On today’s episode, we welcome guest Brian Beals. In 1990, Brian Beals was wrongfully convicted of murder and sentenced to 80 years in prison. Beals was incarcerated in 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. 

To listen to this episode, click here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2068585/episodes/16997742

Resources

To learn more about Brian Beals and The Mud Theater Project, check out this brief documentary available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMnmR_j-mOs

The National Registry of Exonerations has compiled a list of the longest wrongful incarcerations. You can view the list here: https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/longestincarceration.aspx

Read about The Mud Theater Project’s performance of “Searching For Justice” here: https://blockclubchicago.org/2025/01/16/in-new-steppenwolf-play-searching-for-justice-a-system-impacted-cast-examines-the-prison-system/