Arena Fair Theatre delivers a powerful, nuanced adaptation directed by David A. Hejmanowski
Content advisory: Not suitable for younger audiences; the play includes mature themes and language true to the original film.
First Impressions and Direction
When I arrived at the Willis Theatre for a preview on Wednesday night of Arena Fairs current production, the first thing that caught my eye wasn’t the set or the lights. It was the director himself. David A. Hejmanowski was walking into the building from his car, hands full with a heart-attack-in-a-sack dinner, production notes, car keys, and the card reader for the door. Despite the handful, his energy was unmistakable. He radiated pride, anticipation, and relief at how well the cast and crew had come together, something he was clearly pleased with and proud to see it almost fully realized.
By day, Hejmanowski serves as Delaware County’s Common Pleas Court Probate and Juvenile Judge. By night, he trades the gavel for a director’s chair (among many other talents). It’s a contrast that somehow fits, the measured discipline of a courtroom meeting the creative rhythm of a stage. That dual perspective seeps through every detail of this production, giving the story a lived-in depth of empathy and redemption.
Hejmanowski’s connection to “The Shawshank Redemption“ runs even deeper. He has long participated in judicial education programs at the Mansfield Reformatory, the very site where the film was shot. Coupled with a visit to Delaware County’s own historic jail, those experiences clearly informed his staging. “Any show turns on the cast,” he told me. “And this cast is so great. They have this material down and they’re doing such an amazing job.” He spoke of them like someone in awe of the group he’d assembled, grateful and protective. “I really lucked out with the folks who came out and auditioned,” he added.
The Rehearsal That Set the Bar High
This dress rehearsal exceeded expectations on every level. It was not a public performance; the auditorium was empty except for a few crew members, stage hands, and myself. Yet even in that quiet, with no audience to feed off, the cast poured themselves fully into each scene. If this rehearsal is any indication, opening night should be nothing short of a superior performance.
Comparing a live production to the movie is apples and oranges, but this adaptation holds true to the story in every meaningful way. The opening scene, where the new inmates are herded through the gates and called “fish,” sets the tone with deliberate precision. From there, it’s clear this isn’t merely a recreation; it’s something remarkable in its own right.
Hejmanowski’s direction is meticulous and deeply aware on how to use silence. Between scenes, carefully designed sound bridges time and place before a single line is spoken. The flicker of light across iron bars, the weight of quiet after violence, and the shifting movements of actors who aren’t speaking all layer the experience. One moment of complete silence allows the audience, or in this case the few of us watching, to simply sit with what just happened, a decision that amplifies the emotional gravity of the story.
Craftsmanship and Storytelling
The set, though confined to the Willis stage, is textured with meaning and history. Lighting and sound transform the space, with the shadows of bars stretching across the back wall to remind us where these men live and what they dream beyond. The appearance of the benches serves as a subtle cue that the setting has shifted, while even the pictures on the wall quietly change as time passes inside the prison.
Every clank, echo, and faint hum works to immerse you. When the benches appear, the ambient sound cues you to where the story has moved: inside, outside, hope, or despair. The director takes great pride in these details, and it shows.
The Performances
The performances match the craft, each actor fully inhabiting their role and giving themselves over to the story in a way that feels deeply personal.
Steve Jefferson as Red: Jefferson’s performance radiates warmth, wisdom, and emotional honesty. He shared that he first began acting with a community theater in Mount Vernon, joking, “If you ever need an angry Black man, give me a call.” Playing Red, he said, was on his actor’s bucket list. “This play here,” he added with a grin, “is my third and final bucket list. A few things I wanted to do. This was my favorite.” His natural kindness contrasts with Red’s hardened realism, making the performance even more affecting. Jefferson told me that visiting the Mansfield Reformatory was “one of the most interesting tours I’ve had,” and it’s clear that experience helped ground his performance. “As far as my character,” he said, “I’m just trying to channel what Morgan Freeman did, but not necessarily be like him. I’m just trying to channel it.” His portrayal reflects a deep understanding of the character: authentic, humble, and grounded.
Logan Kovach as Andy Dufresne: Kovach balances him perfectly—reserved yet resilient, his performance built on subtle chemistry and shared trust. There’s a quiet defiance beneath his calm, and you can feel the bond between him and Red, something likely strengthened by the cast’s shared tours of the prisons that inspired the story. That experience seems to have forged a sense of brotherhood on stage, a realism that seeps into every exchange, every glance, and every pause between them.
