurence Olivier.
Here we go.
I'd also like to note,
commissioners,
that I was a candidate
to become a New York City
police officer.
Yes, yes,
we see that in your packet.
We also see some other things.
Was this before you
decided to become
a rampaging drug dealer?
Well, sir, I only hustled that
one year after my accident.
And, my God...
Mike Mike, can you please
stop messing around
with that paddle, I can't...
- I'm listening.
- But I can't focus
when you're not giving
the whole vibe.
You know what, my bad.
I got you.
I'll do the commissioner
voice this time, everything.
- Man.
- All right?
All right. Come on, come on.
Listen up, Whitfield.
The commission is not here
to talk about what
you could have been.
We're here to talk about
who you really are.
It says here that you were
in some sort of enterprise
called Mix Machine, some sort
of criminal organization?
No, sir, it is not a
criminal organization.
I was a DJ.
- A DJ?
- Yeah, yeah.
Well, I bet you was
funky as hell!
Weren't you? Admit it.
Admit it! You was funky.
You was funky.
Did you, did you pop lock?
- Did you pop lock?
- Ga ga!
- Zz-zz-zz.
- Kah, kah.
All right gentlemen,
I need your attention
and your bodies.
- Form a circle.
- RTA!
Let's go.
Thank you, men. Thank you.
C'mon D-Dan.
D-Dan!
This one's asleep.
What's up?
Let's get to work,
let's get busy.
We're gonna do
a character exercise.
I'm gonna pick somebody out.
They're gonna come to
the center of the circle,
introduce yourself
as your character,
in that character's voice
and then hand it off
to the next actor.
You sir, are number one, first.
Alotincommon,
the Egyptian high priest.
Get it. Get it.
I guess
I'm fucking Gravedigger.
What's the matter,
Gravedigger?
Freddy's claws got
you tongue tied?
Freddy! Oh, I am... no.
I am Leslie,
the Egyptian prince.
Okay, can I start a cuss?
Because I am Startacuss!
No, I am Start... man.
I'm the gunslinger Coal.
The rootin' tootin',
carrot totin', shootin',
you know.
I am Gladiator Goliathan.
And I'm Zakariedies.
If you want to play
in the coliseum,
you gotta see me.
And I am Captain Hook.
Arr, arr.
Hit it.
I'm Prince Hamlet of Denmark.
Oh!
Hold on, back off now,
come on now.
We just saw Divine Eye.
We wanna see Prince Hamlet.
Bring it, come on.
I am Prince Hamlet of Denmark.
- D-DAN: There we go.
-All right.
It's gonna get better,
it's gonna get better.
Yes, sir.
I got a question
about my character.
I mean,
wouldn't he be freaked out
by some dude
from ancient Egypt
time traveling
all the way into like
the middle of the ocean?
And do we even have
a common language?
- Language?
- Well, good questions.
Remember, it's a comedy.
So we can take some liberties
and have some fun with it.
You can make it up.
Yeah, we're gonna
have some fun with it.
I'll tell you what, we can
workshop it when we get to it,
- when we get to it...
- I have a question.
-Yes, sir.
- Can't let this go. I'm sorry.
We gotta talk about
this time travel.
Is it gonna be a wormhole?
I mean, we're gonna
breach the fabric of time?
Like what kind of effect is it
gonna have on a human body?
- Gentlemen, again...
- Brent, hold up.
All good questions,
but you know...
Go ahead.
Hey, all right you guys.
All right, just listen.
Okay, listen, you guys,
you wanna do a
cowboy play, all right.
Somebody right here
wanna do ancient Egypt
and somebody, for
God knows reason,
threw in Freddy Krueger,
all right. He did.
- So how...
-I just got the role,
- I didn't ask for it...
- Okay, well anyway,
it doesn't matter. But how was
Brent supposed to get
all of that in here?
He did it, right? He delivered.
I think we should just
focus on the scenes.
Look at the emotion of it,
the arcs,
and the work
will take care of itself.
- Fair.
- Well said.
Trust the process.
You are correct, sir.
- Thank you, G.
- Sure.
Okay, that's just great.
So, why don't we
start with your scene.
- Gotcha.
- MIKE MIKE Ooh.
I'm really tired of
this miserable profession.
I don't want to be all
mean and tough no more.
I'd like to be
gentle and kind.
Really?
Me too.
Look, I'm trying to escape,
but my boss has threatened to
kill me, my wife, and kids.
My boss too.
Why, I've been trying
to organize the guys
for like forever!
Let's break out.
Let's.
Amazing.
Amazing!
You see that shit?
You see that shit?
I made some choices,
I made some choices.
Come on.
There you go.
I made some choices.
Ooh!
All right.
So, who's next?
- Yeah, I got that.
- You got it. Come on.
We're doing Shakespeare.
-Get it.
- Yeah, come on. We got you.
Fuck this shit, man.
- Did I miss something? What?
- That's it?
That's all right, men.
We're just gonna
trust the process here.
That's all right. We're here
to support each other.
Who's next?
Who's next? Come on.
Come on, Dap. Let's go.
It's hard to follow him,
but all right.
That's all right.
What's up, what's up? Peace.
Son, get that money, son,
you heard?
All right, men. Let's take five!
Yo, yo, yo, Eye.
Let me holler at you
for a minute.
All right.
Yo, want you to
check some shit out.
Five means five.
It does not mean 15,
like Mike Mike.
Man, this is my spot.
Look at that, you can see
everything out there.
Yo, Eye, I just wanted to say
I recognize that you're
a little frustrated
with the way
things are going...
I'm not frustrated with shit.
Them exercises
is goofy as fuck.
Yeah, they are goofy as fuck.
But there's an intention to
them, you know what I mean?
I feel like it helps you get
some depth. Helps you find a...
Is this the speech you
give all the new guys?
I'm not trying
to give you a speech.
Listen, I already
know what you're doing,
know who you are,
what you about, bro.
- What?
- You wanna run around here
herding everybody up
with the little lessons,
and you call all the shots
and all that.
That's all good and all that.
But I'm not here for that.
I ain't come here for that.
I know you got a
knife in your waistband.
Of course.
Brother.
This fucking program is all
these motherfuckers got.
Makes them feel like they can
get the fuck up outta here.
If not literally out there,
out there in here.
Don't take that away
from them, all right?
And a knife in your waistband
will be the first thing
to make sure this
shit fucking crumbles.
You don't get to fucking
tell me what I need in prison.
You don't get to do that,
nobody do.
Nobody take care of me.
Nobody do nothing
for me or mines.
So don't tell me what to do
and don't bring me in no
fucking dark corners no more.
This shit make
a nigga nervous, you heard?
We don't use nigga in here.
We use beloved.
You feel me on that?
Where's Blaze?
Anybody seen Blaze?
Blaze?
Blaze in five building.
They been keeplocked all day.
What about Divine Eye,
is he in five building?
Nah,
Divine Eye is in A block
but I don't know
where he's at.
You could send Dap
to get him though.
Only place to catch
a breeze, man.
How's your girl doing?
The little one?
Growing up, I guess.
Yeah.
When's the last time
you talked to her?
Oh...
I don't count those days, G.
Gentlemen,
I'd like you to go to
your most perfect spot.
Perfect moment.
Do you hear anything?
Are there any sounds?
Are you with somebody?
What is the temperature?
Are you inside?
Are you outside?
Now, just hold
that feeling tone.
Hold it.
Remember it.
Savor it.
All right men, you can
open your eyes.
Does anyone wanna describe
where they just were?
Blaze?
So, I'm sitting in seven
building yard on a bench
that overlooks
the Hudson River.
And on the other side
of that yard
or the other side of that
water, actually, is my mother.
And I know that sometimes
she goes down that mountain
and looks over the water
to where I am at Sing Sing.
And for me, just looking
out at the water,
I gain my peace
because I see the waves
and they're peaceful
and it gives me something
to focus on.
June of 1972,
my wife and I had a picnic
by the lake in Prospect Park.
That's the first time I ever
told my wife I love her.
If anybody here knows,
we bought Manhattan Specials.
You know what
a Manhattan Special is?
It's coffee soda, comes in
glass bottles about this big.
We bought four of them,
I love that stuff.
And we went to Prospect Park.
And, uh, we went by the lake.
And six months ago
I lost that.
She passed away from
pancreatic cancer.
Boy am I gonna miss her.
Summer, 1977.
It's hot.
Water ice truck coming
down the street.
Mom gives me 25 cents
and I go running down
the street to get it.
It taste all cool in your mouth.
What flavor?
Cherry, I love cherry.
Mouth all red.
Spending time with
my son and my daughter.
Just watching 'em grow,
living their life, you know?
90 degree weather,
cutting grass in the backyard
to a point where
I'm just so exhausted
and I just lay back
and I smell the fresh grass
I just cut and I'm dozing off
and my dog come
licking sweat off my face.
Every summer, my mother
sent me to Baltimore
with my uncles and they only
a few years older than me.
And it was a sense of freedom
'cause my mother wasn't
looking over my shoulder.
I tried to do one about
the islands, you know?
My grandma would always tell
us about the islands.
The islands, that's where
our people are from.
Couldn't do it, Maestro.
I ain't never been there.
Ain't never been there,
and I'm not gonna get there.
This is real.
I'm stuck in this space.
But if I'm gonna be
stuck in a space
I guess I'll do it
with you suckers.
Payasos.
In here it's all right,
get a little release.
So I guess this is my space.
I think you guys
are becoming actors.
Just being real with
each other and vulnerable.
It's something men don't
really get to do too often.
To be, or not to be
that is the question.
Whether 'tis nobler
in the mind to suffer
the slings and arrows
of outrageous fortune
or to take arms...
- Bro, what's up?
-What's up?
Why you walking
behind me, bro?
I'm supposed to be
walking behind you.
- Bro, all this room right here?
- Why don't you just do what
- the hell you're supposed to?
- All this room right here
- and you gotta...
- That's his blocking.
Bro, I'm saying this the shit
niggas wanna do in the yard
Focus on what
you're supposed to.
That's what I'm supposed to do, man.
Bro listen, don't be doing shit
- you wouldn't be doing
in the yard.
- Or what?
- Put your fucking
hands down man.
- The fuck you talking about,
-"put my hands down"?
- You heard
- what the fuck I said man.
- Enough!
Yo, Eye.
I used to be a keeplock
monster, man,
consumed in my own anger.
'Til one morning in breakfast,
the guy sitting
across from me,
someone stepped behind him
and he cut him ear to ear.
And we all sat there
as the blood flew
across our clothes
and our faces,
and we pretended
that was normal.
Brother, we're here to
become human again.
To put on nice clothes
and dance around.
And enjoy the things that
is not in our reality.
All right,
you remember your mark?
Yeah,
I'm supposed to be standing
next to the Gravedigger
then Marion and Leslie
come outta nowhere.
Materialize from nowhere.
All right, somebody's gonna
walk behind you eventually,
act like it don't bother you,
that's all.
Now let's go, you know
your first line, let's go.
Let's run it again.
Come on man.
Fuck it.
Use the whole thing.
There you go.
Sweep through.
Yeah, same thing.
I'm focused.
You were doing great...
Why aren't you up there?
They're not rehearsing
any scenes I'm in today.
So you just drifted on in, yeah?
Yeah, I sure did.
Okay.
What's those notes?
What notes?
Those notes.
These... just some things
I'm working on
to help some brothers out.
Get healthier food
around here.
And then some
litigation business.
Hmm.
That's dope.
You got any kids?
Wait, so you just gonna be
all in my business today?
Is that what today is?
All right.
Yeah, I got kids.
Two girls and a boy.
What's their names?
Divequa, Dinasia and Karron.
Karron is the boy, he was born
right when I got in here.
So, uh, you know.
He actually wants
to be an actor,
like this bunch of nuts.
He's doing YouTube videos
and stuff.
What about your girls?
They, uh, they have
their own lives.
Yeah?
When I started this bid,
my son was real young, man.
You know, the homies in the
hood, they took care of him.
'Cause that's my son.
Rolled out the
red carpet for him.
Anything he wanted,
treated him well.
Then it wasn't long
before he started doing the
same things I was doing.
Putting in the same kind
of pain I was putting in.
And now he's in prison,
just like me.
Wearing greens, just like me.
Line?
You're looking through
the wrong end of the eyeglass.
