Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen, Authors: 

    Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen are authors of 'The Exonerated,' a play based on interviews they conducted with over 40 wrongfully convicted death row inmates across the United States. Under Bob Balaban's direction, the New York production of 'The Exonerated' has won the 2003 Lucille Lortel Award, the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Play, and a Drama Desk Award.  It was nominated for the Dramatists'Guild's Hull-Warriner Award, and the John Gassner Playwriting Award.  Jessica and Erik have also received the Justice in Arts and Media Award from Death Penalty Focus, Court TV's Scales of Justice Award, and the 2003 Defender of Justice Award from the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. 'The Exonerated' was listed by Time Magazine one of the top 3 plays of 2002.  In spring of 2002, Erik and Jessica co-directed a critically acclaimed production of 'The Exonerated' at Tim Robbins' Actors' Gang Theater. That production was nominated for five Ovation Awards (including Best Director) and 3 NAACP Awards; it won the Ovation for Best World Premiere Play.

    As an actor Erik has co-starred in over a dozen feature films, including 20th Century Fox's Black Knight,  Dreamworks' The Love Letter, and Blair Witch II.  Notable stage appearances include Arthur Kopit's Y2K directed by Bob Balaban, and Terrance McNally's Corpus Christi at Manhattan Theater Club.  He has appeared on television regularly on CSI, Law and Order, and NBC's Deadline,  as well as Alias and Century City, among others.

    Jessica has appeared in several independent films including Undermind, A Bird in Hand, and Delicious Love.  She has acted in theaters throughout Minneapolis and New York City.  She has also been a fixture on the New York spoken-word poetry scene: in 2000, she was a national finalist in 13 Bar's Slam This! series, and has featured at numerous poetry venues around the city. Her writing has appeared in several magazines and journals and she is currently at work on a book of fiction.
 Jessica and Erik co-wrote (with Bruce Kronenberg) and will direct, and act in the soon-to-be-filmed independent movie "Gimme Noise." Jessica and Erik are currently co-producing a feature-length film for television, to be directed by Bob Balaban.  Their book on the making of "The Exonerated" is forthcoming in 2005 from Simon and Schuster.

 

Bob Balaban, Director:

    Produced Gosford Park (Academy Award, Golden GLobe Award, British Academy Award, NY Critics Award, SAG Award).  He produced, directed and wrote "The Last Good Time"starring Armand Mueller-Stahl, Maureen Stapleton, and Lionel Stander (Best Dir. and Best film at Hamptons International Film festival).  He also directed "Pazrents" starring Randy Quaid, Sandy Denis, and Marybeth Hurt.  As an actor his Broadway credits include: Plaza Suite, The Inspector General (Tony nom.) and Speed the Plow.  Off Broadway credots include You're a Good Man Charlie Brown; THe White House Murder Case; Marie and Bruce; Pavlo Hummel and Some Americans Abroad.  Bob has appeared in over 50 movies including Midnight Cowboy, Catch 22, Close Encounters, Altered States, Prince of the City, Deconstructing Harry, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, and Gosford Park.

 

Alan Buchman, Producer:

    Allan Buchman/The Culture Project - Mr. Buchman's relationship with the stage began as a concert piano technician.  He went on to found his own piano restoration firm, Classical Keyboard Instruments, after spending 12 years presiding over all the pianos at the Manhattan School of Music.  As a restorer, he was privileged to restore a Richard Wagner Beckstein, belonging to the Musical Instrument Collection of Yale, and Keith Richards personal Piano, an Ibach Grand.  The Classical Keyboard Collection has been exhibited at The Flagler Museum and the Viscage Museum in Florida.  During this period he produced notable concerts at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Town Hall and Central Park, including a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the U.N. at Avery Fisher Hall.  He regularly presented talented young artists in concert as an in-house performance series.  His piano foundation was converted to a full time performance space in 1996, when theatrical production became a dominant theme beginning with Women CenterStage, a seven-week festival of work created by and about women.  Ishewood's Prater Violet, directed by Will Pomerantz and a serialized version of Dostoevsky's Brothers Karamazov directed by Alex Herrington were memorable productions.  The Culture Project moved to 45 Bleecker in July, 1999 when the theater in which you now sit was a lumber yard.  Opening with the Bombity of Errors in November, 1999, a history of successful productions here followed, including And God Created Great Whales, The Good Thief, Much Ado, One Man, Women Center Stage 2002, and Jesus is Magic.  The Exonerated began with a conversation over two years ago, and everyone at The Culture Project is extremely proud of what the creators have completed.

 

Past performers include:

    Connie Britton, Eric Bogosian, Peter Boyle, Avery Brooks, Charles Brown, Jere Burns, Gabriel Byrne, Amelia Campbell, Robert Carradine, Schantelle Cason, Jill Clayburgh, Tim Daly, Kristin Davis, Polly Draper, Fran Drescher, Richard Dreyfuss, Cary Elwes, Mia Farrow, Peter Gallagher, Sara Gilbert, Jeff Goldblum, Tony Goldwyn, Mariska Hargitay, Anne Jackson, Penn Jillette, Sarah Jones, Robert Klein, Christine Lahti, Darrell Larson, Lyle Lovett, Bruce MacVittie, Andrea Martin, Andrew McCarthy, Frank McCourt, Dina Merrill, Esai Morales, Rob Morrow, Joe Morton, Bebe Neuwirth, Harold Perrineau, Aidan Quinn, Lynn Redgrave, Eric Roberts, Susan Saint James, Jay O. Sanders, Richard Schiff, Kyra Sedgewick, Ally Sheedy, Brooke Shields, John Spencer, Mary Steenburgen, Fisher Stevens, Lee Tergesen, April Yvette Thompson, Kathleen Turner, John Ventimiglia, Eli Wallach, Titus Welliver, Montel Williams, Debra Winger, Robin Williams