Rehearsals are underway for our upcoming World Premiere thriller The Passion of Teresa Rae King (April 29 – May 20, 2018), and we’re run across some interesting true crime stories from our own state during our research for the show that we thought we’d share to help set the mood! Our marketing intern Caroline put together this collection of stories of passions that ran cold – and deadly.

Carthage Nursing Home

In March of 2009, 45-year-old Robert Stewart entered a nursing home in Carthage, North Carolina with the intention of murdering his wife, who was employed there. His wife had left him two weeks earlier.

Upon reaching the nursing home, Stewart shot at his wife’s parked car several times. After this, he shot at a moving car of a visitor pulling up to the home, hitting the driver in the shoulder. The wounded driver was able to get inside and warn some residents of the approaching attacker.

After entering the facility, Stewart went searching for his wife. He shot and killed seven residents on his rampage, including two who were wheelchair-bound. He also shot a nurse who worked in the facility who attempted to stop him from attacking any further.

Stewart was apprehended by Police Officer Justin Garner, whom he shot in the leg before Garner was able to land a shot at Stewart’s chest, taking him down.

Stewart lived through the attack, and was convicted of eight counts of second degree murder, one count of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, one count of discharging a firearm into occupied property, one count of assault with a firearm on a law enforcement officer, and two counts of assault by pointing a gun. This was enough for him to be convicted of 141-179 years in prison, which he began serving in 2011 after his trial and sentencing.

Wanda Neal, the wife that Robert Stewart went hunting for that fateful March morning, remarked upon leaving the courthouse after his sentencing that she hopes Stewart “rots in hell”.

(photo credit: CBS News)

Valentine’s Day Murders

On February 12th, 1971, a couple by the names of Patricia Mann and Jesse McBane headed to a Valentine’s dance in Durham. After the dance, Patricia signed out of her college dormitory saying she would be back before the 1:00 A.M. curfew. However, she never returned.

The next morning, Patricia’s worried roommates went looking for her. They found Jesse’s car parked Hillandale Golf Course, where many young lovers liked to go “parking”. The car was locked, but there was no sight of Jesse or Pat. They called the police, but the police weren’t thrilled to go looking for two young people who were only missing a few hours. The parents of the couple were notified that they were missing, and that was the last they heard for several days.

On February 25th, nearly two weeks after the couple was last seen,  a surveyor working in the woods found the bodies of two young adults, tied with their backs to a tree. They were bound at the hands and around their necks. Based on post-mortem marks, investigators believe that the ropes around their necks were loosened and tightened at intervals until they eventually expired.

Several suspects were interviewed and polygraphed, but there was little physical evidence to go on, and no witnesses. Police had two lead suspects in the 1970s, and one of them is still alive today. However, more than forty years later, there has never been enough evidence for a prosecution, and the killer of Patricia Mann and Jesse McBane remains at large, and will likely remain that way.

(photo credit: The News and Observer)

Frankie Silver

The story of Frances Stewart Silver has many twists and turns, some of which inspired a play, a book, a movie, and an episode of Investigation Discovery.

In December of 1831, nineteen-year-old Charles “Johnny” Silver was murdered with an axe, and later dismembered, at his cabin in Morganton. Three persons were arrested for the grisly murder: Johnny’s eighteen-year-old wife Frances “Frankie” Silver, Frankie’s mother Barbara Stewart, and Frankie’s brother Jackson “Blackstone” Stewart. Both her mother and brother pled not guilty and were released, but Frankie refused to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty, and went on to stand trial alone.

There is no clear reason as to why Frankie murdered her husband in the same cabin that their 13-month-old daughter lived with them. Speculation ranged from infidelity to abusive, or and some thought Johnny had threatened her or her child physically and that the murder was in self defense. Inside of the cabin were pieces of bone, blood splatters along the walls and floor, as well as fireplace contents that led investigators to believe that Frankie had attempted to burn her husband’s remains to cover up the crime. Frankie was found guilty and sentenced to hang for the murder of her husband, but then things start to get interesting once again.

Between her sentencing and her hanging, Frankie was broken out of prison by her own family. They cut her hair short, dressed her as a man, and attempted to smuggle her out of town. They were caught, however, and she was taken back into custody to face her death sentence.

Frankie was hanged on July 12th, 1833. She is believed to be the first white woman to ever be put to death in North Carolina, and the only woman ever hanged in Burke County.

Despite misreportings in some location newspapers at the time, Frankie never confessed to the crime or discussed any motive she may have had. It is said that when she was asked for her last words before hanging, her father shouted “Die with it in you, Frankie!”, which adds to the theory that her family assisted in the murder or attempted cleanup of Johnny Silver.

Wayne Silver, a descendant of the victim, holds that he as well as much of his family believes that Frankie acted in self defense, and that this was not a premeditated act nor an act of random violence.

