In a black box rehearsal space in Bridgeport, Darrion Benson is full of nerves — and excitement. He’s running lines for a one-night-only performance at Steppenwolf Theatre, a Chicago venue with a reputation for staging award-winning works. Only, he’s not a typical actor, and this is not a typical work of theater.
Benson is part of the Mud Theatre Project, a group that formed in 2018 behind the walls of Dixon Correctional Center, where they staged their first plays.
Now, with many of the founding members released from correctional facilities, Mud Theatre Project is bringing those plays to people on the outside. The nonprofit theater company earlier this month staged Searching for Justice, its first production outside of prison…