HART will open its 2015 main stage season with a show near and dear to Executive Director Steve Lloyd’s heart, who wrote it, and toured in the award winning drama for nearly 17 years. In fact, it’s not an exaggeration to say that “The Actor and The Assassin” made HART possible. In 1990, when Lloyd approached HART about working for the theatre, HART had no financial resources to pay him. It was the income from “The Actor and The Assassin” that paid Lloyd’s bills in the early years.

Edwin and John Wilkes Booth were two of the most famous actors of the 19th Century, but it was their bitter rivalry that the drama focuses on. John was obsessed with fame and being remembered and his assassination of Abraham Lincoln insured that he would be. Drawing from letters and diaries “The Actor and The Assassin” makes the events of the era personal. 

In addition to the usual weekend performances, a special production will be given on Tuesday, April 14. That is the 150th anniversary of the night Lincoln was shot at Ford’s Theater. Each performance will be followed by post show talk back sessions with the actors and the production will kick off a series of commemorative events in the community in the coming weeks to recognize Waynesville’s distinction as being the location of the last shot fired east of the Mississippi River.

Tickets are $24 for adults, $20 for seniors and $11 for students. There will also be a $7 matinee price available.

www.harttheatre.org or 828.456.6322.