Nancy Silver, the 13-month-old daughter of the victim and the accused, was taken by Frankie’s parents and raised in Elijay, North Carolina. A book has been written about her life from 1832-1901, entitled “A Life for Nancy: Daughter of Frankie Silver” that chronicles the way that the tragic events before Christmas of 1833 affected Frankie and Johnny’s little girl.

(photo credit: Historic Horrors)

The following confession was run by The Lenoir Topic several months after the hanging:

(photo courtesy of ncpedia.com)

If these stories have tickled your true crime fancy, then join us for our April Book Club meeting when we discuss Jerry Bledsoe’s Bitter Blood: A True Story of Southern Family Pride, Madness, and Multiple Murder, on Tuesday, April 17, 6:00 p.m. at Scuppernong Books! The book recounts an infamous killing spree with Guilford County at its heart. Join us!

Find more details on the Facebook event page.

And don’t forget to get your tickets to The Passion of Teresa Rae King!
http://triadstage.org/performance/249/the-passion-of-teresa-rae-king

In honor of our upcoming production of our vicious and haunting World Premiere The Passion of Teresa Rae King (April 29 – May 20, 2018), we’ll be sharing some of our favorite ghost stories and true crime tales from across the Triad. Our marketing intern Caroline put together this collection of chillers for our first installment!

Lydia’s Bridge

(photo credit: Strange Carolinas)

An abandoned bridge in Jamestown, North Carolina is said to be the home to the ghost of a young woman named Lydia. This particular bridge is no longer part of the roadway, but is just out of sight of the road. The story goes that Lydia was a young woman in the 1920s, heading home from a dance with her date. Her date tragically crashed the car, dying on impact. Lydia, injured, waited by the roadside for someone to come along, but no one did and she died right there. Rumor says that if a man alone in the car drives under the bridge, a young woman in white will wave him down and ask for a ride home. If he obliges, he will find that when he reaches her destination, he is alone in the car.

The real “Lydia” is in fact a woman named Annie L. Jackson, who was in a car with three others on the night of June 20th, 1920. The car crashed right by the bridge, and she was thrown from the vehicle and died upon hitting her head. The ghost sightings began soon afterward.
Annie L. Jackson was found to be the real person behind the Lydia legend late last year, when ghost hunter Michael Renegar was contacted by a woman named Robin Mitchell Taylor, the great niece of “Lydia”. They hope that now that her true story has been published, her spirit can be at rest.

Körner’s Folly

(photo credit: www.kornersfolly.org)

Körner’s Folly, located on Main Street in Kernersville, North Carolina was once the home to Jule Körner, a furniture maker. When he started building the peculiar house in 1878, he planned to make it a sort of three dimensional portfolio of his work. The 22 rooms display different ceiling heights, not a single matching doorway, and windows designed to maximize airflow. He renovated the house constantly until his death, which leads us into the supernatural factors behind Jule Körner’s abode. Many visitors of the house have witnessed moving furniture, flickering lights, voices, and two even claimed to have received three brief taps on the head. Have no fear, however, because experts say that the spirits are friendly! Many even speculate that Jule Körner himself is culprit, keeping the guests in his home entertained just as he did while he was alive.

The good news about Körner’s Folly is that you can go there too! For just $10 for adults, take a self-guided tour through one of the most peculiar houses in America. And maybe if you’re lucky, Jule will pay you a visit!

The Biltmore Hotel

(photo credit: Greensboro Daily Photo)

Just around the corner from our beloved Triad Stage, the Biltmore Greensboro Hotel sits pretty at 111 W. Washington Street. The building did not begin as a hotel, but as an office space for denim manufacturers the Cone Brothers, the namesake for the Cone Denim Factory downtown, and later for the Cone Health Medical System. As the story goes, an accountant named Philip who worked for the Cone Brothers was found in the alley next to the building one morning with a piece of piano wire wrapped around his neck. The wire had been cut from the piano in the lobby, and then Philip had been pushed out the window that is now attached to room 332 of the hotel.

Some say that Philip committed suicide, but another popular theory is that he had found out about something he shouldn’t have known and was “taken care of.” People now say that they can hear his footsteps, as well as loud noises coming from room 332. Guests who stayed in Philip’s room have also reported seeing him standing next to the window through which he was thrown.

Philip’s is not the only ghost story in the historic Biltmore Greensboro Hotel. The Cone Brothers sold the building in 1926, and in 1929 the city of Greensboro lists it as an annex to the post office, creating the new address of 111 ½ W. Washington Street. This address was purchased by a lady by the name of Mrs. Ava B. Taylor, who turned it into an apartment and boarding establishment. She took over the rest of the building in 1934, and it was rumored that she was running a brothel, since her tenants were exclusively women. They say that the young woman by the name of Lydia (no relation to Jamestown Lydia) who lived in room 223 was thrown to her death by one of her clients. They say that if you are to stay in her room, you should be respectful and bring her something pink. Women who stay in the room find their purses tipped over and anything pink separated from the rest of their items, and the hotel staff has ensured that there are pink items hidden throughout the room to keep her happy. Staff even say that the door to her room is the only one that will not remain open, no matter what they do.