Seems like
I'm not the only one, huh?
Nah.
He doesn't know that there's
tricks to learning lines.
Tricks?
Yeah.
What?
Yeah.
What's the tricks?
Everybody has
a different process.
Some people like me,
I write out
every single one of my lines.
You know what I mean?
That's the way I know
how to digest it.
Some people, and it might be
helpful for you
to just underline
every action,
every active word, right?
Take it little by little
and break it down.
Eventually, you know,
you start
paraphrasing a little bit,
but then it'll all start
to make some sense.
You know what I'm saying?
And then you sort of like
break it down, you know,
like how you would
eat an elephant.
You wouldn't swallow
that thing whole, right?
You would just...
take every little bite,
bite, bite, bite.
And then it all makes
more sense.
I think I learned some of that
in the law library.
You know what I mean?
Some of these cases
are so in depth,
you know, especially like
preparing for my
clemency hearing.
I mean, I gotta like
break it all down.
Yeah, I heard you
found a tape or something
that proves your innocence?
Yeah, man,
it took me 10 years but...
- Mmm-hmm.
- ...I got it.
So you don't need no good luck
or nothing, man.
You already got
the golden goose.
I hope so, I think I do.
- I hope so, man. I hope so.
- Yeah.
Um, what about you?
I don't mean to be
in your business,
but I did look at the docket
and I saw that you have
a parole hearing coming up.
Yeah.
Hey listen,
I gotta hit the yard.
Take care of a little bit
of business, all right?
Peace.
Yeah, if I can be of any,
um, help...
Yep.
All right.
To die,
to sleep,
to sleep,
perchance to dream.
Ay, there's the rub.
Okay, you wanna
take that again?
Why, did I do something wrong?
No, no, no,
we're just working at it.
But, I'll tell you what,
let's try something here.
As long as we're not eating
no fucking elephants
or nothing.
Okay, I don't know what
that means, but I won't.
Let's start from the
very beginning,
- okay?
- To be...
I don't mean the beginning
here on your mark,
I mean in the wings.
That's where it begins.
So I want you
to go back there.
I want to see you come on
the stage with Hamlet's...
You're in Hamlet's world
and you're bringing that
all the way to your mark.
And then you say your line.
Let's try it.
It's the moment before, guys.
- To be...
- Hold up, did you do it?
Because we all fell asleep.
Ooh!
You ain't see me just
walk from over there?
I saw you walk out here
like a man who's
asking this audience
for permission to be here.
I wanna see
Hamlet come out here,
take the stage and say,
"Hey! It's time to start
paying attention to me."
- You have to show...
- Ah, Brent, Brent.
-Yes, G?
- Do you mind if I...?
Please.
Cool. Watch. All right.
Yo, Eye.
The world expects
brothers like you and I,
all these brothers, to walk in
with our heads held down,
you know, apologizing
for being there.
Now, what you gotta walk in
- is like a motherfucking king!
-Ooh!
Like you own all this shit.
Everything is yours.
So you want me
to do it right now?
Right now.
Yeah.
Fucking...
I'm the fucking king, nigga.
Like the yard, but bigger.
I'm Divine fucking Eye!
Yeah.
Yeah.
I own this fucking theater.
This is my fucking theater.
-I own this bitch!
- I own all this shit.
That's it, yeah.
Now give him some love,
give him some love.
All right, all right,
that's enough.
All right, now, what's your
emotional state?
What's underneath that?
Mad as a motherfucker.
Okay.
No, no, no. Okay.
Anger is the easiest thing
to play.
Am I right, Brent?
Too easy.
What's more
complicated is to play hurt.
That helps you name the thing,
all right?
Now try that. All right.
From the top.
There you go, Brent. Ha!
Guys, the superintendent's
got some big money
sitting out in these
seats tonight.
Money that can get us
new stage curtains.
Ooh.
I need you guys to melt
their faces off with this.
- Okay?
- Yeah, yeah.
We gonna
beat 'em down? Oh, no.
I want you to be savage.
So let's go.
Let's go!
Sure. All right. Okay.
Let's go. Come on.
Come on, man.
Take this sacred amulet
with you for your protection.
You will need it one day
before the end
of your journey, young man.
Scooch to the right a little.
I'm on my mark, bro.
Scooch your fucking light.
We can move the mark a little,
we can move
the mark a little bit.
We're gonna move the mark.
Just a skosh.
Dick.
This headband is not Egyptian.
It's clearly Phoenician.
- Really?
- Yes.
I'll talk to props. Thank you.
Cucumbers? Eggplant?
Come on, Brent,
I need six shooters.
E, that's why it's funny.
They're expecting
to see six shooters.
You pull out vegetables,
it's a comedy!
You'll need it before
the journey's end.
Let's be gone, young one.
Oh, take this amulet man.
Wear this shit,
it's gonna protect you.
You gonna need it before
the end of the journey.
Let's get the fuck outta here,
let's go.
Ah.
Ah.
- Oh!
- Motherfucker...
Thank you.
Well, uh,
thanks for coming.
You see the look on the one
with the hair like this?
She was not having us.
I think they cursed us.
We don't really need
those curtains anyway.
We sure worked hard
for it though.
Shut the fuck up.
Can't believe that
you picked that scene.
But they loved it.
Oh!
Shit.
This is good. This might work.
Yo, how about this for you, man?
Here you go.
Bam.
What's up? You all right?
Yeah.
It's just,
my slings and arrows
on the inside
and all this make believe
acting and college degrees...
It don't really change
the fact I'm a gangster
and that's my destiny.
That's what's waiting for me
on the outside, bro.
It's like Hamlet.
All he wants is Maid Marion,
and he'll go against
the whole Greek army.
But to what end?
What?
Oh, shit. I'm sorry.
I keep forgetting
how different
this version of Hamlet is
from the original.
Yo. What I...
what I do know,
if I don't know anything,
is you're an artist.
This is just bringing
out parts of yourself
that has been hidden,
you know, remained dormant.
Just go for it, trust it.
All right? Leave all the
other shit behind.
Go full out.
Try something new,
get into some shit like this.
No, I'm not gonna never
get into no shit like this.
Why the fuck you ain't
gonna get in this?
This is fucking regal,
it's a prince.
How about this? Look.
How about that with the towel?
- Nah, it's not my thing.
- All right, well,
that's all right.
A towel?
Come on, bro.
All right, well, how about...
- Find something for me, man.
- I don't know.
Something I could rock, man.
Yo. How about this?
How about this? Look.
That's kind of funky.
I might could do
something with that.
All right.
- I might could rock that.
- There you go.
All right.
Either this or the towel,
I think.
I think this towel might-
Come on, bro, why you keep
trying to put me in the towel?
I told you this right here, man.
Who next? Who next?
Wait, I thought
you were gonna
do some shit next.
You gotta do that.
- Whoa.
- Oh!
That one, that one!
Ba da cha da da
- Cha
- Hey, lock it up, lock it up.
Lock it up.
Lock it! Lock it!
Lock it! Lock it!
Lock it! Ah!
Yeah!
Let's go, let's go, let's go.
Go, go, go, go.
Blaze, what about you?
There you go.
Whoa!
- Uh-oh!
- Uh-oh!
Go Brent. Go Brent.
No man, I'm too white!
Go Brent, go Brent!
To be
or not to be.
That is the question.
Whether 'tis nobler
in the mind to suffer
the slings and arrows
of outrageous fortune,
or to take arms against
the sea of troubles
and by opposing, end them.
To die.
To sleep.
And by asleep to say we end
the thousand natural heartaches
that flesh is heir to.
'Tis a consummation
devoutly wished.
To die.
To sleep.
To sleep,
perchance,
perchance...
Line?
Yo!
The champ is here!
Where Brent at?
Where Brent at? Hey Brent,
how'd I do, Brent?
You did it!
Ooh, wee!
Listen, I don't mean to
step on your toes or nothing,
but I know
you haven't had time
to prepare for your
- parole board hearing.
-Mmm-hmm.
- So I took the liberty to, uh...
-Liberty?
...do some prep work.
Man, what I told you
the last time
we talked about this shit?
Oh, come on, man.
All you gotta do is, like,
fill out the essay
and I just need some
addresses that I don't have.
Listen man,
how you sitting up here
with all this faith
in the system?
The system don't
give a fuck about us.
The system that's trying
to keep you in here.
Even with all the evidence
that you got
to prove your innocence.
What do I got bro?
I got nothing.
They gonna slam me.
What you trying
to tell me? They got you?
- Who got me?
- Letting you think
that you belong in here.
- No, man.
- They got you.
Well, what I got out there?
All my people in here.
My son is in here, shit.
Sometimes I think
this might be the best place
for me right now.
No, no. Don't say that shit.
Don't say that.
That's what they
want you to think.
They want you
to think you some
motherfucking lapdog
or some shit.
When you're not that
and you know you're not that.
You know who you are?
You know who you are?
Let me remind you,
you're a motherfucking wolf.
All right?
A wolf.
Yo, listen man,
I heard sometimes
you might not even
get a decision.
You sitting on your bunk
waiting and waiting and shit.
Not the truth, not the truth.
What they give you
is a letter.
Thick as a brick,
you keeping your ass here.
Light as a feather,
you're free.
- Yeah?
-Yeah.
I do all that shit right
there, man, and it don't work?
You try again.
And again.
And again. And again.
- Yeah?
-Yeah.
Well, how long
this essay gotta be?
That's my boy. That's my boy.
Come on.
They better let me out
off this bullshit too.
Come on. Come on.
I can't sleep.
It's too hot.
You're too hyped.
It's the play, man.
Shit is wild, right?
Yeah.
Space and time and histories.
And, I still haven't
cracked that whole
time portal thing, but...
you know
what's really fun though?
What?
Playing all those
characters and names
in one piece,
'cause that's me, man.
That's my whole life.
It's like the name game thing.
You remember Role Call?
My name is...
Yeah, but that's
what all the girls did.
No, man, everybody
did that. Except for me.
- I couldn't do it.
- Why?
Name was
too damn long.
Wait, wait, wait.
What's your whole name, man?
Come on, man,
my government name?
- Do I know your... Wait.
-Yeah.
How many... What?
My Christian name, Miguel
Francisco Benjamin Garcon.
Benjamin? Is that
like Arabic or something?
Benjamin.
Come on, man, you don't
know Spanish for shit.
I mean, we're islanders.
So I guess it
could be anything.
But, you know, the only thing
I answered to
growing up, though,
Miguelito.
That's what my
grandmother called me.
Miguelito.
She was my word and my God, man.
Miguelito. Mm-hmm.
You remember the clique
I came with, right?
There was two Mikes.
So they thought it was, like,
Mike and then I was Mike Mike.
But nah.
You know, G, that came
from outside, from before.
When I used to be high, high.
They say, "Mike do his dope
for Mike."
And then he always
come right back again
and do more dope for Mike,
so Mike Mike.
Yeah, man.
That shit was so nice,
I had to do it twice.
Yeah.
And more.
And more.
Hoo.
I was fucked up.
I really did fuck up, man.
That was the one thing
that broke my grandma.
Drugs and me.
But that's me, man.
That's what I work on in here.
That's why I'm good in here.
I mean,
I'm here...
and I'm good.
You know
they called me...
a couple names
in the neighborhood.
They called me Mix Machine.
- Yeah.
-My DJ name.
Yep.
And then
they called me, uh...
you know, they call me
Divine G in here,
but they called me
Davey at home.
Davey.
Yeah, Davey,
when I was at the Fame school.
The High School of Performing
Arts in Manhattan.
- Ooh.
-For dancing.
You mean the Irene Cara thing?
So you was Leroy?
No, I wasn't Leroy,
but there were a whole
lot of Leroys there.
But let me tell you, those
Leroys could dance and fight.
- Okay?
-You danced?
Me and my boys. What?
-You danced too?
- Yeah, I danced.
I danced modern and ballet.
-Hmm, tutus...
- And ballet
was not what you think
it is, all right?
- Ballet is like...
-The tutus
- and everything, right?
- ...disciplined.
It is, um... It's physical.
It's strong. It's like
football, to be honest.
It takes a lot of focus
and dedication.
Man, I used to love to do that.
But I couldn't because I
had to fight every day.
Once the fellas found out
in the neighborhood,
I'd be fighting every
time I went home, man.
