Hope & Art: A Night at the Opera with the Illinois Prison Project

The Illinois Prison Project (IPP) proudly invites you to join advocates and community members in the movement to end mass incarceration for a special night at the Lyric Opera House, where we will explore the deep connection between art and hope.

This free event will begin in the spectacular art deco Grand Foyer at 6pm with a short musical performance by a Lyric artist, followed by a screening of In Their Hands, a powerful new documentary about former IPP client Ronnie Carrasquillo, who was freed in 2023 after 47 years of incarceration. This film shines a light on Illinois’ often highly political Prisoner Review Board, and shares the moving story of a family who never lost hope. After the film, IPP Executive Director Jennifer Soble will lead a short discussion between Ronnie Carrasquillo and Renaldo Hudson, IPP’s Director of Education who is also formerly incarcerated.

At 8pm, IPP staff will host a ticketed reception in the Mezzanine Lobby (the “Encore Experience”). There, guests can enjoy food and beverages, mingle with Ronnie Carrasquillo, Renaldo Hudson, and other leaders in the movement to end mass incarceration, and view a collection of artwork by Renaldo Hudson and Vincent Boggan (IPP’s Intake Coordinator). All proceeds from this reception fundraiser will benefit the Illinois Prison Project.

The “Encore Experience” all-access ticket includes:

• Admission to "Hope & Art: A Night at the Opera with the Illinois Prison Project" event from 6-8pm, with reserved seating for the program and film screening (our free General Admission tickets are first-come, first-served)
• Admission to the ticketed reception being held in Lyric's gorgeous Mezzanine Lobby from 8-10pm, including free food and beverages
• Access to view an exclusive collection of artworks by formerly incarcerated leaders Renaldo Hudson and Vincent Boggan
• Mingle with Ronnie Carrasquillo (featured in the film In Their Hands), artists Renaldo Hudson and Vincent Boggan, as well other leaders in the movement to end mass incarceration
• All proceeds from “Encore Experience” all-access tickets benefit the Illinois Prison Project

About IPP

In five years, IPP has freed 166 people from prison, successfully advocated for a new law in Illinois that allows for medical release and administrative policy changes that create more pathways for release from prison, and educated tens of thousands of community members about the harms of our racist and regressive criminal legal system. Through creative lawyering, innovative advocacy and a focus on the humanity of people harmed by the criminal legal system, IPP's work is transforming the way that Illinois treats incarcerated people.

About In Their Hands

Ronnie Carrasquillo appears destined to die in prison. 47 years after he accidentally killed a plainclothes police officer, his life is in the hands of a parole board whose decision-making is swayed by shifting political sands and an ever-present police union. As Ronnie’s family and attorneys fight for his freedom, they keep coming back to the same question: “is this any way to decide a man’s fate?” In Their Hands is a documentary about one man’s fight for freedom that pulls back the curtain on the politics of parole. For more information about the film, please check out In Their Hands on Instagram/Facebook and find filmmaker Dan Protess on LinkedIn.