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Croton Falls' Schoolhouse Theater Shows 'Amazing Grace'

NORTH SALEM, N.Y. -- "Amazing Grace," a documentary about the making of the first and only musical ever staged inside Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, will be shown Wednesday, May 20, at The Schoolhouse Theater under the auspices of the Katonah-based nonprofit organization Rehabilitation Through The Arts. 

"Amazing Grace" will be shown on Wednesday, May 20.

"Amazing Grace" will be shown on Wednesday, May 20.

Photo Credit: Contributed

The documentary, which was filmed during six months of rehearsals and interviews with cast members, will begin at 7 p.m. There is no admission charge, but donations to RTA are welcome. 

The musical grew out of a writing class for inmates led by RTA facilitators Phyllis Ross and Tony-nominated actress Anne Twomey Lloyd.

Asked to write autobiographical pieces, the women turned in such eloquent and poignant stories that composer-songwriter Michael Minard, also an RTA facilitator, was inspired to add original melodies in the favorite styles of the authors — rock, salsa, rap — and turn those words into more than a dozen songs.

The resulting musical, in July 2013 in the prison gymnasium, drew roof-raising applause from other inmates and invited guests. 

For more information about "Amazing Grace" and RTA, contact Ann Mitchell at 914-232-7566 or info@rta-arts.org. 

For more information about The Schoolhouse visit www.schoolhousetheater.org or call 914-277-8477.

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