Mark Reed as Captain Hadley: Reed is another standout, almost unrecognizable without his usual beard, save for a mustache. A good friend of mine offstage, I didn’t recognize him at first when he walked into rehearsal. He is totally transformed into Hadley. Offstage, he’s thoughtful, approachable, and soft-spoken. Onstage, he becomes something else entirely, a tower of command and temper, every gesture calculated and sharp. “It’s therapeutic,” he told me. “I’m generally a pretty controlled individual, which gives me a chance to experience my alter egos.” He admitted that playing Hadley challenged him. “One of the hardest things was stringing all those curse words together,” he laughed. That tension between who he is and who he becomes is exactly what makes his performance so compelling. You can sense the discipline behind the anger, the actor behind the uniform—layered, unsettling, and completely convincing. He joked that once the final curtain falls, the beard will be making its return.
Raymond Conrad as Boggs Diamond: Conrad’s portrayal brings a different kind of intensity to the stage. It would be easy to make Boggs a caricature of cruelty, but Conrad plays him with unnerving restraint. His presence is menacing without ever feeling exaggerated, a man whose violence is as much about power as it is about fear. “Boggs is a little different in the show,” he told me. “In the theater version he’s a lot more intellectual than he is in the movie. He’s got more depth. He’s not just a straight jerk—he plays chess, he’s got a larger vocabulary. So it’s a really fun part to play.” In scenes with Andy, Conrad captures that fine line between dominance and desperation. You can see it in his posture, the cold calculation behind his eyes, the way silence becomes its own form of threat. It’s a performance that commands discomfort, exactly as it should, and one that anchors the story’s darker truths in humanity rather than villainy.
Talking about the process, Conrad spoke with clear admiration for the people around him. “The great thing about community theater is it’s just that,” he said. “Everybody’s volunteering, everybody’s pitching in, everybody’s on different levels as far as experience and things go. It’s just really fun to see all of that gel and come together.”
Authenticity and Camaraderie
You can also sense a genuine camaraderie that runs through the entire cast and crew, an unspoken trust that allows each scene to breathe. It’s the kind of cohesion that can’t be faked, the sort that comes from long rehearsals, shared effort, and mutual respect. Even without an audience, the energy between them filled the room, the subtle glances, the timing, the ease of connection that only happens when a group is fully in sync. That unity shows up not only in the major moments but in the smallest gestures—a shared glance, a nod, a reaction from an actor in the background who never breaks character. Those details make the world of Shawshank feel lived in rather than performed.
The Scene That Stays With You
One of the most intense moments of the evening comes in the assault scene, a brutal depiction of Andy’s suffering at the hands of the “Sisters.” It’s staged with restraint but unflinching honesty. There’s no sensationalism here; instead, the emotion is carried by light, sound, and silence. It left me saying nothing but “wow.” The raw power of this scene alone elevates the production far beyond what one might expect from community theater. It’s hard to describe without giving it away, but it does this adaptation justice.
Final Thoughts
Perhaps what makes this stage version so powerful is its immediacy. The movie gives you the director’s cut, curated and edited, safe behind the screen. The play gives you the raw, live experience. Even in an empty house, you could feel it: the stillness, the weight of the story, the power of performance unfolding in real time.
Watching rehearsal, I was struck by its completeness—the polish, pacing, and emotional precision already ready for an audience that hasn’t yet seen what’s coming.
Reflecting on the experience later, Hejmanowski said, “What they were able to bring from having seen Mansfield and getting a sense of what life must have been like in there allowed that to inform the acting choices they’re making on stage.”
Though I didn’t see the entire dress rehearsal, I left the theatre genuinely impressed by the performances, the craftsmanship, and the emotional weight every member of this cast poured into their work. The Shawshank Redemption has raised the standard for Arena Fair Theatre and for what local productions in Delaware, Ohio, can achieve.
There’s so much more I could say about this production, too much, perhaps, for the space I’ve been given and the deadline that looms. So let me put it plainly: you need to see this play. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime production for Delaware, Ohio, one that people will be talking about for years to come, and one that reminds us why live theatre still matters.
Tickets for The Shawshank Redemption are available at:
🎟️ https://ticketscandy.com/e/the-shawshank-redemption-11902
Performances run October 24–26 at the Willis Theatre in Delaware.