14 years and 364 days - By DeAngelo Horton

I believe that nothing in life happens by chance, but rather by design. That design brought me full circle14 years and 364 days after the Evanston police arrested and charged me with first-degree murder.

It was July 24, 1992. I was only 15 at the time, so I awaited trial at the Audy Home (CCJTDC). While detained there, I met Meade Palidofsky (Ms. P), Artistic Director of Music Theatre Workshop.

For as long as I can remember I have had a love for music. I was instantly interested in working with her. A year and two Temporary LockDown plays later, it was time for me to continue my journey, going from: the Audy Home, to the county jail and then to the penitentiary. I spent a total of 15 years incarcerated. During that time, I stayed in touch with Ms. P and Music Theatre Workshop.

The Department of Corrections released me on July 6, 2007. After visiting family and friends, I came to MTW. As Ms. P and I spoke, laughed, and reminisced, we discussed the education I had pursued while locked up: my GED, an Associates Degree in Computer Technology, and a certification for HVAC service. Nancy McCarty, MTW’s Executive Director, was looking for an Administrative Assistant. She suggested that I should apply for the job. I started working a few days later.

The next week, Ms. P asked me if I would like to join her and the other MTW Teaching Artists at the 2007 Temporary LockDown program. I experienced a rainbow of emotions reflecting on my past: arrested at 15, sent to the Audy Home, meeting MTW, performing in TLD 2, then single handedly writing TLD 3. I had applied the dedication and discipline learned in writing and performing as a teen to the last fifteen years of my life.

July 23, 2007 - Fourteen years and 364 days since the first day of my incarceration, I was back in the Audy Home school building, the first place I had landed after catching my case. I had returned to the site where I had developed a burning desire to change and had pursued that transformation ever since.

As I walked through the halls of the Nancy B Jefferson school building, I felt nervous, about being back, about being there at all. I also felt anxious to see what had changed, what was still the same, and if the staff I remembered was still there. Finally, I felt relieved, that as easily as I had entered, I would be able to leave.

As the relief set in, I was able to enjoy the moment. As I met the young men and women that I would be working with, I began searching the faces of the young men, observing their personalities. I searched for a face that would remind me of myself. As I worked with the youth drumming, acting, and performing, I found myself suspended in time. I was not in jail, not among incarcerated youth, just among friends, sharing similar experiences.

As the weeks went by and I helped the teens tell their stories and develop their show, I found that earlier emotions and lessons, dedication, and discipline, replaced my anxiety. I will continue to embrace these tools as I go on to complete the ever evolving circle of my life.

By DeAngelo Horton