The Folsom Prison Experience, a live theater show, is set to be performed Saturday, April 18, at the Reg Lenna Center for The Arts, 116 E. Third St. Submitted photo

To help preserve a pivotal moment in music history, Jay Ernest wanted to tell a story about Johnny Cash – from a different perspective.

Enter Folsom Prison, and the live show Cash recorded there on Jan. 13, 1968.

“That show — January 13, 1968 — became one of the most pivotal moments in recording and country music history. At the time, no one was making live records inside a prison. It was unheard of,” Ernest said.

Ernest portrays Cash in an upcoming performance of the Folsom Prison Experience, a live theater show, Saturday, April 18, at the Reg Lenna Center for The Arts, 116 E. Third St.

Ernest said Cash had the vision to capture something real — the raw energy of performing in front of inmates.

“But it wasn’t just about the music. It gave the world a glimpse inside prison walls and brought attention to the realities of incarceration, something Johnny deeply cared about and advocated for,” Ernest said.

Ernest added that what makes the show even more compelling is that only about 1,000 inmates were there, along with the band and a small recording crew.

No general public witnessed it.

So, Ernest said, he and his collaborators asked themselves: what if we could give people access to that moment?

“Not as spectators, but as inmates. That’s where the idea for this show was born,” Ernest added.

Even though the show is described as immersive, Ernest said, more specifically it’s about placing audience members inside the experience.

Ernest noted from the moment patrons walk through the doors, they are no longer audience members — they are an inmate at Folsom Prison. Audience members are each given a number. Guards move through the aisles. The warden speaks directly to them. And Cash addresses them as his friends — the prisoners.

“We don’t bring people on stage or force participation. Instead, the immersion comes from atmosphere, tension, and perspective. You are part of the room. You feel what it was like to be there,” Ernest said.

According to reglenna.com, Folsom Prison Experience is a fully-immersive theatrical tribute that rebuilds the tension, grit, and electricity of the day Cash recorded At Folsom Prison. At the time, Cash’s personal life was strained, the hits had slowed, and studio sessions were going nowhere. So he took a gamble no one expected by recording a live album inside the maximum-security walls of Folsom Prison, Folsom Calif.

“The show is grounded in historical fact, but it’s presented in a way that’s gripping, emotional, and alive. It’s not just a concert–it’s a moment in time unfolding right in front of you,” Ernest said.

And Ernest’s favorite moment of the show is when he steps out from backstage onto the stage as Cash.

“And when I say, ‘Hello, I’m Johnny Cash,’ and kick into ‘Folsom Prison Blues,’ it hits in a way that’s visceral. For a second, it feels like you’ve actually stepped into that original moment,” Ernest said.

For more information visit reglenna.com.