A young boy staying in room 223 back in 2010 reported seeing a pretty woman with long, red hair. Housekeeping has also reported finding strands of long red hair in the sink of room 223 before, as if someone was standing in the bathroom brushing her hair. The boy is currently the only person to have ever reported seeing Lydia, but many hotel guests have reported smelling a strong floral perfume when walking down the hallway by her room.

If those stories didn’t have you shaking, then join us for a free evening of live Ghost Stories on Friday, April 13, 7:30 p.m. at Triad Stage! Bring a flashlight, bring a buddy, and prepare to be scared! You can listen to our storytellers, or tell a ghost story of your own – if you dare!

Find more details on the Facebook event page.

And don’t forget to get your tickets to The Passion of Teresa Rae King!
http://triadstage.org/performance/249/the-passion-of-teresa-rae-king

The audience shuffles in through the glass doors in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina. The ushers smile warmly as they attempt to guide the crowd to their seats, anxious to see the show. The theater is buzzing with excitement as the lights dim. Actors file onstage in the darkness to their places, recalling the hours of rehearsals and preparation that have brought them to this moment. The stage manager holds their breath as they await the perfect moment to call the first lighting cue. Countless hands, minds, and hearts have worked tirelessly to make this exact moment happen. But how exactly did we arrive here at opening night? What all has to happen to put on a production at a professional theater such as Triad Stage? Here’s a backstage look at the process that puts shows on their feet from the perspective of an intern.

 For the past month, I’ve had the privilege of being the multi-purpose intern at Triad Stage. I participate in a different department of the theater every day, from learning about the financial procedures of the company, to observing educational workshops, to helping out with alterations in the costume shop. Every member of the Triad Stage team gives 110% to whatever they do. It is almost immediately evident to anyone who observes them is that they act as a family in communion with one another. The tireless work that goes on behind the scenes to make their shows happen is incredible.

In the costume shop for the past month, I’ve observed designers, assistants, and apprentices working side-by-side to create masterpieces from fabric. The journey of the costumes begins with countless hours of research. For period productions, such as the upcoming A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, which is set in the 1950s (and runs at Triad Stage January 28th-February 18th), costume designers research the popular styles of the time through online resources and even vintage magazines from the appropriate time period. The actors send in their measurements, and then the design process begins. At the first rehearsal that both the entire creative team and the cast attend, the costume designer, as well as the scenic and lighting designers, presents sketches of their proposed costumes. I was able to witness this meeting, and was blown away by the details of each design.

 Actor costume fittings begin immediately following the first rehearsal. After those, alterations pile up. The designer, the shop manager, and the apprentices work with the actor to make a costume that enhances their character and does not restrict them in any way. Some costumes are made from scratch, like the African “Buba”, a woman’s blouse, that appears in A Raisin in the Sun. Others are pulled from the shop’s stock and altered to fit the actors. Still others, like some of the dapper men’s period shoes, are ordered online. Often, the theater is working on multiple shoes at once, meaning every department, including costumes, is juggling enormous amounts of work for many shows at once. Each show is able to flow seamlessly to the next.

There are always alterations to be done!

Rehearsals are equally as interesting to observe. As I observed one of A Raisin in the Sun’s rehearsals, I witnessed an incredible partnership between actor and director. The goal of theater is to tell stories in the most compelling way possible. To tell truthful stories, actors must know everything about their character, top to bottom. The director works right alongside them, guiding them along the story’s line. Triad Stage prioritizes working with many different directors, actors, and designers. Each work is always new and original, regardless of its age or number of production.

     The rehearsal I observed focused on  a scene in the household of the Younger family, the play’s central characters. Some of these actors had never met each other in their entire lives before the rehearsal process began, and yet they were able to create what seemed to be a family that had lived together for decades. The relationships created in only the first week of rehearsals was incredible.

The everyday running of the theater not only includes the current show, but also educational outreach to the community. Offering workshops to local teachers, Triad Stage hopes to integrate the arts with academic learning in schools. In one such workshop that I attended, teachers were led in a series of theater games that were geared toward building skills necessary for academic learning. We played games like ‘The Truth About Me” in which one person stands in the middle of a circle of people. That person says something about themselves, and if that truth applies to anyone else, they all move about the circle. This game is meant to enhance learning skills such as effective communication, information processing, and making decisions. I believe this movement toward fusing the arts and academics is vital to childhood development.

   The Arts Integration Workshop I attended led by Lauren Smith, Triad Stage’s Learning Director.

