Art As Reconciliation: A Conversation With Brian Beals

On Today’s episode of The "Center", we welcome guest Brian Beals. In 1990, Brian Beals was wrongfully convicted of murder and sentenced to 80 years in prison. Beals was incarcerated within several prisons throughout Illinois, and during his wrongful incarceration became a published author. It was during his incarceration in a prison in Dixon, IL that Brian along with other prisoners developed the Mud Theater Project, a prison-based theater group that has produced several award-winning plays. In December 2023, because of evidence produced by the Illinois Innocence Project, Brian’s conviction was overturned, and he was released from prison after a total of 35 years of being incarcerated in a combination of county jails and state prisons. In January 2025, just a year following his release, the Mud Theater Project produced and presented a performance of their production “Searching For Justice” at the Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago. The venue was sold out for the event. It is with great pleasure that I welcome Brian Beals to The “Center.”

"Sweet Times" is by All Bets Off, and is provided by Adobe Stock.