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A key theme of The Promise of Music is the healing power of creative performance, as this Academy Award nominated 2023 film brilliantly dramatizes. The performing arts, whether musical or theatrical, nurture inner growth and the ability to reach within and learn compassion, trust, empathy, self-esteem, and teamwork.
The film was inspired by John H. Richardson’s Esquire article, “The Sing Sing Follies,” about a musical review presented by the Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) program. Operating in eight New York State correctional institutions, the program has achieved great success in curbing recidivism, with only 3% of participants returning to prison.
Divine G (Colman Domingo), imprisoned at Sing Sing for a crime he didn’t commit, finds purpose by acting in a theatre group with other incarcerated men. When a wary outsider joins the group, the men decide to stage their first original comedy. It’s a stirring true story of resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art, starring an unforgettable ensemble cast of formerly incarcerated actors. “Sing Sing” garnered 3 Academy Award nominations and earned 97% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.
“Sing Sing . . . powerful, deeply felt drama takes theatre behind bars.”
– The Guardian
“When we think of the best prison movies ever made, ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ . . . immediately comes to mind . . . We can now add the gloriously lionhearted and brilliantly rendered “Sing Sing” to that list.”
– Chicago Sun-Times