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Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
and Book by John Weidman Based on an idea by Charles Gilbert, Jr. Produced by Berea Grindstone Players at the Cassidy Theatre, Parma Heights, Ohio October 2008 Directed by Geoff Short Musical Direction by Heidi Herczeg Starring Michael Snider as John Wilkes Booth Jacob Wadenpfuhl as The Balladeer/Oswald Trey Gilpin as Giuseppe Zangara Rob Starek as Leon Czolgosz Kevin Joseph Kelly as Charles Guiteau Kim Bush as Sarah Jane Moore Holly Facer as Squeaky Fromme Chris Bizub as Sam Byck Joshua Brown as John Hinckley and Michael Andrews-Hinders as The Proprietor with David Turner Michael Strama Lissa Pavluk Jennifer Nageotte David Williams Joey Stefanko |
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"Assassins was a show that I always wanted to direct somewhere. I loved the idea of exploring the dark side of some of the scariest moments of our American history through the stunning music of Stephen Sondheim. But because of the sometimes irreverent (and hilarious) tone the show uses to explore possible reasons for the very serious subject of presidential assassination, many community theaters understandably shy away from this controversial piece. I had the idea of trying to create a "no fault" partnership between two different theatre groups to get the show produced - the Berea Grindstone Players and the Cassidy Theatre. BGP would actually produce the musical, but it would be presented at the Cassidy. BGP didn't have to deal with any controversy that might arise from putting the show on in the church where they did their shows, and the Cassidy didn't have to take responsibility for putting the show on their own season schedule. It worked and the show was on. I also knew that timing was critical for promotional purposes considering the upcoming 2008 presidential election. We were fortunate to be able to present the show the month before Barack Obama won that historical election." - Geoff Short |
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To help promote the show, Geoff produced this series of provocative promo videos. They were taped and presented from the perspective of each of these infamous figures. This promo video series proved to be a bit controversial.
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PHOTOS Photos by Geoff Short
Geoffrey Short
Northeast Ohio Entertainer
Northeast Ohio Entertainer