Hey, it's Thursday! Must be time for a little controversy.

The Ithaca College Theatre main stage season kicks off tonight with The Exonerated, Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen’s play based on the true stories of six people wrongfully accused of capital crimes and eventually released from death row.

So, probably not one for Date Night or an evening's frolic with the young'uns. But certainly worth seeing.

http://www.ithaca.edu/hs/depts/theatre/main/

One of the subjects of the authors' research, Kerry Max Cook, will be giving a free talk this Friday (Oct. 10) at 3:30 p.m. in Textor 102. Wrongly convicted of murder and rape, Cook spent two decades on death row until a series of retrials unearthed enough evidence of police misconduct to grant him a reprieve. Subsequent DNA evidence cleared him completely, though he still has yet to be officially pardoned.

And you thought you had it tough with mid-terms.

Cook will sign copies of his book, Chasing Justice, at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 11, in the lobby of Dillingham Center before the 2:00 p.m. matinee of The Exonerated. The evening of October 11, Cook is also participating in a talk-back at 9:45 p.m. in the Clark Theatre at Dillingham Center, immediately following the 8:00 p.m. performance.

Capital punishment isn't one of those fence-sitter issues; most people have pretty strong opinions one way or the other. Check out the show, talk with Kerry, and let us know if it changed your mind. Or if you liked the play, for that matter.