“Breakin' The Mummy's Code”, Featured in “Sing Sing”, Is Performed Again for the First Time in 20 Years: 'Feels Amazing to Be Appreciated at Home' (Exclusive)

Breakin’ the Mummy’s Code is bringing its cast home.

On Monday, Feb. 3, A24 and The Just Trust presented an intimate, live performance of the play showcased in the three-time Oscar-nominated movie Sing Sing at New York Theatre Workshop in New York City. The production featured the cast of formerly incarcerated actors – many of whom played themselves in the movie.

Written and directed by Brent Buell, a former volunteer at Rehabilitation Through the Arts, the time-traveling comedic work includes Egyptian royalty, sword-fighting gladiators, William Shakespeare’s Hamlet and even Robin Hood, as it follows a prince on an epic journey after his "mummy" died.

The show was first presented in 2005 at Sing Sing Correctional Facility, a maximum-security men’s prison in New York, by the then-inmates participating in the theater program. But now, the cast has reunited to perform it in front of a full audience at the historical East Village institution.

"This is the very first time it has ever been performed again on a stage," Sing Sing director Greg Kwedar said while introducing the play.

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PEOPLE was in the audience for one of two closed performances, and caught up with actor Clarence "Divine Eye" Maclin and Kwedar after the show. In addition to Buell, Kwedar and Maclin, actors Cornell Nate Alston, Mosi Eagle, David "Dap" Giraudy, Carmine LoVacco, Sean “Dino” Johnson, Dario Peña, John ‘Divine G’ Whitfield, James “Big E” Williams and Miguel Valentin also participated.

The theater came alive as soon as the first cast member walked on stage – and stayed that way well after the show ended. While performing, the cast expertly toed the line between hilarious and sincere as they embodied the characters they have spent years crafting – first in prison, then on a movie set and, most recently, on an Off-Broadway stage.

Seeing Maclin deliver Hamlet’s iconic "To Be or Not to Be" speech with the knowledge of the emotional journey he goes on in the movie was incredibly moving, and met with teary eyes and rounds of applause.

When asked about being welcomed by the N.Y.C. theater scene, Maclin tells PEOPLE, "It feels amazing to be appreciated at home. I have been all over the country, and I got accolades from a little bit of everybody, but it's not the same as getting accolades at home."

Kwedar also recognizes the significance of the evening, saying it has been "a long held dream" for many of the people involved in the movie production. "It’s been nine years since we started on this project, and we've dreamt about seeing this group of men get to perform Breakin' The Mummy’s Code on stage again," he says. "It's happened now and I just feel like I can let go of this journey and see what's beyond. But I will always feel part of this community because they welcomed me in."

As for the show itself, the director says, "It’s bonkers!'

"It jumps through time but there’s a genius in how it helps you recapture the joy of creativity. That’s something that we’ve, a lot of us, have lost inside. This production and this group of people proves that you can find it again," he adds.

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Following the performance – a brief segment of the full play with minimal props – the cast participated in a question-and-answer session and shared their first-hand accounts of reuniting to put on such a special production, as well as their own experience with RTA.

Johnson, a participant and founding member of the rehabilitation group, said, "I just want to mention that the arts saved me. It was love coming back together."

Celebrities J. Smith Cameron, Mariska Hargitay, Jaeden Martell, Boris Kodjoe and Nicole Ari Parker were in attendance for the second showing.

The results of the program speaks for itself. According to the RTA website, only 3% of members return to prison after being released, which is significantly lower than the nationwide statistic. The arts program is featured heavily in Sing Sing, which follows the rehearsal process of Breakin' The Mummy's Code and the growing friendship between the characters played by Colman Domingo and Maclin.

Meanwhile, The Just Trust, dedicated to criminal justice reform, launched a partnership with A24 in 2024 to support the flick. Since, the organization has hosted screenings and panels. They also recently launched a podcast, When It Clicked, which welcomed Maclin as a guest.

Sing Sing is currently nominated for three Oscar Awards, including Actor in a Leading Role for Domingo, Best Original Song and Best Adapted Screenplay – shared among Clint Bentley, Kwedar, Maclin and Whitfield.

Looking towards the future, Maclin says he would like for Breakin' The Mummy’s Code "to be used as a teaching tool all over the country, all over the world."

"I think this show is able to educate, as well as entertain, and bring our society to a better place," he says. "I think that's what this thing could do."

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