"Yo,
"you wear them tights.
Yo, faggot, whatever."
Like, everybody
thinks something about you
just because you dance.
I gave it up, man.
Man, the things you give up.
Yeah, I miss it.
Man... if I only
stayed with it, man.
I ain't thinking
about that, you know,
you can't look back.
What if I kept, what if I did?
Mike Mike?
Oh, man.
All right, I listen to
your bullshit stories
about being called
Benjamin and whatnot.
Good night.
Yeah, I'm still here.
Where's the body?
I don't know, they
bagged it before my shift.
Didn't have
much property so...
Well,
don't be late for lunch.
I ain't gonna
wait on you all day.
Yeah, I know.
I could understand
a person hanging up.
I could even understand
a person getting stabbed.
But a brain aneurysm?
I don't get it.
You know, when they called me
down to the chapel
and let me know
my mom had passed,
I sat in the audience
while RTA
was putting on a show.
Mike Mike was on stage,
you know,
every performance after that,
I came down and watched him.
Mike Mike brought me in.
I guess Mike Mike's gonna
finally visit the Island.
Is there
anything you need
to talk about, bro?
Everything that needed to be
said got said, right?
I'm only asking,
bro, because you ain't
having much to say when
we was in the circle.
What's that supposed to mean?
G, I don't mean no disrespect
or nothing.
I'm always here
for you, if you ever need me.
I got a dozen letters to
write to his family tonight.
What I need to do right now
is finish with these chairs.
All right, man, listen,
my bad. Peace.
Ahoy, mateys!
I think I spy a ship
on the horizon.
Nah, that's not a ship.
It's a sailboat.
No, no, no, Mom.
That's not what I'm saying.
But you just have to tell them
that they can't
talk to you like that.
That's all I'm trying to say.
Well, if you're not gonna
do anything about it
then I don't even know
why we're...
I don't know why we're talking
about it then, all right?
Just let them
run over you then.
Oh, man. Ma, I'm sorry.
No, no, I'm not nervous.
I'm just ready for it
to be done.
I'm just, you know,
just waiting.
I'm just ready to see you, Mom.
I'm ready to see you.
Mr. Whitfield.
This is a clemency hearing
for your conviction of
murder in the second
as well as weapons possession.
Two counts on each,
25 to life.
Two to seven, and
five to 15 respectively.
That is correct.
Okay.
I will note at the outset
that we were able to acquire
the sentencing minutes
and they will be considered
as well as your parole packet.
Yes.
But we are talking about
the March 25th, 1988 homicide
of Randall Birch.
He had been shot many times
in the head and body, correct?
As far as I understand.
And in terms of this offense,
you have exhausted
your appeals.
- Yes.
-You had
the Innocence Project
look at it.
Legal Aid.
You hired an investigator.
Apparently you've raised
other issues of, um,
prosecutorial and police
department misconduct.
And there were some other
exculpatory statements
made by another person
that were never given
to you for your trial.
Another man confessed
to the crime on that tape,
but it was buried along
with other key evidence.
Yes, and that's
part of the issue.
It's been next to impossible
for us
to authenticate the validity.
The person who
made it is deceased
and we can't get the DA's
office to return our calls.
I don't know how...
what I can...
You
understand that this creates
a complicated legal issue,
don't you?
- Yes. But I...
- Since you've been in custody,
you've been involved
in numerous programs.
It's too long a list
for me to go through.
But I do have a question
about the theater program.
You've been involved in that
many years, have you not?
Yes. Uh, yes ma'am.
I am a founding member
of this program.
It's something
I'm very proud of.
And what part do you play
in this program?
Actor? Director?
Well, we all do a few things.
I'm on what is called
the Steering Committee.
We make a lot of decisions
for how it operates, and...
from time to time
I do act, like we all do,
and um... it's been a program
that was established
to help the population
with management skills.
And it's turned into something
a bit more, I don't know,
wonderful,
because it helps people
get more in touch
with their feelings
and able to process
and actually move through
and truly get
some rehabilitation.
So are you acting at all
during this interview?
Absolutely not. Uh...
I truly hope that
you can understand
that I've been very sincere.
I know how meaningful this is.
I would never...
Actually, that's not
the intention of acting.
Acting is just to, you know, process.
I read about the program.
It's a good program.
Okay.
Any other questions
from the board?
Well, thank you,
Mr. Whitfield.
We'll take all of this
into account
and deliver our decision
in two weeks.
You're going home.
Yeah.
I can hardly believe it.
It don't even seem real.
What about you?
I wouldn't even be here
without you, beloved.
Thank you for everything.
C'mon,
they're waiting for you.
The tree costume
is great.
This looks perfect,
don't lose any of those.
Reach for the sky, Marshall.
You look just like Gary
Cooper, you know that?
- My lady!
- Hey!
You've arrived!
- So good to have you here.
- Oh, it's so good to see you.
- We'll talk? We'll talk later.
- Yeah. Yeah.
We got it.
Ah!
I told you I was no ghoul.
I'm happy as the
Gravedigger now.
Thank you.
15 years since
I put on a suit.
And you look good champ
but can I get this mirror?
Take this sacred amulet
and wear it.
You will need it before
your journey's end.
Well, we made it.
Still a lot more work to do.
Dress rehearsal, this is when
you guys get to grow.
It's when the director
kind of lets go
and lets you guys take over.
So don't be afraid
to try things.
No acting allowed.
A lot of listening,
let's listen to each other.
Let's support each other.
I want to thank you guys
for trusting the process.
I know we're thinking
about Mike Mike right now.
And I want you to know,
I got a feeling Mike Mike
has not left the building.
So we're gonna do this
for Mike Mike.
Let's go, man.
Bring it on in here.
- Bring it in.
-Everybody.
-All right. Yep. Yep.
- We got it?
One, two, three.
RTA!
- Yeah. Yeah.
-Whoo!
I am Alotincommon.
I am the high priest of Egypt
from the year...
Hell, it was a long time ago.
Sweet Egyptian
Princess Neotali
has been the victim
of a murder,
a crime most foul.
She was a good mummy,
to her little one she named,
Leslie.
Mummy?
Mummy? Is that you?
Oh, Mummy, I miss you so.
Now I am a prisoner.
Yes.
Now I feel the galling weight
of these disgraceful chains.
And so
the young lovers set out
on their journey seeking
something black and white,
above water and sky.
Oy!
I think I found
her here, guv'nor.
What a pretty mess
she turned out to be.
Wait.
Keep this with you always.
Keep it near to your heart,
so that you'll always
remember me.
Yo, these are mine.
My bad.
Zakariedies' got me locked
into a 25 year
no pay contract.
If I don't do what he says
and be his
number one gladiator,
he's gonna kill my wife
and daughters,
and feed me to the lions.
Line?
We sure could
have used you
for some serious backup.
Why, we sure could use
you for some serious backup.
Yeah, we sure coulda used
you for some serious backup.
And then I say...
Never fear!
Gladiator Goliathan is here.
I'll smash 'em and bash 'em,
whether short or tall.
Got it?
And then I come out and
say the most profound line.
If you help me escape,
consider it done.
And remember everybody
say it like it's really funny,
'cause it's a comedy.
Ha, ha, ha.
It's a fucking comedy, yeah.
Uh.
Okay, men.
- Let's take five.
- Why?
Why Brent?
Like it's gonna
fucking matter?
Like we're gonna
get any fucking better?
Like he's gonna remember
any fucking line he has?
You tell us to trust
the fucking process, right?
Well, the process is fucked!
I think we need
more than five, Brent,
for him to learn
his fucking lines.
Hey, c'mon, brother.
Let's take a walk.
Yo, get the fuck off of me.
The fuck you gonna do?
You gonna step? You wanna step?
Yeah?
What the fuck
are you wearing, man?
What the fuck are we doing?
This silly bullshit we do
every fucking six months,
as if it fucking matters, man.
And we're still fucked.
We're still right back
where we fucking start.
Are you done?
No.
I'm not done.
Isn't that fucking hilarious?
Yo, this is gonna set
us back for how long now?
He walked away.
He just walked away.
You can't do that.
We're all going through stuff.
This is about
acting professionally.
We're in the middle
of a production.
We all have breaking points.
Listen, we all understand
breaking points.
We've all been through
our own breaking points,
yet we show up and we do
what we have to do.
You have to.
So I want you to
picture in your mind's eye
a very dear and old friend
that you haven't seen
for a very long time,
but you'd love
to see him again.
So what does that look like?
And what does he look like?
Is he taller now or shorter?
Does he still got
the same haircut?
Maybe he needs a shave.
Maybe he looks a little bit
different, a little bit older.
We're all getting older.
Have that brotherly feeling
of love and safeness.
What would that be like?
Should be joyful.
Should be wonderful.
You know?
Just to be with that person
one more time.
You can open your eyes now.
Was it me?
Oh, what's good, boys?
Oh, man, it's good to see y'all.
Yo, good to see you, man.
Dapper Dapper,
you still here, bro?
Tell us
what's going on outside, man.
Oh, man.
The world, man.
I get up, 4:30
I'm in that bakery, man.
Pumping out donuts,
cheesecake. Grinding.
But, man, I take so much joy
in just being out at night,
you know what I'm saying?
Like, it's summertime,
10 o'clock at night,
you know what I mean?
You go to the basket and still
seeing kids out there.
Remember how we used
to play ball at night?
Like, you go to
the schoolyard
or wherever at night
and play ball and whatnot.
Bam, I just walk past.
See the...
Oh, man, you know.
But then my greatest joy,
my greatest joy, right?
It's washing my car,
going to the car wash,
getting that baby
spit fine clean,
finding me a destination.
Go grab my dog,
put my road dog on the side,
throw my jazz on,
hit the road at 60,
throw that cruise on
and let everything else go.
I got up the other day, man,
at two o'clock in the morning
and made some pancakes
and grits and shit
just because I could.
That feel good as hell.
On another note though, right?
I just had to put my dog down.
Hey.
I had a 85 pound red nose
pit bull named Girly.
That bitch,
all she wanted to do,
she thought she was a lap dog.
She just wanna lay in your lap
and eat Scooby snacks.
You know what I'm saying?
She just wanna play.
But, um, she was sick
and I didn't know.
And so,
her nose started bleeding.
She was...
She was the only one
that was really
happy to see me
when I walked
through the door.
You know what I mean?
She, uh...
She looked... the day that
we had to put her down,
I couldn't really...
I couldn't go.
'Cause I'm not gonna watch
nobody walk my dog off.
She was suffering,
she was suffering.
This emotional
rollercoaster, man, is really...
it's really something else.
And it don't hit you at first
'cause everything is...
Everything is lovely.
You know what I mean?
It's cotton candy, baby.
You know, peaches and cream.
First years out, you get...
It's exciting
getting to know them.
But then, you know,
you settle down.
You find out you
got these feelings, man.
And everybody want a piece
of your feelings, you know?
And because you care,
you open up.
And that's when the hurting
come on in, you know.
But, uh, yeah,
Brent asked me to come in
'cause y'all got this
production coming up
and here I am
with all this heavy shit
sucking the air
out of the room, right?
- Oh, man. But listen...
-It's all right.
It's real.
Yeah.
I appreciate that, man.
So on that vein, yo...
But you think maybe like
we could do a exercise
or something so I could be
reinvigorated, re-energized?
Definitely, man,
let's get up on our feet.
This ain't no goddamn
sewing circle, come on.
Yeah, that's
what I'm talking about.
So let's shake up this
space for brother Charlie.
Let's walk around,
let's walk around here.
Let's walk it out...
What it's like when the air
is really heavy and hot?
You know, I was artistic
as a kid, you know.
Used to draw, paint... like
those little geese right there
and everything.
Man.
That was dope.
Yeah, man.
Mom used to try
to tell me to paint a lot
and I skipped over that.
You know where
that landed me, so...
I got a label.
Everybody perceived me to be
a thug, a gangster, whatever.
And that kind of like
put me in a box
and you don't have a box.
Everywhere I saw you
at in the jail,
you always was Divine G
and you was free to be that
because you
didn't have a label.
And I see that
you need help, bro.
But you won't ask for it.
You got all of us here,
man. We love you, bro.
We gonna do anything
we can for you.
But you refuse to extend your
hand to ask for help, bro.
