Parade at Winston-Salem Theatre Alliance

Set in 1913, Parade tells the true story of Leo Frank (Gray Smith), a Brooklyn-raised Jew living in Georgia. Frank is put on trial for the murder of thirteen-year-old Mary Phagan (Kaelee Mecham), a factory worker he employed. Already deemed guilty in the eyes of everyone around him, Frank suffered the added consequences of sensationalist news stories and a janitor's false testimony. His only defenders were a governor with a conscience and, eventually, his assimilated Southern wife, who finds the strength and love to become his greatest champion.Parade is also a cautionary tale, a warning against scapegoating, racism, xenophobia, and sensationalism in the mediaall issues that we can see playing out in American politics today. Underneath these issues, Parade reveals a deeply human lesson about how love and human connection can be forged, even in a climate of intolerancea story that needs to be told now more than ever.The book was written by Alfred Uhry (Driving Miss Daisy), and the music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown (The Last Five Years, The Bridges of Madison County). Parade premiered on Broadway in 1998 and won Tony Awards for Best Book and Best Original Score, and six Drama Desk Awards. Brown re-worked the show and the orchestrations in 2007 for a revival at the Donmar Warehouse in London, which is the version Theatre Alliance will be performing.