In honor of President Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday anniversary coming up in February, the staged reading “A Simple Assassination” will open tonight in the studio theater of the Music and Dramatic Arts Building. The LSU Theatre production explores conspiracy theories surrounding Lincoln’s assassination and will run from Dec. 1 to 6 at 7:30 p.m. with an additional show at 2 p.m. on Dec. 6. Tickets are $5. “It’s very conceptual,” said assistant director Jennifer LeBlanc. “It’s educational to a point, but there’s a human element.”Theatre senior Jake Loup plays Noah Brooks, a reporter and close friend of Lincoln. “A Simple Assassination” follows Brooks as he investigates the events that led to the president’s death. Several historical figures make appearances, as well as some fictional characters from the imagination of the show’s playwright Robert Friedman.”It’s all about these characters and their roles in the assassination,” Loup said. “A Simple Assassination” isn’t like a typical theatrical reading, he said. The show has costumes, projection effects and interaction between characters. But nobody plays Lincoln in the show. Rather, the play focuses on events that happened before and after his death and unfolds like a murder mystery. “It’s different,” Loup said. “It’s very Americana. It’s dark.” Loup is graduating in May and said “A Simple Assassination” may be his last show at the University. “[The LSU Theatre] program is so strong and so diverse,” he said. “They don’t want the program to get into a rut — they are always trying to bring something new to the table.”Director Femi Euba said “A Simple Assassination” stuck out in his mind after reading several other Lincoln-themed plays. “It reviews those truths of the past not only to remind us of similar disruptive events along the historical path of the American political process, but also to inform us of possible developments in present circumstances,” he said.  The show is considered a laboratory performance, which offers many opportunities for undergraduate students. LSU Theatre puts on about 10 laboratory performances each year. LSU Theatre is presenting “A Simple Assassination” in association with the Louisiana Abraham Lincoln Commission.
 
 
 
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