New York Actors Studio performers bring 'ReEntry: Actors Playing Jazz' to Wolfeboro

WOLFEBORO — 'ReEntry: Actors Playing Jazz,' directed by Wolfeboro native and Academy Award winner Estelle Parsons, comes to Wolfeboro Friday, Aug. 23 and Saturday, Aug. 24 at the Village Players Theater.

“Thrilling – better than anything on Broadway,” said Alec Baldwin about the show. “It opened my eyes to the depth of the power I know exists in theater but rarely see demonstrated,” said Rick Broussard, editor of 'New Hampshire' magazine.

'ReEntry: Actors Playing Jazz' is the story of eight formerly incarcerated men who have come together after their release from prison to start a theater group to keep them on the straight and narrow. Each has developed a love of theater during their prison sentences. This performance of free-form theatre explores the various challenges of reentering society. It is about each man’s experience outside the walls, how they feel about being free and how they use their creative and theatrical work to transform their responses to society’s biases against them.

The show was developed at the Actor’s Studio in New York, under the direction of Estelle Parsons, whose credits include various awards and notable theater productions. The actors, all members of the studio, have numerous New York stage, television and film credits. They are Leland Gantt, Ron Scott, Marcus Naylor, Javier Molina, Erick Betancourt, Ryan Johnson, Justin McManus and Victor Almanzar. The production’s creative team includes Peter Larkin as set consultant, Shukkun Hue as costume consultant and music by J. S. Bach.

Carroll County Attorney Michaela Andruzzi will direct a question and answer session after both performances, digging into the issues the show presents. The recidivism rate for people who have participated in theater programs while in prison is strikingly lower compared to that of the general prison population. The stories in 'ReEntry: Actors Playing Jazz' are riveting, astounding, and real.

Performances are Friday, Aug. 23 and Saturday, Aug. 24, at 7:30 p.m., at The Village Players Theater. Tickets are $25, on sale at Black’s Paper Store, and by visiting village-players.com.