Triad Stage picks their shows with the audience in mind. Each show of the season is selected with care based on what shows could be appreciated in the community. For example, A Raisin in the Sun is a play about race relations, but also the complexities of family. The show is a gateway for communication about racial discrimination and family relationships.

Audience members come to see the culmination of the long hours of work in a performance. Many sit comfortably in their seats, blissfully unaware of the tireless toil of every single member of the production’s cast and crew. This is exactly as it should be. The actors, gliding around the stage in the paths they’ve walked dozens of times in rehearsals, play characters that exist to lift the audience’s spirit out of their own lives into the story of another. Triad Stage creates an atmosphere of “nationally recognized, locally produced” theater that allows anyone to enjoy the spirit of theater.

Meredith Brown, Intern at Triad Stage

Come see A Raisin in the Sun at the Pyrle Theater in Greensboro January 28th – February 18th!

With the theater being dark during the summer, you may be wondering what we have been up to here at Triad Stage. Don’t fear! We’re in full-on planning mode for the season ahead. Our building may look quiet from the outside, but the staff are working hard behind the scenes preparing eight high quality productions to be delivered to the Triad region in the coming year.

To help us out this summer, we’ve been thrilled to welcome Elon University student Alyx Bean as our first Opportunity Greensboro summer intern. Alyx is an Arts Administration student with a passion for community development. This season is the perfect time for Alyx to work with us. She’s getting the opportunity to assist in the rapid expansion of our Learning Program, and the preparation for our 17th Season.Here at Triad Stage, lifelong learning is a shared and fundamental value. We support programming that inspires new and creative ways of thinking, and promotes personal and professional growth. In collaboration with the Opportunity Greensboro Fellows Program, we seek to bridge the gap between academia and theater arts professions.

Alyx Bean and Justin Nichols at our pop-up photo booth for SOUTH PACIFIC on Fun Fourth.

The Opportunity Greensboro Fellows Program is an initiative of Action Greensboro. The program launched last year with its inaugural student cohort. This program addresses the need to attract and retain young professionals in Greensboro from local colleges and universities. Accepted Fellows are given the chance to gain valuable work experience, develop critical skills at the Center for Creative Leadership, build a strong network through exclusive mentorship, and engage in the community through living and working in the city throughout the summer.

Beth Manella, Fellows Program Director with Opportunity Greensboro, shared some of the benefits of this 10-week internship program:

“Prior to the Opportunity Greensboro Fellows Program, there was no centralized program for finding a paid summer internship in Greensboro. This program benefits local college students, local companies seeking local talent, and the greater community at-large who wants to see our community continue to grow with regard to economic development and keeping more young professionals here.”

In 2017, Triad Stage become one of the collaborating organizations to offer a professional paid internship opportunity to local college students. This summer, our summer Fellow Alyx has been working alongside Triad Stage’s Development Manager Justin Nichols and Marketing Manager Tiffany Albright to support the development of fundraising and marketing plans for the season, and assisting with general office administration. She is also getting the opportunity to observe and foster relationships with our staff, and to learn more about a profession in theater arts.

We’re so pleased to be a part of this exciting new program that will support both Alyx in her professional development, as well as Triad Stage in our season preparation. We look forward to continuing our collaborative relationship with the Opportunity Greensboro Fellows Program, and can’t wait to see the benefits that this initiative will bring to our city.

The National Endowment for the Arts announced $82 million to fund local arts projects in every state and jurisdiction. Triad Stage will be the recipient of a $20,000 Art Works grant. Triad Stage also recently received $50,000 from The Shubert Foundation, the nation’s largest funder dedicated to unrestricted funding of not-for-profit theaters.

The Art Works award will support  a new play commissioned by Triad Stage and written by Mike Wiley about the 1960 Greensboro sit-ins and the Greensboro Four. Wiley is a NC playwright whose play The Parchman Hour about the Freedom Riders has been performed at theaters across the country.

The NEA received 1,728 Art Works applications and will make 1,029 grants ranging from $10,000 to $100,000. Nineteen grants were awarded in North Carolina to groups including The North Carolina Theatre Conference and the National Black Repertory Company. In previous years Triad Stage has received the Art Works award to support the development and production of five shows, including a revival of Tobacco Road (2007) and four original works by Founding Artistic Director Preston Lane examining life in the South: Brother Wolf (2006), Bloody Blackbeard (2008), Providence Gap (2010), and Radiunt Abundunt (2016).

Radiunt Abundunt (2016)

The Shubert Foundation Grants Program awarded a record $26.8 million to 533 not-for-profit performing arts organizations across the United States in 2017. Seven grants were awarded to theaters in North Carolina. Triad Stage’s $50,000 grant is the second highest grant in the state. It is also the highest grant Triad Stage has received from the foundation.

For more information about how you can support the Triad Stage visit http://triadstage.org/support.