Audience members who attend one of the two upcoming encore performances of Shiloh Rules will be treated to a short pre-performance concert.
Although Shiloh Rules is about a re-enactment of the Civil War battle that goes awry, the 15-minute pre-play concert, which will begin about 30 minutes before the start of the play, will include selections of recent popular music that spans from the Beatles to Andy Grammer.
While the songs might not have a direct connection to the Civil War or the battle fought April 6-7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee, the musical selections play an important role in preparing the audience for the production.
“It’s a good way to loosen up the audience and get them ready for the play,” said Lindsey Wilson theatre professor Robert Brock, who directs Shiloh Rules. “It’s almost like an opening act at a rock concert.”
Written by Doris Baizley, Shiloh Rules is a six-character play set during a modern reenactment of the famous Civil War battle. Staged as part of this summer’s Lindsey Wilson TheatreFest!, the play will be presented at 7 p.m. Aug. 28-29 at V.P. Henry Auditorium.
Brock said the tradition of performing live music before presenting a play started more than a decade ago at Lindsey Wilson, after he took students to see productions at the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, Virginia. Before a performance of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, the company’s cast performed several musical selections.
“The students loved it, and when we got back to campus, they decided to start it before our productions,” said Brock. “The practice took a bit of a hiatus around COVID, but students talked about it and decided to bring it back.”
The tradition of treating a theatre audience to a live musical performance before presenting a play dates back to Shakespeare’s time.
“Music was sometimes used as a way to attract an audience, and many of Shakespeare’s plays had a lot of music in them -- cast members often played instruments and sang,” said Brock. “Sometimes they would also perform musical pieces during the intermission.”
Graduate student Kassidy Phelps of Burkesville, Kentucky, who plays Miss Clara May Abbott in Shiloh Rules, said the musical performance also benefits the cast members.
“It’s a good way for the cast to connect with the audience before the play starts, and it gives the cast an idea of what the audience is like,” said Phelps. “It also helps the cast to prepare for the actual play.”
The Lindsey Wilson University Department of Theatre will present “Shiloh Rules,” by Doris Baizley, a 7 p.m Aug. 28-29, with a 15-minute pre-play concert to begin around 6:30 p.m.
It is directed by Lindsey Wilson theatre professor Robert Brock, and the cast is Zoe Boatright of Columbia (LucyGale Scruggs); Mayatu Brown of Columbia (Ranger Wilson); Shiane Lussier of Bremen, (Widow Beckwith); Kayla Koerner of Columbia (Mrs. Cecilia Delaunay Pettison); Kassidy Phelps of Burkesville, (Miss Clara May Abbott); Sabrina Ruiz of Louisville, (Meg Barton); and stage manager Leeshawn Johnson of Louisville. To purchase tickets, go to theatrefest.org or contact the Lindsey Wilson Theatre Department at theatre@lindsey.edu or 270-384-8044.