As many brothers as you
helped in here.
I fucked up.
Yeah, you did,
you fucked up.
But, you know, we all know you.
We all love you
and we took a vote.
Yeah, everybody's willing
to take you back right now
under one condition.
What is that?
Well...
you gotta, you gotta admit
wholeheartedly,
possibly even in writing
that I murdered that
Hamlet scene, bro.
I mean listen, man,
the dude Shakespeare is
in his grave right now.
He rolled over
just to hear that magic
I put on that thing, man.
You did your thing, beloved.
Yes, I did, beloved.
Everybody, let's just
take a cleansing,
deep breath.
Just let it all go.
Who would have thunk,
that the beginning of
the healing for this planet
would start right here
behind the walls of Sing Sing.
Anybody else have anything
they want to add right now?
Yes, sir.
Sometimes
it's just all a little
too much on the heart.
But that's no excuse.
And I hope that
you could forgive me.
Bring it in, RTA.
Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah.
Gimme those hands.
Gimme those hands.
- All right, all right.
- All right?
One, two, three.
RTA!
Yo, B block,
they was loving it.
Yeah, see, the comedy...
Comedies are different, man.
D-DAN: Yeah.
That was a little hard
but it was... it's different,
it had a different hit.
D-DAN: And Carmine, yo,
he came around in that
- Gravedigger, didn't he?
-Gravedigger, yeah.
He definitely did.
D-DAN: Yeah!
You're right about that.
Carmine did,
Blackseed, Winter, Tye.
All of them did their thing.
The cast stepped up.
Yeah, the cast definitely
stepped up.
And I still don't
understand time travel.
We did all that,
I still don't understand.
I don't think
we'll ever understand.
D-DAN: From pirates and... yeah.
I don't know how
it got from Robin Hood
to pirates
and then all over the place.
D-DAN: All over the place.
That's the craziest thing.
We were all over the place
and the population was
still able to follow it.
D-DAN: They enjoyed it.
They enjoyed it.
-They got all that in there.
- D-DAN: Right.
Shakespeare.
D-DAN: But fellas,
what are we gonna do next?
It's too hard to top.
What do you think Dap?
Yeah, it's hard to top,
I don't know, man.
Divine, what you got for us?
You always keep
something in the stash.
What you got
for us Divine G?
Shit, what I got for you...
I don't know,
I ain't got nothing.
I know you keep
something in the stash.
D-DAN: You always
working on something, man.
How about my play, Fine Print?
Wait, but it's a little
lost in the second act.
But maybe I could...
Come on,
you got something else.
Wait, all right, how about...
Man, I've been working on
this play for a couple years.
Maybe it might work.
It's called Pro Se.
Now that's gonna
appeal to the population.
It's a satire, man.
It's about this
dude who's been
like working out, you know?
Just hitting the gym...
Come on.
Come on, man.
All right,
all right, we here man.
We out here now.
- Yeah.
- We out here now.
- Yeah. We out here now.
- We out here now.
And we got work to do.
What's up?
How you like my joint?
Ah, man.
- Yeah, man, yeah.
- Yeah, it's good.
We out here.
Yeah, oh, man.
We're cruising now.
Oh, man, the air feels
different out here.
It is different.
We ain't gotta
smell no toilets
or nothing out here.
Man, we good.
What you wearing?
Look at those.
Hey, where you gonna
get you some?
Man. Man.
Yeah.
(LIKE A BIRD BY
ABRAHAM ALEXANDER
AND ADRIAN QUESADA PLAYING)
I introduce to you
Breakin' the Mummy's Code,
by Brent Buell.
Mummy. Mummy.
Is that you?
Now indeed I am a prisoner.
Yes.
Now I feel the galling weight
of these disgraceful chains!
You know,
I'm really tired of this
really miserable profession.
I don't wanna be all mean
and tough no more.
I want to be gentle and kind.
Really?
Me too.
Keep this near to your heart
so that you will remember me.
Always.
Let's go, Horatio!
For aught that
I could ever read,
could ever hear
by tale or history,
the course of true love
never did run smooth.
But either it was different
in blood or else misgraffed
in respect of years,
or else it stood upon
the choice of friends,
or if there were a
sympathy in choice,
war, death, or sickness
did lay siege to it,
making it momentany
as a sound,
swift as a shadow,
short as any dream,
brief as the lightning
in the collied night,
that, in a spleen, unfolds
both heaven and Earth.
And, ere a man has
power to say, "Behold!"
The jaws of darkness
do devour it up.
So quick bright things
come to confusion.
Yo,
we got you, we got you.
Mike Mike, you killed
it tonight, man.
Don't I
do it every time though?
Yeah,
that's true.
But you could have definitely
used that same energy
for opening night
that you had tonight.
I'm gonna
let that one go.
Yeah,
I know, I know.
You good?
Yeah.
Okay, I'm gonna take off.
All right.
You gonna bust
outta here? All right.
B block, step forward.
Hey, fuck you, CO.
Who the fuck said that?
Who the fuck said that?
What the fuck you doin', man?
No fucking cigarettes.
Um, excuse me.
You know, I've been,
trying to catch you
in the yard, man.
It's been kind of hard,
you know?
And basically I
wanted to know,
would you mind signing,
you know this book, man?
Oh, man.
You from, wait,
you from Rikers?
Yeah. Yeah, man. I did two
years on the Island, man.
Very popular there.
Yeah, yeah.
It did really
good there, man.
- Got a pen?
- Oh yeah, absolutely.
Yeah, well, you got it
right there?
Ever ready, yeah, man.
I really appreciate this, man.
That's me. G.
Yeah.
Put a little star
right there for you.
D-DAN: Yeah, man.
Ooh wee!
I'm still flying high,
you feel me?
Still flying high.
That monologue had
everybody paying attention.
- What monologue, mine?
- Divine G, Divine G.
Coldest shit he's done, right?
No, I was all right,
I was all right.
But we still got more work
to do I think, all right?
No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
What do you mean "No,
no, no, no, no, no, no"?
Let's bask in it for a minute.
Those transitions were
rough though, hold on.
Parate con easy.
Let's just enjoy it
for a minute.
- I still just remember...
- Remember the moment.
...the feeling being
on the stage.
D-DAN: It does feel good.
You always gotta be
onto the next.
All right. Okay, I hear you.
All right, so why don't we
just go over the wait list?
- All right. See who could-
- We can do that,
- we could do that.
- Right?
See who can move up.
All right?
- Easy, man.
- All right, cool. Here we go.
- Just gotta make things better.
- Who we got?
We got, uh, Curtis Cross.
- Curtis Cross.
- Who's that?
D-DAN: I don't think so. What?
I'm with you.
Short answer, hell no.
What's the long answer?
The long answer is
he one of them dudes,
he always primping
and propping, you know,
he's gonna step in here,
sit right there,
try and take over every time
we put him in anything.
Put him in a hot seat
from the beginning.
D-DAN: He only wants to-
Yeah, but he don't
think it's a hot seat.
D-DAN: He only wants to sit
next to the females.
He makes women
feel uncomfortable.
Got you. All right. Okay.
How about, all right,
how about this?
We have, uh, now this
is his second time.
Who?
Is, uh, Divine Eye.
- D-DAN: Divine Eye.
- Mm-mm.
Eye...? From Mount Vernon?
D-DAN: I don't think
he's ready.
The brother's smart.
You gotta admit it though.
He teaches history class
at the NAACP.
I'm sure there's a lot of
smart drug dealers
in the yard.
Maybe he, what he
may need from us
is to be able to put that
- energy into this program.
- Divine G.
Divine G, you gonna
vouch for him?
I'll vouch for the interview.
Just for the interview?
Yeah, for the interview.
- And the rest is on him.
- Him getting in, it's up to us.
You know what?
Yeah, we'll give it to you.
Always trying to
save somebody.
Mike Mike, you go check him out
with me. See what's up.
- You and me?
- Yeah.
Let's check him out.
What's up? Make sure done get
that paper to me, right?
Oh, shit yo.
I gotta go do
something real quick.
Damn.
The fuck's he gotta do?
What's up, birdie?
Hey, man.
That little jump shot you did...
-Yeah? You saw that?
- It was nice, yeah.
You got my shit?
- Oh yeah. Um, yeah.
- Yeah, the shit I gave you.
The shit
I gave you, you got it?
- I got it.
- Yeah. Get it.
Just a young dude.
Here we go.
Always a
young white boy.
You really
wanna watch this?
Word, well what
is this though?
What?
What? What you mean what?
What the fuck is this?
This ain't fucking what
I gave you. Do you know...
- This is...
- That, that has not come...
- This is fucking aspirin.
- ...out of my pocket.
This is not what the...
You know what I gave you?
- No.
- Not fucking aspirin.
Worth $500.
This is $500,
- did you know that, brother?
- No, no, no.
I'm gonna be needing it.
I don't give a fuck
what was in your pocket.
I don't care where you had
it or who you know, or none...
I don't know
who's fucking you,
but you not gonna fuck me
- out of 500.
- I'm not trying to fuck you...
I'm gonna be needing
all of that.
- You heard what I said?
-Look, I, I, I...
I don't care what the fuck
you's talking about right now.
This what's going on, $500.
Don't care how you get it.
Don't give a fuck what you
got to do to get it.
Get my fucking bread to me,
you heard what I said?
I can't get you $500.
- You're going to get me $500.
-I can't get you $500.
You're gonna do whatever
the fuck you got to do.
I don't give a fuck
what you got to do.
You're gonna do that shit
to get my fucking bread.
You heard what I said?
Or I'm gonna tear your
fucking face off in here.
Now here, take this bullshit
and get the fuck out my face.
Go get my money.
Peace, King. Peace.
What's happening?
Peace, brother. Hey.
That was really fucked up.
Yeah well, shit happens,
man, you know.
Dude gonna get schooled by
somebody somewhere,
so, you know,
I'm just charging
for the lessons, homie.
Expensive lesson.
Listen, you signed
up for the RTA program.
Yeah. Yeah.
And we have a few spots open.
Yeah, just like one
or two and that's it.
And we wanted to know
if you wanted to put
those acting skills
that we just saw down there
to some good use?
- What, that?
- Yeah.
Y'all thought that was acting?
Yeah, man.
You ain't seen nothing yet.
All right.
So why'd you sign up
for the program?
Yeah, you know, you got
some pretty volunteers
I saw up on that stage.
Chicks, y'all got up in here.
Yeah, man.
It's not really like that.
They're our colleagues.
Do I need a reason?
Do I really need a reason?
-Yeah.
- Well, we just...
I'm just asking you
to be honest.
- Honest, huh?
- Yeah.
All right.
Well, one day I came
across a book, man,
on keeplock in my cell,
so I ain't got
shit else to do.
So I got this book,
cracked it open
and some of the things
the brother was
saying in the book,
really resonated with me, man.
I mean, the brother said...
what'd the brother say?
He said, "When we are born,
"we cry because we're
born to a stage of fools."
And I said, yo,
whoever wrote this, man, had to
did a bid before, you know?
- Yeah.
- So...
King Lear just
fell off of a library cart
and you just happened to pick
it up and read a few pages.
Yeah. Shit funny, right?
- Yeah.
- Huh.
We'll be in touch.
All right.
Stay up.
Okay, he knows verse.
Yeah.
Two and a half hours?
He called me an old
man just a second ago.
- How much you want?
- What you got?
Yeah
man, I'm just holding uh...
Hello, everybody!
Good to see
some familiar faces.
For those of you
who don't know me,
my name is Brent and
I'll be at your service
as your director for
whatever you decide to do
for your upcoming production.
But there'll be plenty of
time for all that later.
Right now, let's just
warm ourselves up.
We're gonna warm up the space.
Warm up your instruments.
I want everybody
to start walking around
like you just won the lottery.
- Yeah!
- Whoo!
- Oh, yeah!
- Yeah!
How about a zombie,
what does a zombie walk like?
There! I like... Oh, that's...
Basehead,
that's all that is.
Some of your
best work, my friends!
Doh doh, doh doh doh doh
How about
if you're walking
- on some hot coals?
- Hot coals.
- Hot coals.
-Hot coals.
Gentlemen, congratulations
on Midsummer.
I mean, I gotta say
Shakespeare,
you guys did beautiful work.
You should all be proud.
Really.
-Not easy.
