Cooley Law School presents sixth season of Stages of the Law

Stages of the Law, a theater series sponsored by Cooley Law School, has announced four shows for its sixth season.  

Shows will be staged every month from the end of Octoberuntil the end of January, and some performances will include talkbacksessions, in which a Cooley professor explains areas of law that werefeatured in the play. 

This season’s Stages of the Law performances includeRiverwalk Theatre’s “Conspiracy” (Oct. 20-30; talkback after the Oct.22 performance); Lansing Community College’s “The Shrike” (Nov. 4-12;talkback after the Nov. 5 performance); Mid Michigan Family Theatre“The Goblins & the Gravedigger” (Dec. 2-11; talkback after the Dec.10 performance); and performances of “The Exonerated,” directed byStormfield Theatre artistic director Kristine Thatcher, at the WhartonCenter (Jan. 27-28; talkback after the Jan. 28 performance).

Cooley communications director Terry Carella saystalkbacks have always been part of the program, and that each professorhas expertise in the area of law addressed in the play.

In recent years, the organizers of Stages of Law made thedecision to have professors do talkbacks after the show instead ofbefore.

“This allows patrons the advantage of seeing the playfirst, then to ask questions and to give feedback on the play, theperformers and the talkback professor,” Carella said.

Many of the patrons stay afterward to learn, talk and debate about the legal implications of the Stages performances.

The Stages of Law series started with three theatersdowntown, but Cooley has added more venues in recent years. WhartonCenter is being included for the first time this season. “TheExonerated,” based on the true stories of six people sent to Death Rowfor crimes they didn’t commit, won the 2003 Drama Desk Award for uniquetheatrical experience.

The “Exonerated” talkback professors are from Cooley’sInnocence Project, a clinic that helps secure the release of wrongfullyimprisoned persons.

“They will be able to discuss first-hand the work thatgoes behind how wrongfully convicted incarcerated persons may be ableto establish innocence through DNA testing,” Carella said.