Tony Cyprien was born and raised in Watts, California, by his loving mother and grandmother – and neighborhood gang members.  He soon was in juvenile hall and the California Youth Authority.  His mother died suddenly and Tony returned home to find strangers living in his house.  Months later, at age 17, he was sentenced to San Quentin.  In prison he learned to weld, and 26 years and 8 days later, paroled to Berkeley, he got a job he loves assembling robotic arms used in medicine.  He has also discovered improv and storytelling.  He won the very first Moth StorySLAM that he entered, and has been featured at two Moth Mainstage events, as well as two broadcasts on NPR.  He has performed solo pieces at The Marsh, StageWerx, and Shotgun Players.  He joined the Marin Shakespeare Returned Citizens Theatre Troupe, for which he is now program manager.  Marin Shakes lets him fulfill one of his dreams – to go back into prison and juvenile hall to talk to thousands of those like himself and tell them “Man, I got a do over. I’m here to tell you what things will look life if you don’t stop!”  ​