- Oh, yeah.
So have you decided
what's next?
We know what it won't be.
No more Shakespeare.
What? I like Shakespeare.
We can do West Side Story.
Not back to back.
Sacrifice?
Wizard of Oz?
August Wilson's good...
Why don't we do
one of Divine G's plays?
- Yes.
- Time we take it back
to one of our own.
-Please.
- Why don't we talk about it?
Nah.
I love that idea.
No, no, no.
I don't know about that.
I don't know about that.
Well, wait.
I... Oh, pressure's on.
Okay, well, how about, I
don't know if it's ready, but,
all right, I just,
I just finished one.
-Okay.
- Now that he just
put my business
in the streets.
It's called Fine Print.
It's a saga of Zabar Turner,
he's a record producer.
It's all about him
getting tricked
into giving up
his record studio
by a conniving Fast Freddy.
It's a story of the dangers
of overzealous ambition.
Mmm.
And how all relationships
under heaven contain...
Fine Print.
-There we go!
- I like it.
Fine Print!
You know what?
That sounds amazing.
So, have you guys decided?
Are we gonna take a vote here
or anybody else
have any ideas?
Oh, hold on, new man.
Yes, sir.
Yeah.
I don't mean to
step on anybody's toes
in here or nothing.
Or disrespect the group,
but do all the plays
have to be so serious?
Yo, what do you mean
by serious though?
I mean like every day we
dealing with trauma, drama.
Every day we got tragedy.
I mean, I think population
just might appreciate
a comedy.
How do you guys
feel about that?
Makes sense.
You got a comedy?
I ain't got a comedy,
I don't write comedies.
I got satires.
We never did it before.
What kind of
comedy would you propose?
I mean, would it
be a broad comedy
or something more
low key or...
I don't know, I'm just talking
about making people laugh.
Yeah, I understand,
but I'm just trying to
be more specific
in terms of like
what kind of comedy you want.
I mean,
that's just my opinion.
How about
a cowboy comedy?
There we go.
I always wanted
to do a western,
like Blazing Saddles
or something.
Egyptians!
Egyptian comedies?
We could sneak some
Shakespeare in there.
Hamlet.
Hamlet in the comedy?
Hamlet in the comedy.
All right.
We could do something
in the forest,
Robin Hood
or something like that?
- Peter Pan. Yeah.
- Yeah.
How about Jason?
Nightmare on Elm Street.
Could I ask a question?
Can someone name a comedy
that contains all that
bullshit that you just named?
We could do time travel.
Well now that is true.
I mean, with time travel,
we could put all
the things in there
that you guys are mentioning
and have a ton of roles.
Get more people up on stage
and maybe even
have a message in there
or not, I don't know.
What do you think
about that, G?
If you're not into it, I could
take a stab at writing it.
I think that's cool.
You take a...
You do it, you got it.
It's what everybody
else wants, right?
That's not really in my
wheelhouse, so you got it.
I'll tell you what,
I'll run it by Katherine
and if the script sucks,
we can always pivot to
something else, right?
All right.
Mike Mike, go ahead.
So Maestro,
we take it to a vote?
Yep.
Let's do it.
Let's go for it.
- Everybody?
- Raise your hand, Mike Mike.
Let's go.
Hey, man.
All right, done.
G, I've read
five drafts, at least,
of Fine Print front to back.
It is really solid, man.
And it could be funny.
I mean, you know, if you
do the right take on it.
It's a straight drama.
No point in trying to
change that, I mean, come on.
All right.
But maybe you got another
play that's funnier
and then we could run
it up for another vote?
Mike Mike, you know,
look, it's really okay.
I'm really good with it,
all right?
Okay.
Not gonna be pushy with you, man.
Maybe that knucklehead
is right.
Ah, man.
I mean, it'll take
the edge off around here.
It will be a lot easier
than all that dying
we normally do.
"Dying is easy. Comedy is hard."
A character actor said that.
I heard that from...
Brent told me that.
This shit gonna kill me.
All right, men.
Took everything you wanted,
and put it right in here.
It's got ancient Egypt,
pirates, Old West gunfights.
I even sprinkled a little
bit of the Black Plague
and Roman Gladiators in there
because at the time
it just seemed like
it was a good idea.
- Oh, yeah?
- Uh-huh.
All right.
Whoa.
147 pages?
In one weekend?
Well, I had a lot
to fit in there,
but it's got
a couple of dance numbers,
a couple of songs,
a Hamlet soliloquy.
But at the heart of the story,
it's all about an
Egyptian prince
who follows clues through
time to find his mummy.
Freddy in this?
Oh, Freddy is
definitely in this.
It'll make sense when you guys
start to read it, okay?
But while you're reading it,
I want you to pick out a
role that you identify with.
Now, the cast list
is on the board.
Pick a time slot.
There's enough in here
for everybody
to have at least one role.
Good afternoon.
My name is Dario Pena,
and I will be auditioning
for the role of Whiskerandos.
My name is Carmine.
I'm auditioning
for the part of Coal.
My name is Patrick Griffin,
they call me Preme.
I'm gonna read the role
of the ring announcer.
I'm D-Dan, reading
for the part...
Alotincommon.
"Now indeed, I am a prisoner.
"Yes.
"Now I feel the galling weight
of these disgraceful chains,
"which cruel Tilburina,
"thy doting captive
gloried in before."
"I'm tired of bashing guys'
brains out with mallets
"and ripping their hearts
out with my bare hands.
"I gotta get outta here."
My name is David James
Giraudy, also known as Dap.
And I'll be reading
for Leslie.
"Mummy, mummy, is that you?"
D-DAN: "Yes, son,
that is your mummy."
"Oh, mummy, mummy,
I miss you so."
"Draw your gun, Marshall.
"Point it at me
and pull the trigger.
"In the time it takes
"for your little bullet to
travel from there to here,
"I'll have ducked, rolled,
"and filled you
with so many holes
"that you'll whistle like
a steam kettle
"when the wind blows."
"Coal, prepare to meet
your maker."
There's no other lines.
You pull a carrot
and I pull a broccoli.
D-DAN: No, that's fine,
that's pretty good there.
- There's no lines.
- D-DAN: No, no, no.
You're absolutely right.
Everything's good.
"We like maiming,
flagellation,
"skewering and flailing.
"Nothing pleases us more
than to see an exposed liver
"or a popped eyeball."
"I'll duck, roll, and
fill you so full of holes,
"that you'll whistle
like a steam kettle
when the wind blows."
Hello, my name is
James Williams,
also known as Big E.
And I'm reading for the part
of the ring announcer.
And I'm six foot five.
I want you to
imagine yourself
in a coliseum, and I want
you to be a gladiator
fighting to the death,
not only for survival,
but for performance.
Survival?
And the performance,
as gladiators do.
I got this signature move,
you gotta wait for it.
What other roles
have you played
in other productions?
To be honest with y'all,
I lost count.
I could sit here and tell you
Chief Bromden, Stratford.
I was in Macbeth
as King Duncan.
I was in
The Silence of the Heart,
I was a police officer.
And I was the boss
in Of Mice and Men.
Once I played an angel.
Except that wasn't
here in RTA,
that was when I was
three years old.
I've been playing
a role my whole life, bro.
"To be or not to be.
"That is the question.
"Whether 'tis nobler
in the mind
"to suffer
the slings and arrows
"of outrageous fortune,
"or to take arms against
the sea of troubles
"and by opposing,
"end them.
"To die,
"to sleep,
"no more.
"And by asleep to say
we end the heartache
"and the thousand natural
shocks that flesh is heir to
"'tis a consummation
"devoutly to be wished.
"To die.
"To sleep.
"To sleep.
"Perchance to dream.
"Ay...
"there's the rub."
Thank you.
D-DAN: Divine,
can you step out please?
- Sure.
- D-DAN: Divine G.
Thank you.
D-DAN: We got someone
else reading for Hamlet.
I'm sorry, somebody else
is going out for Hamlet?
Divine Eye.
Okay. All right, thanks.
You're up.
You sounded
great in there. Intense.
Thank you, I appreciate it.
Hey, yo.
Can I ask you something?
-Anything.
- You wanted to do a comedy,
- right?
-Sure did.
Now we're doing a comedy.
And I'm excited.
And yet you're auditioning
for the only dramatic role
in the whole play.
Comedy's very difficult, man.
I don't wanna get up
on that stage
and get ya'd off
the stage, bro.
Hey, there my boys,
right here.
How about some Hamlet?
Whoa, Laurence Olivier.
Here we go.
I'd also like to note,
commissioners,
that I was a candidate
to become a New York City
police officer.
Yes, yes,
we see that in your packet.
We also see some other things.
Was this before you
decided to become
a rampaging drug dealer?
Well, sir, I only hustled that
one year after my accident.
And, my God...
Mike Mike, can you please
stop messing around
with that paddle, I can't...
- I'm listening.
- But I can't focus
when you're not giving
the whole vibe.
You know what, my bad.
I got you.
I'll do the commissioner
voice this time, everything.
- Man.
- All right?
All right. Come on, come on.
Listen up, Whitfield.
The commission is not here
to talk about what
you could have been.
We're here to talk about
who you really are.
It says here that you were
in some sort of enterprise
called Mix Machine, some sort
of criminal organization?
No, sir, it is not a
criminal organization.
I was a DJ.
- A DJ?
- Yeah, yeah.
Well, I bet you was
funky as hell!
Weren't you? Admit it.
Admit it! You was funky.
You was funky.
Did you, did you pop lock?
- Did you pop lock?
- Ga ga!
- Zz-zz-zz.
- Kah, kah.
All right gentlemen,
I need your attention
and your bodies.
- Form a circle.
- RTA!
Let's go.
Thank you, men. Thank you.
C'mon D-Dan.
D-Dan!
This one's asleep.
What's up?
Let's get to work,
let's get busy.
We're gonna do
a character exercise.
I'm gonna pick somebody out.
They're gonna come to
the center of the circle,
introduce yourself
as your character,
in that character's voice
and then hand it off
to the next actor.
You sir, are number one, first.
Alotincommon,
the Egyptian high priest.
Get it. Get it.
I guess
I'm fucking Gravedigger.
What's the matter,
Gravedigger?
Freddy's claws got
you tongue tied?
Freddy! Oh, I am... no.
I am Leslie,
the Egyptian prince.
Okay, can I start a cuss?
Because I am Startacuss!
No, I am Start... man.
I'm the gunslinger Coal.
The rootin' tootin',
carrot totin', shootin',
you know.
I am Gladiator Goliathan.
And I'm Zakariedies.
If you want to play
in the coliseum,
you gotta see me.
And I am Captain Hook.
Arr, arr.
Hit it.
I'm Prince Hamlet of Denmark.
Oh!
Hold on, back off now,
come on now.
We just saw Divine Eye.
We wanna see Prince Hamlet.
Bring it, come on.
I am Prince Hamlet of Denmark.
- D-DAN: There we go.
-All right.
It's gonna get better,
it's gonna get better.
Yes, sir.
I got a question
about my character.
I mean,
wouldn't he be freaked out
by some dude
from ancient Egypt
time traveling
all the way into like
the middle of the ocean?
And do we even have
a common language?
- Language?
- Well, good questions.
Remember, it's a comedy.
So we can take some liberties
and have some fun with it.
You can make it up.
Yeah, we're gonna
have some fun with it.
I'll tell you what, we can
workshop it when we get to it,
- when we get to it...
- I have a question.
-Yes, sir.
- Can't let this go. I'm sorry.
We gotta talk about
this time travel.
Is it gonna be a wormhole?
I mean, we're gonna
breach the fabric of time?
Like what kind of effect is it
gonna have on a human body?
- Gentlemen, again...
- Brent, hold up.
All good questions,
but you know...
Go ahead.
Hey, all right you guys.
All right, just listen.
Okay, listen, you guys,
you wanna do a
cowboy play, all right.
Somebody right here
wanna do ancient Egypt
and somebody, for
God knows reason,
threw in Freddy Krueger,
all right. He did.
- So how...
-I just got the role,
- I didn't ask for it...
- Okay, well anyway,
it doesn't matter. But how was
Brent supposed to get
all of that in here?
He did it, right? He delivered.
I think we should just
focus on the scenes.
Look at the emotion of it,
the arcs,
and the work
will take care of itself.
