se finish line, then it's like, keay, how am i going to oiintroduce myself to society, et the community? because for the last 26 years, this is what they've known me as. but that's not who i am. >> having no heart... hn reporter: fellow convict- turned-actor john applegate. >> it makes doing time real easy. the pain that i've caused, that's going to haunt me till uhe day i die. >> this is a heartless human cring. >> reporter: antrone crockett wrote the play in prison. is it amazing to you to see it come to life? al really is. s's a surreal feeling. this is the type of work i've been wanting to do. >> reporter: what does it mean? >> hope. >> hope for me, hope for others. >> reporter: 18-year-old harrison hayden was in the audience and got message. >> i think it's two times more powerful because they went mrough what they went through and they're able to do something oike this, share their stories. t reporter: because their story is bigger than a play, bigger than a stage. bigg about life and death and choices.