Dead Man Walking

By Stephen RohdeMarch 6, 2015

Dead Man Walking


Jake Heggie has been called "arguably the world's most popular 21st century opera composer" by the Wall Street Journal. His most famous opera, Dead Man Walking, a story about a death row convict based on the book by Sister Helen Prejean, makes its Los Angeles debut on March 7th at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica. LARB contributor and civil rights lawyer Stephen Rohde talked with Jake about his opera and its treatment, musically and dramatically, of the divisive issue of the death penalty.


"Dead Man Walking" will play at the Broad Theater on March 7 and 8.


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Stephen Rohde is a constitutional lawyer, lecturer, writer, and political activist.

LARB Contributor

Stephen Rohde is a writer, lecturer, and political activist. For almost 50 years, he practiced civil rights, civil liberties, and intellectual property law. He is a past chair of the ACLU Foundation of Southern California and past National Chair of Bend the Arc, a Jewish Partnership for Justice. He is a founder and current chair of Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace, member of the Board of Directors of Death Penalty Focus, and a member of the Black Jewish Justice Alliance. Rohde is the author of American Words of Freedom and Freedom of Assembly (part of the American Rights series), and numerous articles and book reviews on civil liberties and constitutional history for Los Angeles Review of BooksAmerican ProspectLos Angeles Times, Ms. Magazine, Los Angeles Lawyer, Truth Out, LA Progressive, Variety, and other publications. He is also co-author of Foundations of Freedom, published by the Constitutional Rights Foundation. Rohde received Bend the Arc’s “Pursuit of Justice” Award, and his work has been recognized by the ACLU and American Bar Association. Rohde received his BA degree in political science from Northwestern University and his JD degree from Columbia Law School. 

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