- Fair.
- Well said.
Trust the process.
You are correct, sir.
- Thank you, G.
- Sure.
Okay, that's just great.
So, why don't we
start with your scene.
- Gotcha.
- MIKE MIKE Ooh.
I'm really tired of
this miserable profession.
I don't want to be all
mean and tough no more.
I'd like to be
gentle and kind.
Really?
Me too.
Look, I'm trying to escape,
but my boss has threatened to
kill me, my wife, and kids.
My boss too.
Why, I've been trying
to organize the guys
for like forever!
Let's break out.
Let's.
Amazing.
Amazing!
You see that shit?
You see that shit?
I made some choices,
I made some choices.
Come on.
There you go.
I made some choices.
Ooh!
All right.
So, who's next?
- Yeah, I got that.
- You got it. Come on.
We're doing Shakespeare.
-Get it.
- Yeah, come on. We got you.
Fuck this shit, man.
- Did I miss something? What?
- That's it?
That's all right, men.
We're just gonna
trust the process here.
That's all right. We're here
to support each other.
Who's next?
Who's next? Come on.
Come on, Dap. Let's go.
It's hard to follow him,
but all right.
That's all right.
What's up, what's up? Peace.
Son, get that money, son,
you heard?
All right, men. Let's take five!
Yo, yo, yo, Eye.
Let me holler at you
for a minute.
All right.
Yo, want you to
check some shit out.
Five means five.
It does not mean 15,
like Mike Mike.
Man, this is my spot.
Look at that, you can see
everything out there.
Yo, Eye, I just wanted to say
I recognize that you're
a little frustrated
with the way
things are going...
I'm not frustrated with shit.
Them exercises
is goofy as fuck.
Yeah, they are goofy as fuck.
But there's an intention to
them, you know what I mean?
I feel like it helps you get
some depth. Helps you find a...
Is this the speech you
give all the new guys?
I'm not trying
to give you a speech.
Listen, I already
know what you're doing,
know who you are,
what you about, bro.
- What?
- You wanna run around here
herding everybody up
with the little lessons,
and you call all the shots
and all that.
That's all good and all that.
But I'm not here for that.
I ain't come here for that.
I know you got a
knife in your waistband.
Of course.
Brother.
This fucking program is all
these motherfuckers got.
Makes them feel like they can
get the fuck up outta here.
If not literally out there,
out there in here.
Don't take that away
from them, all right?
And a knife in your waistband
will be the first thing
to make sure this
shit fucking crumbles.
You don't get to fucking
tell me what I need in prison.
You don't get to do that,
nobody do.
Nobody take care of me.
Nobody do nothing
for me or mines.
So don't tell me what to do
and don't bring me in no
fucking dark corners no more.
This shit make
a nigga nervous, you heard?
We don't use nigga in here.
We use beloved.
You feel me on that?
Where's Blaze?
Anybody seen Blaze?
Blaze?
Blaze in five building.
They been keeplocked all day.
What about Divine Eye,
is he in five building?
Nah,
Divine Eye is in A block
but I don't know
where he's at.
You could send Dap
to get him though.
Only place to catch
a breeze, man.
How's your girl doing?
The little one?
Growing up, I guess.
Yeah.
When's the last time
you talked to her?
Oh...
I don't count those days, G.
Gentlemen,
I'd like you to go to
your most perfect spot.
Perfect moment.
Do you hear anything?
Are there any sounds?
Are you with somebody?
What is the temperature?
Are you inside?
Are you outside?
Now, just hold
that feeling tone.
Hold it.
Remember it.
Savor it.
All right men, you can
open your eyes.
Does anyone wanna describe
where they just were?
Blaze?
So, I'm sitting in seven
building yard on a bench
that overlooks
the Hudson River.
And on the other side
of that yard
or the other side of that
water, actually, is my mother.
And I know that sometimes
she goes down that mountain
and looks over the water
to where I am at Sing Sing.
And for me, just looking
out at the water,
I gain my peace
because I see the waves
and they're peaceful
and it gives me something
to focus on.
June of 1972,
my wife and I had a picnic
by the lake in Prospect Park.
That's the first time I ever
told my wife I love her.
If anybody here knows,
we bought Manhattan Specials.
You know what
a Manhattan Special is?
It's coffee soda, comes in
glass bottles about this big.
We bought four of them,
I love that stuff.
And we went to Prospect Park.
And, uh, we went by the lake.
And six months ago
I lost that.
She passed away from
pancreatic cancer.
Boy am I gonna miss her.
Summer, 1977.
It's hot.
Water ice truck coming
down the street.
Mom gives me 25 cents
and I go running down
the street to get it.
It taste all cool in your mouth.
What flavor?
Cherry, I love cherry.
Mouth all red.
Spending time with
my son and my daughter.
Just watching 'em grow,
living their life, you know?
90 degree weather,
cutting grass in the backyard
to a point where
I'm just so exhausted
and I just lay back
and I smell the fresh grass
I just cut and I'm dozing off
and my dog come
licking sweat off my face.
Every summer, my mother
sent me to Baltimore
with my uncles and they only
a few years older than me.
And it was a sense of freedom
'cause my mother wasn't
looking over my shoulder.
I tried to do one about
the islands, you know?
My grandma would always tell
us about the islands.
The islands, that's where
our people are from.
Couldn't do it, Maestro.
I ain't never been there.
Ain't never been there,
and I'm not gonna get there.
This is real.
I'm stuck in this space.
But if I'm gonna be
stuck in a space
I guess I'll do it
with you suckers.
Payasos.
In here it's all right,
get a little release.
So I guess this is my space.
I think you guys
are becoming actors.
Just being real with
each other and vulnerable.
It's something men don't
really get to do too often.
To be, or not to be
that is the question.
Whether 'tis nobler
in the mind to suffer
the slings and arrows
of outrageous fortune
or to take arms...
- Bro, what's up?
-What's up?
Why you walking
behind me, bro?
I'm supposed to be
walking behind you.
- Bro, all this room right here?
- Why don't you just do what
- the hell you're supposed to?
- All this room right here
- and you gotta...
- That's his blocking.
Bro, I'm saying this the shit
niggas wanna do in the yard
Focus on what
you're supposed to.
That's what I'm supposed to do, man.
Bro listen, don't be doing shit
- you wouldn't be doing
in the yard.
- Or what?
- Put your fucking
hands down man.
- The fuck you talking about,
-"put my hands down"?
- You heard
- what the fuck I said man.
- Enough!
Yo, Eye.
I used to be a keeplock
monster, man,
consumed in my own anger.
'Til one morning in breakfast,
the guy sitting
across from me,
someone stepped behind him
and he cut him ear to ear.
And we all sat there
as the blood flew
across our clothes
and our faces,
and we pretended
that was normal.
Brother, we're here to
become human again.
To put on nice clothes
and dance around.
And enjoy the things that
is not in our reality.
All right,
you remember your mark?
Yeah,
I'm supposed to be standing
next to the Gravedigger
then Marion and Leslie
come outta nowhere.
Materialize from nowhere.
All right, somebody's gonna
walk behind you eventually,
act like it don't bother you,
that's all.
Now let's go, you know
your first line, let's go.
Let's run it again.
Come on man.
Fuck it.
Use the whole thing.
There you go.
Sweep through.
Yeah, same thing.
I'm focused.
You were doing great...
Why aren't you up there?
They're not rehearsing
any scenes I'm in today.
So you just drifted on in, yeah?
Yeah, I sure did.
Okay.
What's those notes?
What notes?
Those notes.
These... just some things
I'm working on
to help some brothers out.
Get healthier food
around here.
And then some
litigation business.
Hmm.
That's dope.
You got any kids?
Wait, so you just gonna be
all in my business today?
Is that what today is?
All right.
Yeah, I got kids.
Two girls and a boy.
What's their names?
Divequa, Dinasia and Karron.
Karron is the boy, he was born
right when I got in here.
So, uh, you know.
He actually wants
to be an actor,
like this bunch of nuts.
He's doing YouTube videos
and stuff.
What about your girls?
They, uh, they have
their own lives.
Yeah?
When I started this bid,
my son was real young, man.
You know, the homies in the
hood, they took care of him.
'Cause that's my son.
Rolled out the
red carpet for him.
Anything he wanted,
treated him well.
Then it wasn't long
before he started doing the
same things I was doing.
Putting in the same kind
of pain I was putting in.
And now he's in prison,
just like me.
Wearing greens, just like me.
Line?
You're looking through
the wrong end of the eyeglass.
Seems like
I'm not the only one, huh?
Nah.
He doesn't know that there's
tricks to learning lines.
Tricks?
Yeah.
What?
Yeah.
What's the tricks?
Everybody has
a different process.
Some people like me,
I write out
every single one of my lines.
You know what I mean?
That's the way I know
how to digest it.
Some people, and it might be
helpful for you
to just underline
every action,
every active word, right?
Take it little by little
and break it down.
Eventually, you know,
you start
paraphrasing a little bit,
but then it'll all start
to make some sense.
You know what I'm saying?
And then you sort of like
break it down, you know,
like how you would
eat an elephant.
You wouldn't swallow
that thing whole, right?
You would just...
take every little bite,
bite, bite, bite.
And then it all makes
more sense.
I think I learned some of that
in the law library.
You know what I mean?
Some of these cases
are so in depth,
you know, especially like
preparing for my
clemency hearing.
I mean, I gotta like
break it all down.
Yeah, I heard you
found a tape or something
that proves your innocence?
Yeah, man,
it took me 10 years but...
- Mmm-hmm.
- ...I got it.
So you don't need no good luck
or nothing, man.
You already got
the golden goose.
I hope so, I think I do.
- I hope so, man. I hope so.
- Yeah.
Um, what about you?
I don't mean to be
in your business,
but I did look at the docket
and I saw that you have
a parole hearing coming up.
Yeah.
Hey listen,
I gotta hit the yard.
Take care of a little bit
of business, all right?
Peace.
Yeah, if I can be of any,
um, help...
Yep.
All right.
To die,
to sleep,
to sleep,
perchance to dream.
Ay, there's the rub.
Okay, you wanna
take that again?
Why, did I do something wrong?
No, no, no,
we're just working at it.
But, I'll tell you what,
let's try something here.
As long as we're not eating
no fucking elephants
or nothing.
Okay, I don't know what
that means, but I won't.
Let's start from the
very beginning,
- okay?
- To be...
I don't mean the beginning
here on your mark,
I mean in the wings.
That's where it begins.
So I want you
to go back there.
I want to see you come on
the stage with Hamlet's...
You're in Hamlet's world
and you're bringing that
all the way to your mark.
And then you say your line.
Let's try it.
It's the moment before, guys.
- To be...
- Hold up, did you do it?
Because we all fell asleep.
Ooh!
You ain't see me just
walk from over there?
I saw you walk out here
like a man who's
asking this audience
for permission to be here.
I wanna see
Hamlet come out here,
take the stage and say,
"Hey! It's time to start
paying attention to me."
- You have to show...
- Ah, Brent, Brent.
-Yes, G?
- Do you mind if I...?
Please.
Cool. Watch. All right.
Yo, Eye.
The world expects
brothers like you and I,
all these brothers, to walk in
with our heads held down,
you know, apologizing
for being there.
Now, what you gotta walk in
- is like a motherfucking king!
-Ooh!
Like you own all this shit.
Everything is yours.
So you want me
to do it right now?
Right now.
Yeah.
Fucking...
I'm the fucking king, nigga.
Like the yard, but bigger.
I'm Divine fucking Eye!
Yeah.
Yeah.
I own this fucking theater.
This is my fucking theater.
-I own this bitch!
- I own all this shit.
That's it, yeah.
Now give him some love,
give him some love.
All right, all right,
that's enough.
All right, now, what's your
emotional state?
What's underneath that?
Mad as a motherfucker.
Okay.
No, no, no. Okay.
Anger is the easiest thing
to play.
Am I right, Brent?
Too easy.
What's more
complicated is to play hurt.
That helps you name the thing,
all right?
Now try that. All right.
From the top.
There you go, Brent. Ha!
Guys, the superintendent's
got some big money
sitting out in these
seats tonight.
Money that can get us
new stage curtains.
Ooh.
I need you guys to melt
their faces off with this.
- Okay?
- Yeah, yeah.
