NEW YORK, NY – A new 40-minute documentary, Broadway, Bars, and Fortune, explores how theater and the arts can become tools for healing and redemption among formerly incarcerated individuals, according to a recent press release. Directed and produced by Dr. Shuvendu Sen, the film celebrates one of the country’s leading reentry programs, The Fortune Society, based in New York City.
The film follows the stories of four formerly incarcerated individuals—Philip Hall, Casimiro Torres, Ervin Hunt, and Vilma Ortiz Donovan—who share their journeys of trauma, transformation, and reintegration into society.
“Broadway has become an emotional point of rehabilitation,” Dr. Sen said. “This film shows how theater, both inside and outside prison walls, can serve as a powerful healing tool—one that reduces trauma, crime, and recidivism.”
Broadway, Bars, and Fortune also features Fortune Society founder and Broadway figure Davis Rotherberg, along with Tony Award-winning actress Christine Ebersole, actress and director Marcia Jean Kurtz, and theater producer Eric Krebs. Each performer discusses the transformative power of the arts while providing context and guidance.
Actor John Savage, known for The Deer Hunter and Hair, praised the project, saying, “It was a loving performance. Wonderful to share with everyone. Very, very important to hear everyone’s story. From the heart. The true words of a human being.”
The film received official selections at both the New York Lift-Off Film Festival and the Hispanic International Film Festival and was screened on Oct. 11 at the Hollywood Theatre in Portland, Oregon.
Dr. Sen, recognized for his advocacy in criminal justice reform, has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from AmeriCorps and the Office of the President of the United States for his contributions to the wellness of incarcerated individuals, healthcare for marginalized populations, and efforts addressing the opioid crisis.
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