Brent Buell
Biography
Brent Buell is a playwright, producer, director and novelist.
He is co-producer of A24's movie "Sing Sing." For ten years, Buell directed theater in New York's maximum-security prisons with plays ranging from John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" to original works by prisoners. Those plays earned praise from critics, including from The New York Times. His comedy "Breakin' the Mummy's Code" premiered inside Sing Sing and was the subject of an Esquire feature by bestselling author, John Richardson. That production was the inspiration for A24's "Sing Sing" directed by Greg Kwedar and starring Oscar-nominated Colman Domingo and Clarence Maclin. Buell is portrayed by Oscar-nominated Paul Raci. Buell's experiences provided the basis for his chapter "Drama in the Big House" in the book "Performing New Lives: Prison Theater" by Jonathan Shailor.
Buell's plays include "The Gem Exchange: "Wood Bars," which he wrote with Miguel Valentin for the opening of Lin-Manuel Miranda, John Buffalo Mailer and Tom Kail's Back House Productions; and, his Las Vegas spectacular, "Undone Divas" with Madelene Capelle. With Charles Moore, he co-authored "The Gate"--a drama about parole.
He has taken the directorial helm on works including Iyaba Ibo Mandingo's "unFRAMED"; "From Sing Sing to Broadway"; Rosemary Hester's "You Can't Leave That There"; Mark Schultz's "Deathbed" and Josh Rivedal's "The Gospel According to Josh." He wrote and directed "The Terrors of Teri," a film for Ohio University's Universit
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y College, and Goddess Film's award-winning comedy "Moses."
He has appeared in featured roles in films including "Grand Opening" and "Al Quarem."
His novels include the political parody, "Rapturous" and "Daniel and My Revelation." A memoir of his years directing theater in prison, "Sing Sing Backstage," will be published in the near future.
In the role of actor
Sing Sing (01/08/2024)
Prisoners rehabilitate themselves as members of a theatre program in Sing Sing. John “Divine G” Whitfield (Colman Domingo) is a prisoner at Sing Sing Correctional Facility and a founding member of the Rehabilitation Through the Arts theatre program at the prison. Before their latest production directed by Brent Buell (Paul Raci), the RTA brings on […]