We gonna
beat 'em down? Oh, no.
I want you to be savage.
So let's go.
Let's go!
Sure. All right. Okay.
Let's go. Come on.
Come on, man.
Take this sacred amulet
with you for your protection.
You will need it one day
before the end
of your journey, young man.
Scooch to the right a little.
I'm on my mark, bro.
Scooch your fucking light.
We can move the mark a little,
we can move
the mark a little bit.
We're gonna move the mark.
Just a skosh.
Dick.
This headband is not Egyptian.
It's clearly Phoenician.
- Really?
- Yes.
I'll talk to props. Thank you.
Cucumbers? Eggplant?
Come on, Brent,
I need six shooters.
E, that's why it's funny.
They're expecting
to see six shooters.
You pull out vegetables,
it's a comedy!
You'll need it before
the journey's end.
Let's be gone, young one.
Oh, take this amulet man.
Wear this shit,
it's gonna protect you.
You gonna need it before
the end of the journey.
Let's get the fuck outta here,
let's go.
Ah.
Ah.
- Oh!
- Motherfucker...
Thank you.
Well, uh,
thanks for coming.
You see the look on the one
with the hair like this?
She was not having us.
I think they cursed us.
We don't really need
those curtains anyway.
We sure worked hard
for it though.
Shut the fuck up.
Can't believe that
you picked that scene.
But they loved it.
Oh!
Shit.
This is good. This might work.
Yo, how about this for you, man?
Here you go.
Bam.
What's up? You all right?
Yeah.
It's just,
my slings and arrows
on the inside
and all this make believe
acting and college degrees...
It don't really change
the fact I'm a gangster
and that's my destiny.
That's what's waiting for me
on the outside, bro.
It's like Hamlet.
All he wants is Maid Marion,
and he'll go against
the whole Greek army.
But to what end?
What?
Oh, shit. I'm sorry.
I keep forgetting
how different
this version of Hamlet is
from the original.
Yo. What I...
what I do know,
if I don't know anything,
is you're an artist.
This is just bringing
out parts of yourself
that has been hidden,
you know, remained dormant.
Just go for it, trust it.
All right? Leave all the
other shit behind.
Go full out.
Try something new,
get into some shit like this.
No, I'm not gonna never
get into no shit like this.
Why the fuck you ain't
gonna get in this?
This is fucking regal,
it's a prince.
How about this? Look.
How about that with the towel?
- Nah, it's not my thing.
- All right, well,
that's all right.
A towel?
Come on, bro.
All right, well, how about...
- Find something for me, man.
- I don't know.
Something I could rock, man.
Yo. How about this?
How about this? Look.
That's kind of funky.
I might could do
something with that.
All right.
- I might could rock that.
- There you go.
All right.
Either this or the towel,
I think.
I think this towel might-
Come on, bro, why you keep
trying to put me in the towel?
I told you this right here, man.
Who next? Who next?
Wait, I thought
you were gonna
do some shit next.
You gotta do that.
- Whoa.
- Oh!
That one, that one!
Ba da cha da da
- Cha
- Hey, lock it up, lock it up.
Lock it up.
Lock it! Lock it!
Lock it! Lock it!
Lock it! Ah!
Yeah!
Let's go, let's go, let's go.
Go, go, go, go.
Blaze, what about you?
There you go.
Whoa!
- Uh-oh!
- Uh-oh!
Go Brent. Go Brent.
No man, I'm too white!
Go Brent, go Brent!
To be
or not to be.
That is the question.
Whether 'tis nobler
in the mind to suffer
the slings and arrows
of outrageous fortune,
or to take arms against
the sea of troubles
and by opposing, end them.
To die.
To sleep.
And by asleep to say we end
the thousand natural heartaches
that flesh is heir to.
'Tis a consummation
devoutly wished.
To die.
To sleep.
To sleep,
perchance,
perchance...
Line?
Yo!
The champ is here!
Where Brent at?
Where Brent at? Hey Brent,
how'd I do, Brent?
You did it!
Ooh, wee!
Listen, I don't mean to
step on your toes or nothing,
but I know
you haven't had time
to prepare for your
- parole board hearing.
-Mmm-hmm.
- So I took the liberty to, uh...
-Liberty?
...do some prep work.
Man, what I told you
the last time
we talked about this shit?
Oh, come on, man.
All you gotta do is, like,
fill out the essay
and I just need some
addresses that I don't have.
Listen man,
how you sitting up here
with all this faith
in the system?
The system don't
give a fuck about us.
The system that's trying
to keep you in here.
Even with all the evidence
that you got
to prove your innocence.
What do I got bro?
I got nothing.
They gonna slam me.
What you trying
to tell me? They got you?
- Who got me?
- Letting you think
that you belong in here.
- No, man.
- They got you.
Well, what I got out there?
All my people in here.
My son is in here, shit.
Sometimes I think
this might be the best place
for me right now.
No, no. Don't say that shit.
Don't say that.
That's what they
want you to think.
They want you
to think you some
motherfucking lapdog
or some shit.
When you're not that
and you know you're not that.
You know who you are?
You know who you are?
Let me remind you,
you're a motherfucking wolf.
All right?
A wolf.
Yo, listen man,
I heard sometimes
you might not even
get a decision.
You sitting on your bunk
waiting and waiting and shit.
Not the truth, not the truth.
What they give you
is a letter.
Thick as a brick,
you keeping your ass here.
Light as a feather,
you're free.
- Yeah?
-Yeah.
I do all that shit right
there, man, and it don't work?
You try again.
And again.
And again. And again.
- Yeah?
-Yeah.
Well, how long
this essay gotta be?
That's my boy. That's my boy.
Come on.
They better let me out
off this bullshit too.
Come on. Come on.
I can't sleep.
It's too hot.
You're too hyped.
It's the play, man.
Shit is wild, right?
Yeah.
Space and time and histories.
And, I still haven't
cracked that whole
time portal thing, but...
you know
what's really fun though?
What?
Playing all those
characters and names
in one piece,
'cause that's me, man.
That's my whole life.
It's like the name game thing.
You remember Role Call?
My name is...
Yeah, but that's
what all the girls did.
No, man, everybody
did that. Except for me.
- I couldn't do it.
- Why?
Name was
too damn long.
Wait, wait, wait.
What's your whole name, man?
Come on, man,
my government name?
- Do I know your... Wait.
-Yeah.
How many... What?
My Christian name, Miguel
Francisco Benjamin Garcon.
Benjamin? Is that
like Arabic or something?
Benjamin.
Come on, man, you don't
know Spanish for shit.
I mean, we're islanders.
So I guess it
could be anything.
But, you know, the only thing
I answered to
growing up, though,
Miguelito.
That's what my
grandmother called me.
Miguelito.
She was my word and my God, man.
Miguelito. Mm-hmm.
You remember the clique
I came with, right?
There was two Mikes.
So they thought it was, like,
Mike and then I was Mike Mike.
But nah.
You know, G, that came
from outside, from before.
When I used to be high, high.
They say, "Mike do his dope
for Mike."
And then he always
come right back again
and do more dope for Mike,
so Mike Mike.
Yeah, man.
That shit was so nice,
I had to do it twice.
Yeah.
And more.
And more.
Hoo.
I was fucked up.
I really did fuck up, man.
That was the one thing
that broke my grandma.
Drugs and me.
But that's me, man.
That's what I work on in here.
That's why I'm good in here.
I mean,
I'm here...
and I'm good.
You know
they called me...
a couple names
in the neighborhood.
They called me Mix Machine.
- Yeah.
-My DJ name.
Yep.
And then
they called me, uh...
you know, they call me
Divine G in here,
but they called me
Davey at home.
Davey.
Yeah, Davey,
when I was at the Fame school.
The High School of Performing
Arts in Manhattan.
- Ooh.
-For dancing.
You mean the Irene Cara thing?
So you was Leroy?
No, I wasn't Leroy,
but there were a whole
lot of Leroys there.
But let me tell you, those
Leroys could dance and fight.
- Okay?
-You danced?
Me and my boys. What?
-You danced too?
- Yeah, I danced.
I danced modern and ballet.
-Hmm, tutus...
- And ballet
was not what you think
it is, all right?
- Ballet is like...
-The tutus
- and everything, right?
- ...disciplined.
It is, um... It's physical.
It's strong. It's like
football, to be honest.
It takes a lot of focus
and dedication.
Man, I used to love to do that.
But I couldn't because I
had to fight every day.
Once the fellas found out
in the neighborhood,
I'd be fighting every
time I went home, man.
"Yo,
"you wear them tights.
Yo, faggot, whatever."
Like, everybody
thinks something about you
just because you dance.
I gave it up, man.
Man, the things you give up.
Yeah, I miss it.
Man... if I only
stayed with it, man.
I ain't thinking
about that, you know,
you can't look back.
What if I kept, what if I did?
Mike Mike?
Oh, man.
All right, I listen to
your bullshit stories
about being called
Benjamin and whatnot.
Good night.
Yeah, I'm still here.
Where's the body?
I don't know, they
bagged it before my shift.
Didn't have
much property so...
Well,
don't be late for lunch.
I ain't gonna
wait on you all day.
Yeah, I know.
I could understand
a person hanging up.
I could even understand
a person getting stabbed.
But a brain aneurysm?
I don't get it.
You know, when they called me
down to the chapel
and let me know
my mom had passed,
I sat in the audience
while RTA
was putting on a show.
Mike Mike was on stage,
you know,
every performance after that,
I came down and watched him.
Mike Mike brought me in.
I guess Mike Mike's gonna
finally visit the Island.
Is there
anything you need
to talk about, bro?
Everything that needed to be
said got said, right?
I'm only asking,
bro, because you ain't
having much to say when
we was in the circle.
What's that supposed to mean?
G, I don't mean no disrespect
or nothing.
I'm always here
for you, if you ever need me.
I got a dozen letters to
write to his family tonight.
What I need to do right now
is finish with these chairs.
All right, man, listen,
my bad. Peace.
Ahoy, mateys!
I think I spy a ship
on the horizon.
Nah, that's not a ship.
It's a sailboat.
No, no, no, Mom.
That's not what I'm saying.
But you just have to tell them
that they can't
talk to you like that.
That's all I'm trying to say.
Well, if you're not gonna
do anything about it
then I don't even know
why we're...
I don't know why we're talking
about it then, all right?
Just let them
run over you then.
Oh, man. Ma, I'm sorry.
No, no, I'm not nervous.
I'm just ready for it
to be done.
I'm just, you know,
just waiting.
I'm just ready to see you, Mom.
I'm ready to see you.
Mr. Whitfield.
This is a clemency hearing
for your conviction of
murder in the second
as well as weapons possession.
Two counts on each,
25 to life.
Two to seven, and
five to 15 respectively.
That is correct.
Okay.
I will note at the outset
that we were able to acquire
the sentencing minutes
and they will be considered
as well as your parole packet.
Yes.
But we are talking about
the March 25th, 1988 homicide
of Randall Birch.
He had been shot many times
in the head and body, correct?
As far as I understand.
And in terms of this offense,
you have exhausted
your appeals.
- Yes.
-You had
the Innocence Project
look at it.
Legal Aid.
You hired an investigator.
Apparently you've raised
other issues of, um,
prosecutorial and police
department misconduct.
And there were some other
exculpatory statements
made by another person
that were never given
to you for your trial.
Another man confessed
to the crime on that tape,
but it was buried along
with other key evidence.
Yes, and that's
part of the issue.
It's been next to impossible
for us
to authenticate the validity.
The person who
made it is deceased
and we can't get the DA's
office to return our calls.
I don't know how...
what I can...
You
understand that this creates
a complicated legal issue,
don't you?
- Yes. But I...
- Since you've been in custody,
you've been involved
in numerous programs.
It's too long a list
for me to go through.
But I do have a question
about the theater program.
You've been involved in that
many years, have you not?
Yes. Uh, yes ma'am.
I am a founding member
of this program.
It's something
I'm very proud of.
And what part do you play
in this program?
Actor? Director?
Well, we all do a few things.
I'm on what is called
the Steering Committee.
We make a lot of decisions
for how it operates, and...
from time to time
I do act, like we all do,
and um... it's been a program
that was established
to help the population
with management skills.
And it's turned into something
a bit more, I don't know,
wonderful,
because it helps people
get more in touch
with their feelings
and able to process
and actually move through
and truly get
some rehabilitation.
