Publisher's note: The author of this post, Crystal Baity, is a contributor to ECU News Services.
From John Wilkes Booth to Lee Harvey Oswald, notorious presidential assassins will tell their stories in an East Carolina University musical opening Feb. 25 in McGinnis Theatre.
In the School of Theatre and Dance's performance of "Assassins," the crowd reacts to Zangara's attempt on President Franklin D. Roosevelt. (Photos by Cliff Hollis)
Based on the book by John Weidman with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, "Assassins" examines the motivation of would-be and successful assassins of eight United States presidents throughout history.
"My hope is that the audience will really listen to the show and realize that some of these issues are still very important to keep in mind in today's world," said Anna Higginson, an ECU junior who portrays Sara Jane Moore, who tried to kill President Gerald Ford in 1975.
"The production is told by the assassins' points of view," Higginson said.
"We really see into each and every one of their lives."
John Wilkes Booth played by Daniel Fetter
Higginson's character, Moore, had been involved with radical leftist groups before attempting to shoot President Ford on a visit to San Francisco. Ford was not hurt.
"She is an awesome character to play because she does bring some comic relief to the story," Higginson said.
"The joys in playing her are countless, but being able to be on stage with all of my best friends playing these characters has been an amazing experience."
Faculty member Jason Coale created the scenic design for the production with student collaborators Michael LeBron, Erika Metscher and Colin Eastwood. Their designs were turned over to the scene, prop and paint shops to set the stage as the story of each assassin unfolds.
"You have to create an environment for the characters to inhabit," Coale said.
"I think we've been able to capture that in a very interesting way."
The production helps demonstrate the lengths people will go to become famous, Coale said.
"Each one of these people has become infamous by committing a heinous act, which makes it easy to view them as 'un-American freaks' with nothing to teach us. This show explores what they can teach us," said Brandon Fillette, an ECU senior and assistant musical director.
Fillette is responsible for the music in the show. There are about 10 numbers and some transitional pieces.
"The composer, Stephen Sondheim, writes his music with the character, plot, theme and a creativity akin to William Shakespeare," Fillette said.
"For musical theatre performers, there's nothing quite like doing a Sondheim show. The demand is incredibly high because you cannot take a single thing for granted. He writes specific tempos, specific lyrics, and specific notes for the sole purpose of telling the story."
Fillette, who is majoring in theatre arts with a concentration in musical theatre performance, has enjoyed helping the faculty music director make creative decisions for the production from incorporating different singing styles to determining the pace of the songs. Fillette also is starting a student theatre company called the 5th Street Players for his senior honors project at ECU, Fillette said.
ECU associate professor Robert Caprio directs and Tommi Galaska choreographed the production, which features 18 cast members and a behind-the-scenes support crew overseeing lighting to costumes to the orchestra.
Performances will be held in McGinnis Theatre at 8 p.m. Feb. 25-27, at 2 p.m. Feb. 28, and 8 p.m. Feb. 29 and March 1. Tickets are $17.50 for the general public and $10 for ECU students and youth. Call 252-328-6829, email theatre@ecu.edu or visit www.ecu.edu for more information.
ARTISTIC QUALITY
East Carolina University's theatre program will receive an award in recognition for artistic quality, educational excellence, service to the statewide theatre industry and alumni achievement by the North Carolina Theatre Conference.
The award will be presented immediately before the opening of "Assassins" on Feb. 25.
"The theatre department's faculty achievements are immense, and the program has produced alumni who have gone on to successful careers in regional theatre, on Broadway, in film and on television," said NCTC Executive Director Angie Hays.
"ECU's theatre education program trains talented theatre teachers who are making an incredible impact in classrooms across North Carolina and the U.S."
Hayes commended the department's students and faculty for participating in events such as NCTC's High School Play Festival and College Discovery Day, and for its commitment to working with local arts groups including the Magnolia Arts Center, which received NCTC's 2015 Community Theatre Award.
"It's quite an honor to be recognized by your state peers as an effective organization and one that makes a strong contribution to the community," said John Shearin, director of the ECU School of Theatre and Dance.
Community outreach is one of the original missions of the school, Shearin said, and it produces plays, musicals and concerts every year, as well as a children's outreach theatre and performances in the surrounding area.
It's the first time ECU has won the NCTC College/University award.
ECU students Jessica Braun, who portrays Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, and Anna Higginson as Sara Jane Moore rehearse their lines for the ECU School of Theatre and Dance production of "Assassins." Fromme, a Charles Manson follower, and Moore, who was linked to leftist radical groups, attempted to kill President Gerald Ford.
