The weekend will also consist of actor meet-ups, photo ops, screenings and panel discussions with the film’s writer/director, actors, background actors and others.
“Few movies resonate emotionally with such a large swath of the public worldwide in the way that ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ does,” said Lee Tasseff, president of Destination Mansfield, the local visitors bureau. “It continues to do so even 30 years after its original release. The weekend will be the largest ever reunion of actors, along with the director and screenwriter, location scout and others associated with the film. Heading to Mansfield August 8-11 will give travelers a once in a lifetime opportunity to connect with those artists and with other ‘Shawshank’ fans.”
Frank Darabont, who directed the film and wrote the screenplay based on Steven King’s novella, “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption,” will be in attendance as well as Ben Mankiewicz, Turner Classic Movies host, podcaster and writer. The following participants are also slated to attend and sign autographs at the locations where their scenes were filmed:
- Bob Gunton, who portrayed Warden Norton
- Clancy Brown, an Urbana native who portrayed Capt. Byron Hadley
- William Sadler, who portrayed Heywood
- Gil Bellows, who portrayed Tommy Williams
- Mark Rolston, who portrayed Bogs Diamond
- Alfonso Freeman, who portrayed the Young Ellis Boyd (Red)
- Mack Miles, who portrayed Tyrell
- Paul Kennedy, who portrayed the Food-Way manager
- Renee Blaine, who portrayed Linda Dufresne
- Scott Mann, who portrayed Glenn Quentin
- Claire Slemmer, who portrayed the bank teller
A signature event of the weekend will be the 30th anniversary cast discussion from 4-5:30 p.m. on Friday led by Mankiewicz and featuring Darabont, along with key players.
In addition from 10-11 a.m. Saturday and 9-10 a.m. Sunday, a background actors panel will offer an opportunity for guests to hear firsthand from key background actors who participated in the filming. From filling “The Yard” with prisoners to populating other locations with believable customers, guest will find out how the 180-plus actors, many of whom were locals, landed their roles and what the experience was like for them.
Also a “Behind the Scenes & Beyond” panel is slated from 10:15-11:15 a.m. on Sunday, which features Shawshank Location Manager Kokayi Ampah who will discuss how sites in and around Mansfield were selected to become the locations that brought the film to life.
Events kick off at dusk on Thursday with a drive-in movie-style screening of “The Shawshank Redemption” on a big screen in the back lot of the historic Renaissance Theatre, 138 Park Avenue West, Mansfield. Additional screenings with reserved seats inside the theater are set for Friday at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
“The Shawshank Redemption” received seven Academy Award nominations including Best Picture. In 2015, the Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry.
“The film’s director, Frank Darabont, and members of the cast have told us that very few projects they’ve worked on elicit the same response from fans they’ve met since ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ was released in 1994.” Tasseff said. “So, it’s incredibly meaningful for them to again come together to celebrate the film and its messages of hope and perseverance with one another and with fans of the movie.”
More details can be found at Shawshank30.com. Tickets are now on sale and events schedules are available at shawshanktrail.com/event-schedule. Events are expected to sell out.
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