So are you acting at all
during this interview?
Absolutely not. Uh...
I truly hope that
you can understand
that I've been very sincere.
I know how meaningful this is.
I would never...
Actually, that's not
the intention of acting.
Acting is just to, you know, process.
I read about the program.
It's a good program.
Okay.
Any other questions
from the board?
Well, thank you,
Mr. Whitfield.
We'll take all of this
into account
and deliver our decision
in two weeks.
You're going home.
Yeah.
I can hardly believe it.
It don't even seem real.
What about you?
I wouldn't even be here
without you, beloved.
Thank you for everything.
C'mon,
they're waiting for you.
The tree costume
is great.
This looks perfect,
don't lose any of those.
Reach for the sky, Marshall.
You look just like Gary
Cooper, you know that?
- My lady!
- Hey!
You've arrived!
- So good to have you here.
- Oh, it's so good to see you.
- We'll talk? We'll talk later.
- Yeah. Yeah.
We got it.
Ah!
I told you I was no ghoul.
I'm happy as the
Gravedigger now.
Thank you.
15 years since
I put on a suit.
And you look good champ
but can I get this mirror?
Take this sacred amulet
and wear it.
You will need it before
your journey's end.
Well, we made it.
Still a lot more work to do.
Dress rehearsal, this is when
you guys get to grow.
It's when the director
kind of lets go
and lets you guys take over.
So don't be afraid
to try things.
No acting allowed.
A lot of listening,
let's listen to each other.
Let's support each other.
I want to thank you guys
for trusting the process.
I know we're thinking
about Mike Mike right now.
And I want you to know,
I got a feeling Mike Mike
has not left the building.
So we're gonna do this
for Mike Mike.
Let's go, man.
Bring it on in here.
- Bring it in.
-Everybody.
-All right. Yep. Yep.
- We got it?
One, two, three.
RTA!
- Yeah. Yeah.
-Whoo!
I am Alotincommon.
I am the high priest of Egypt
from the year...
Hell, it was a long time ago.
Sweet Egyptian
Princess Neotali
has been the victim
of a murder,
a crime most foul.
She was a good mummy,
to her little one she named,
Leslie.
Mummy?
Mummy? Is that you?
Oh, Mummy, I miss you so.
Now I am a prisoner.
Yes.
Now I feel the galling weight
of these disgraceful chains.
And so
the young lovers set out
on their journey seeking
something black and white,
above water and sky.
Oy!
I think I found
her here, guv'nor.
What a pretty mess
she turned out to be.
Wait.
Keep this with you always.
Keep it near to your heart,
so that you'll always
remember me.
Yo, these are mine.
My bad.
Zakariedies' got me locked
into a 25 year
no pay contract.
If I don't do what he says
and be his
number one gladiator,
he's gonna kill my wife
and daughters,
and feed me to the lions.
Line?
We sure could
have used you
for some serious backup.
Why, we sure could use
you for some serious backup.
Yeah, we sure coulda used
you for some serious backup.
And then I say...
Never fear!
Gladiator Goliathan is here.
I'll smash 'em and bash 'em,
whether short or tall.
Got it?
And then I come out and
say the most profound line.
If you help me escape,
consider it done.
And remember everybody
say it like it's really funny,
'cause it's a comedy.
Ha, ha, ha.
It's a fucking comedy, yeah.
Uh.
Okay, men.
- Let's take five.
- Why?
Why Brent?
Like it's gonna
fucking matter?
Like we're gonna
get any fucking better?
Like he's gonna remember
any fucking line he has?
You tell us to trust
the fucking process, right?
Well, the process is fucked!
I think we need
more than five, Brent,
for him to learn
his fucking lines.
Hey, c'mon, brother.
Let's take a walk.
Yo, get the fuck off of me.
The fuck you gonna do?
You gonna step? You wanna step?
Yeah?
What the fuck
are you wearing, man?
What the fuck are we doing?
This silly bullshit we do
every fucking six months,
as if it fucking matters, man.
And we're still fucked.
We're still right back
where we fucking start.
Are you done?
No.
I'm not done.
Isn't that fucking hilarious?
Yo, this is gonna set
us back for how long now?
He walked away.
He just walked away.
You can't do that.
We're all going through stuff.
This is about
acting professionally.
We're in the middle
of a production.
We all have breaking points.
Listen, we all understand
breaking points.
We've all been through
our own breaking points,
yet we show up and we do
what we have to do.
You have to.
So I want you to
picture in your mind's eye
a very dear and old friend
that you haven't seen
for a very long time,
but you'd love
to see him again.
So what does that look like?
And what does he look like?
Is he taller now or shorter?
Does he still got
the same haircut?
Maybe he needs a shave.
Maybe he looks a little bit
different, a little bit older.
We're all getting older.
Have that brotherly feeling
of love and safeness.
What would that be like?
Should be joyful.
Should be wonderful.
You know?
Just to be with that person
one more time.
You can open your eyes now.
Was it me?
Oh, what's good, boys?
Oh, man, it's good to see y'all.
Yo, good to see you, man.
Dapper Dapper,
you still here, bro?
Tell us
what's going on outside, man.
Oh, man.
The world, man.
I get up, 4:30
I'm in that bakery, man.
Pumping out donuts,
cheesecake. Grinding.
But, man, I take so much joy
in just being out at night,
you know what I'm saying?
Like, it's summertime,
10 o'clock at night,
you know what I mean?
You go to the basket and still
seeing kids out there.
Remember how we used
to play ball at night?
Like, you go to
the schoolyard
or wherever at night
and play ball and whatnot.
Bam, I just walk past.
See the...
Oh, man, you know.
But then my greatest joy,
my greatest joy, right?
It's washing my car,
going to the car wash,
getting that baby
spit fine clean,
finding me a destination.
Go grab my dog,
put my road dog on the side,
throw my jazz on,
hit the road at 60,
throw that cruise on
and let everything else go.
I got up the other day, man,
at two o'clock in the morning
and made some pancakes
and grits and shit
just because I could.
That feel good as hell.
On another note though, right?
I just had to put my dog down.
Hey.
I had a 85 pound red nose
pit bull named Girly.
That bitch,
all she wanted to do,
she thought she was a lap dog.
She just wanna lay in your lap
and eat Scooby snacks.
You know what I'm saying?
She just wanna play.
But, um, she was sick
and I didn't know.
And so,
her nose started bleeding.
She was...
She was the only one
that was really
happy to see me
when I walked
through the door.
You know what I mean?
She, uh...
She looked... the day that
we had to put her down,
I couldn't really...
I couldn't go.
'Cause I'm not gonna watch
nobody walk my dog off.
She was suffering,
she was suffering.
This emotional
rollercoaster, man, is really...
it's really something else.
And it don't hit you at first
'cause everything is...
Everything is lovely.
You know what I mean?
It's cotton candy, baby.
You know, peaches and cream.
First years out, you get...
It's exciting
getting to know them.
But then, you know,
you settle down.
You find out you
got these feelings, man.
And everybody want a piece
of your feelings, you know?
And because you care,
you open up.
And that's when the hurting
come on in, you know.
But, uh, yeah,
Brent asked me to come in
'cause y'all got this
production coming up
and here I am
with all this heavy shit
sucking the air
out of the room, right?
- Oh, man. But listen...
-It's all right.
It's real.
Yeah.
I appreciate that, man.
So on that vein, yo...
But you think maybe like
we could do a exercise
or something so I could be
reinvigorated, re-energized?
Definitely, man,
let's get up on our feet.
This ain't no goddamn
sewing circle, come on.
Yeah, that's
what I'm talking about.
So let's shake up this
space for brother Charlie.
Let's walk around,
let's walk around here.
Let's walk it out...
What it's like when the air
is really heavy and hot?
You know, I was artistic
as a kid, you know.
Used to draw, paint... like
those little geese right there
and everything.
Man.
That was dope.
Yeah, man.
Mom used to try
to tell me to paint a lot
and I skipped over that.
You know where
that landed me, so...
I got a label.
Everybody perceived me to be
a thug, a gangster, whatever.
And that kind of like
put me in a box
and you don't have a box.
Everywhere I saw you
at in the jail,
you always was Divine G
and you was free to be that
because you
didn't have a label.
And I see that
you need help, bro.
But you won't ask for it.
You got all of us here,
man. We love you, bro.
We gonna do anything
we can for you.
But you refuse to extend your
hand to ask for help, bro.
As many brothers as you
helped in here.
I fucked up.
Yeah, you did,
you fucked up.
But, you know, we all know you.
We all love you
and we took a vote.
Yeah, everybody's willing
to take you back right now
under one condition.
What is that?
Well...
you gotta, you gotta admit
wholeheartedly,
possibly even in writing
that I murdered that
Hamlet scene, bro.
I mean listen, man,
the dude Shakespeare is
in his grave right now.
He rolled over
just to hear that magic
I put on that thing, man.
You did your thing, beloved.
Yes, I did, beloved.
Everybody, let's just
take a cleansing,
deep breath.
Just let it all go.
Who would have thunk,
that the beginning of
the healing for this planet
would start right here
behind the walls of Sing Sing.
Anybody else have anything
they want to add right now?
Yes, sir.
Sometimes
it's just all a little
too much on the heart.
But that's no excuse.
And I hope that
you could forgive me.
Bring it in, RTA.
Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah.
Gimme those hands.
Gimme those hands.
- All right, all right.
- All right?
One, two, three.
RTA!
Yo, B block,
they was loving it.
Yeah, see, the comedy...
Comedies are different, man.
D-DAN: Yeah.
That was a little hard
but it was... it's different,
it had a different hit.
D-DAN: And Carmine, yo,
he came around in that
- Gravedigger, didn't he?
-Gravedigger, yeah.
He definitely did.
D-DAN: Yeah!
You're right about that.
Carmine did,
Blackseed, Winter, Tye.
All of them did their thing.
The cast stepped up.
Yeah, the cast definitely
stepped up.
And I still don't
understand time travel.
We did all that,
I still don't understand.
I don't think
we'll ever understand.
D-DAN: From pirates and... yeah.
I don't know how
it got from Robin Hood
to pirates
and then all over the place.
D-DAN: All over the place.
That's the craziest thing.
We were all over the place
and the population was
still able to follow it.
D-DAN: They enjoyed it.
They enjoyed it.
-They got all that in there.
- D-DAN: Right.
Shakespeare.
D-DAN: But fellas,
what are we gonna do next?
It's too hard to top.
What do you think Dap?
Yeah, it's hard to top,
I don't know, man.
Divine, what you got for us?
You always keep
something in the stash.
What you got
for us Divine G?
Shit, what I got for you...
I don't know,
I ain't got nothing.
I know you keep
something in the stash.
D-DAN: You always
working on something, man.
How about my play, Fine Print?
Wait, but it's a little
lost in the second act.
But maybe I could...
Come on,
you got something else.
Wait, all right, how about...
Man, I've been working on
this play for a couple years.
Maybe it might work.
It's called Pro Se.
Now that's gonna
appeal to the population.
It's a satire, man.
It's about this
dude who's been
like working out, you know?
Just hitting the gym...
Come on.
Come on, man.
All right,
all right, we here man.
We out here now.
- Yeah.
- We out here now.
- Yeah. We out here now.
- We out here now.
And we got work to do.
What's up?
How you like my joint?
Ah, man.
- Yeah, man, yeah.
- Yeah, it's good.
We out here.
Yeah, oh, man.
We're cruising now.
Oh, man, the air feels
different out here.
It is different.
We ain't gotta
smell no toilets
or nothing out here.
Man, we good.
What you wearing?
Look at those.
Hey, where you gonna
get you some?
Man. Man.
Yeah.
(LIKE A BIRD BY
ABRAHAM ALEXANDER
AND ADRIAN QUESADA PLAYING)
I introduce to you
Breakin' the Mummy's Code,
by Brent Buell.
Mummy. Mummy.
Is that you?
Now indeed I am a prisoner.
Yes.
Now I feel the galling weight
of these disgraceful chains!
You know,
I'm really tired of this
really miserable profession.
I don't wanna be all mean
and tough no more.
I want to be gentle and kind.
Really?
Me too.
Keep this near to your heart
so that you will remember me.
Always.
Let's go, Horatio!