The College of Arts and Media will present its final theatre performance of the spring semester, "Bright Star." It opens tonight at 7:30 in Ethington Theatre. Written by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, the bluegrass musical follows literary editor Alice Murphy, who confronts her past, full of love, loss and redemption. Part of her story is Billy Cane, a soldier returning from World War II. More shows are coming up 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, 7:30 p.m. March 13-14 and 2 p.m. March 15.
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Bassist Tracy Haddad and members of the band check their music before the start of rehearsal on March 3, 2026, for the theatre department’s production of “Bright Star” at Ethington Theatre. -
Kailey Mazur (center), who plays Alice Murphy, leads the cast in a musical number during rehearsal of the theatre department’s production of “Bright Star” at Ethington Theatre on March 3, 2026. -
Kailey Mazur, who plays Alice Murphy, performs during a rehearsal for the theatre department’s production of “Bright Star” at Ethington Theatre on March 3, 2026. -
Violinist Heide Riggs performs during a rehearsal for Bright Star” at Ethington Theatre on March 3, 2026. -
Payton Sharpe and Carter Giannetti (from left) on set during a rehearsal for “Bright Star” at Ethington Theatre on March 3, 2026. -
Payton Sharpe and Carter Giannetti rehearse for the theatre department's production of “Bright Star” at Ethington Theatre on March 3, 2026. -
Billy Cane (Carter Giannetti) places a rose on his mother’s grave during a rehearsal for the theatre department’s production of “Bright Star” at Ethington Theatre on March 3, 2026. -
Carter Giannetti plays Billy Cane and Maiya Morhweis is Margo Crawford in “Bright Star” at Ethington Theatre. -
Carter Giannetti, as Billy Cane, and Maiya Morhweis, as Margo Crawford, rehearse a scene for “Bright Star” at Ethington Theatre on March 3, 2026. -
Carter Giannetti, as Billy Cane, and Maiya Morhweis, as Margo Crawford, rehearse a scene in the theatre department’s production of “Bright Star” at Ethington Theatre on March 3, 2026. -
Characters confront each other during a rehearsl of the theatre department’s production of “Bright Star” at Ethington Theatre on March 3, 2026. -
Carter Giannetti, as Billy Cane, during a rehearsal for the theatre department’s production of “Bright Star” at Ethington Theatre on March 3, 2026. -
Carter Giannetti plays Billy Cane (right) during a rehearsal for the theatre department’s production of “Bright Star” at Ethington Theatre on March 3, 2026. -
Luke Lundberg, as Jimmy Ray Dobbs, and Kailey Mazur, as Alice Murphy, during a rehearsal for the theatre department’s production of “Bright Star” at Ethington Theatre on March 3, 2026. -
Kailey Mazur as Alice Murphy during a rehearsal for the theatre department’s production of “Bright Star” at Ethington Theatre on March 3, 2026. -
Luke Lundberg, as Jimmy Ray Dobbs, and Kailey Mazur, as Alice Murphy, rehearse a scene in the theatre department’s production of “Bright Star” at Ethington Theatre on March 3, 2026. -
Luke Lundberg, as Jimmy Ray Dobbs, and Kailey Mazur, as Alice Murphy, reheare a scene in the theatre department’s production of “Bright Star” at Ethington Theatre on March 3, 2026. -
Luke Lundberg, as Jimmy Ray Dobbs, and Kailey Mazur, as Alice Murphy, during a rehearsal for the theatre department’s production of “Bright Star” at Ethington Theatre on March 3, 2026. -
Cast members of “Bright Star” at Ethington Theatre on March 3, 2026. -
Cast members of “Bright Star” at Ethington Theatre on March 3, 2026. -
Caleb Moran plays Mayor Josiah Dobbs, and Luke Lundberg is Jimmy Ray Dobbs in the theatre department’s production of “Bright Star” at Ethington Theatre. -
Jimmy Ray Dobbs (Luke Lundberg, left) and Mayor Josiah Dobbs (Caleb Moran) have a heated exchange in the theatre department’s production of “Bright Star” at Ethington Theatre. -
Carter Giannetti, as Billy Cane, rehearses for the theatre department’s production of “Bright Star” at Ethington Theatre on March 3, 2026. -
From left, Easton Ikenaga, as Daryl Ames, and Kayla Walton, as Lucy Grant, during a rehearsal for the theatre department’s production of “Bright Star” at Ethington Theatre on March 3, 2026. -
Kailey Mazur, as Alice Murphy, and Carter Giannetti, as Billy Cane, during a rehearsal for the theatre department’s production of “Bright Star” at Ethington Theatre on March 3, 2026. -
Carter Giannetti, as Billy Cane, and Easton Ikenaga, as Daryl Ames, during a rehearsal for the theatre department’s production of “Bright Star” at Ethington Theatre on March 3, 2026. -
Kailey Mazur plays Alice Murphy in “Bright Star” at Ethington Theatre. -
"Bright Star" cast members rehearse at Ethington Theatre on March 3, 2026. -
Carter Giannetti, as Billy Cane, and Maiya Morhweis, as Margo Crawford, during a rehearsal for the theatre department’s production of “Bright Star” at Ethington Theatre on March 3, 2026. -
Carter Giannetti, as Billy Cane, and Maiya Morhweis, as Margo Crawford, during a rehearsal for the theatre department’s production of “Bright Star” at Ethington Theatre on March 3, 2026. -
Cast members rehearse a dance number on March 3, 2026, for "Bright Star" at Ethington Theatre. -
Cast members rehearse a dance number on March 3, 2026, for "Bright Star" at Ethington Theatre. -
Kailey Mazur, as Alice Murphy, and Luke Lundberg, as Jimmy Ray Dobbs, during a rehearsal for the theatre department’s production of “Bright Star” at Ethington Theatre on March 3, 2026. -
Kailey Mazur portrays Alice Murphy and Ben Sparling plays Dr. Norquist in the theatre department’s production of “Bright Star” at Ethington Theatre. -
From left, Kailey Mazur plays Alice Murphy, Savannah Swiatkowski is Mama Murphy and Brandon Erickson-Moen portrays Daddy Murphy in "Bright Star" at Ethington Theatre. -
Alice Murphy (played by Kailey Mazur, center) protects her baby in “Bright Star” at Ethington Theatre. -
Kailey Mazur, as Alice Murphy, and Savannah Swiatkowski, as Mama Murphy, during a rehearsal for the theatre department’s production of “Bright Star” at Ethington Theatre on March 3, 2026. -
Caleb Moran, as Mayor Josiah Dobbs, during a rehearsal for the theatre department’s production of “Bright Star” at Ethington Theatre on March 3, 2026. -
Kailey Mazur plays Alice Murphy, Savannah Swiatkowski is Mama Murphy and Brandon Erickson-Moen portrays Daddy Murphy, in "Bright Star" at Ethington Theatre.
