King’s To Host Death Penalty Abolitionist Advocate Prejean

King’s College will host two free public lectures by , a world-renowned advocate of abolishing the death penalty and author of the best-selling and Pulitzer Prize nominated book, “Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States,” on Tuesday, February 12.

King’s will also present for the first time in the Wyoming Valley the stage adaptation of Prejean’s book at 7:30 p.m. February 13th through 16th.

Sister Prejean will discuss her personal experiences and her position as founder of the Moratorium Project, a state-by-state effort to abolish the death penalty, at 3:30 p.m. Feb. 12 in the King’s College Theatre, first floor of the Administration Building, and at 7:30 p.m. in the Burke Auditorium of the McGowan School of Business, corner of Union and River streets. The afternoon presentation will be held on the set of the theatre production.

Prejean wrote “Dead Man Walking” based on her experiences as a spiritual advisor in the early 1980s to two death row inmates, both of whom were eventually executed Since that time, Prejean has divided her time between campaigning against the death penalty and counseling individual death row prisoners. Her second book, “The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions,” published in 2004, is based on her experiences witnessing four subsequent executions of death row prisoners and her suspicion that some of the executed were not guilty.

Both “Dead Man Walking” and “The Death of Innocents” will be available for sale following Prejean’s lectures. Proceeds from the sale will benefit the Moratorium Project.

The play, an adaptation of Prejean’s book, was written by actor Tim Robbins, who wrote and directed the 1995 movie which earned Susan Sarandon the Best Actress Academy Award for her portrayal of Sister Prejean. The production’s cast list of almost 30 actors is a combination of King’s students, faculty, staff and alumni along with members of the community. Sister Prejean will be portrayed by Meaghan Ruddy-Godwin, a King’s graduate and adjunct member of the faculty.

Tickets are $7 for adults and $4 for students and senior citizens. Tickets can be reserved by contacting the box office at 208-5825 or by e-mail at boxoff@kings.edu. Tickets, if available, will also be sold before each performance.

Following the Feb. 13th performance, a question-and-answer session will be held involving cast members and representatives from the local legal community.

The lectures and play are a central part of year-long academic initiatives at King’s regarding the subject of capital punishment. First-year students were assigned to read “Dead Man Walking” this past summer and discussions of the death penalty were held during their Orientation and First Year Experience classes. Several campus forums to discuss the ethical, legal and theological perspectives on the issue have been held or are scheduled.

King’s College is a Catholic College sponsored by the Congregation of Holy Cross.