Mark’s Wallace’s original career as a New York drug dealer led to a sentence of 18 years in prison. According to Mark, his first step towards transformation was when his mother visited him in his early stay at Attica prison and cried, “Son! What have you done with your life?”  That moment had a lasting impact, and Mark spent several years in introspection, silent reflection and study.

Eventually, Mark was transferred to Sing Sing Correctional Facility where he heard of the efforts to start a drama group. He became a founding member of RTA, gained self-confidence and eventually played a lead role in several productions.  Mark says about the transformative effects of acting, “Stepping out of yourself and into a different role takes you out of your comfort zone and provides a whole new perspective on life.”Mark moved on to a privately funded prison college program, earning his master of theology degree from the New York Theological Seminary’s Sing Sing extension. Today, he works as District Violence Prevention Coordinator for the Newburgh, NY School District and says, “I look forward every day to going to work with the kids, keeping them on a straight path.”

An equally powerful example of dramatic transformation is Sean “Dino” Johnson. Inducted into an inner city gang at the age of 16, violent street activities eventually landed him in prison. Only after 15 years of imprisonment was Dino able to break away from his connection to gang life .

Now, Dino is Director of Program Marketing for the Council for Unity in Manhattan. Through the Council’s work in over 50 schools in the five boroughs of New York City, he has led the effort to keep young people out of gang life.

Looking back, Dino says, “When entering prison for the third time I realized I had to change. I had to find my real self and the drama program helped me do that.  It connected me with the pain and humility I felt as a young adult. Art taught me to approach my anger and frustrations creatively and let me deal more constructively with difficult issues. These are critical skills to convey to the next generation.”

While in prison, Kelly Watts played the role of the father in August Wilson’s play Jitney, enabling him to tap into emotions his own father might have felt due to things he, his son, had done.

“I rarely even considered the disappointment my father might have felt or the guilt he might have had because of the possibility that his misguidance may have led to me being where I was,” Watts says. “Through playing this character, I realized I had done this man a disservice and needed to apologize to him because he didn’t do anything wrong in raising me. I just made poor choices.”

Kelly received his BS degree while incarcerated.  He  now works for the Osborne Association and is preparing for NYS  teaching certification.

Sean Pica was behind bars from age sixteen to his release at age thirty-two.

While some formerly incarcerated men and women focus on change outside of the prison system, Sean Pica looks back to those who are still behind walls.  Having taken advantage of all the programs available to him, from RTA through college, a Master of Theology degree and, upon release, a Master of Social Work from Hunter College, he now serves as the Executive Director of Hudson Link, a privately sponsored college program accredited by Mercy College.

Entering prison as a young but educated teenager, Sean quickly found himself helping illiterate inmates read and compose letters. He was taken under the wing of older, experienced prisoners who drafted him to the Sing Sing Youth Awareness Program, which focuses on inmates teaching visiting school children not to engage in crime. Says Sean, “When after a presentation, the kids would come up to me and say I had changed their lives, it was a total ‘Aha’ moment. I learned the ‘high’ of giving something to others.”