We're Matthew and Angelique, the duo behind the award-winning company, Sunny Gingham. We met performing in 2019 and haven’t stopped since. Continuing to collaborate we created Sunny Gingham, a home to create art where we want to and when we want to - (Leave it to us to turn Angelique’s wedding into an “In The Round” performance). Last year we challenged ourselves by co-writing a play for the very first time. We premiered our first original piece, The King & I, and Paul, at the 2023 Hollywood Fringe Festival. The show was very well-received and we were honored with the Hollywood Encore! Producers Award. 

With The King & I, and Paul under our belts, we’ve decided to take on the Hollywood Fringe for a second year in a row with an all new, original historical drama, Our American Tragedy. Contrasting with our farce last year, we are thrilled to enter the dark truth’s of American history.

Matt and Angelique as Paul and Susan in The King & I, and Paul (2023)

Early on in the process, Our American Tragedy told a very different story about jaded actors of the 1860s. We went into this project with the idea that we’d create a more lighthearted, comedic commentary about actors perturbed at their spotlight being upstaged by Lincoln’s assassination.

However, through our extensive research, we quickly discovered that there was way more happening that night beyond John Wilkes Booth murdering the president. We knew then that the story we must tell was that of the nearly 50 actors and crew members behind the scenes of Our American Cousin that fateful night. We realized that, while John Wilkes Booth and Abraham Lincoln have almost become other-worldly through their fame or infamy, the people whose lives were completely uprooted by this event have been minimized and their stories lost.  

With that, Our American Tragedy, the drama, was born. Our play follows the story of 4 actors and 3 crew members who are detained backstage at Ford’s Theatre immediately following the infamous gunshot. We watch as they grapple with their new reality and struggle in their quest to reveal the truth. Who knew? Who lied? And who will take it to the grave?

The play brings together layered rumors, historical testimony, and the mysteries surrounding the event you thought you knew everything about. 

From left to right:

May Hart, Edman "Ned" Spangler, Laura Keene, Harry Hawk, John Burroughs Wright

Unlike the freedom we had writing the very farcical, very fictional The King & I, and Paul, Our American Tragedy required countless hours of research prior to putting pen to paper to ensure the that the story we’re telling is authentic. As history lovers ourselves, this was a challenge we welcomed with open arms. We’ve had the luxury to discuss with the experts at the Lincoln Library and even chat with the authors of various texts we explored, including Thomas Bogar (Backstage at the Lincoln Assassination). Our research also involved reviewing obituaries, diving into local newspapers, and listening to seminars to be sure that the untold stories of the Lincoln Assassination become OUR story. 

Beyond our own research, we’re so excited to announce that we have invited a dramaturg into our process who has been able to unlock even MORE exciting information, not only about that evening, but the depths of everyone involved.  

After completing a draft in early April, we hosted a script development meeting where fellow writers, theatre professionals, and actors came together to hear the piece out loud and offer feedback on its development. The script underwent a major rewrite in preparation for the start of rehearsals in late April.

From left to right:

Depiction of John Wilkes Booth on stage, Newspaper report of Keene's arrest, Depiction of John Wilkes Booth's escape, Advertisement for Our American Cousin on April 14, 1865

In order to progress the story, we are taking a nontraditional theatre route by utilizing nonlinear flashbacks to reveal different parts of the story in due time to the audience. The challenge to this otherwise “film-eqsue” technique will be to keep the play moving. Unlike film, there are no cuts in theatre. Because of this, we are leaning into more modern and experimental devices of physically moving the story along, such as viewpoints, creative lighting, and movement!

All of this, without abandoning the appropriate period look. We are dedicated to making sure that Our American Tragedy will take on a period aesthetic for costume, language, and characterization, highlighting the various tones of mixed society during that time. We are also aiming to use period-appropriate props and set pieces representative of what would be had in the 1860s. We are excited to combine modern theatre technique with period appropriate design elements to capture a realistic, but kinetic retelling of this story. 

Costume References

Prop & Set References

This concept came to us at a time when we were least expecting it! We couldn't help but to become incredibly attached to the peoples' stories that exist behind the scenes of this tragic event. It is important to us that these stories do not continue untold. Combining our love for history with our love for theatre, we feel this is the perfect medium to keep these stories alive, but we can't do it alone! We need your help to raise funds so we may do this story justice.

In order to tell these stories, some things are non-negotiable, but SO worth it if it means bringing light to these hidden figures while using Theatre as a conduit of knowledge and education.

Areas where we need support:



• Venue rental
• Venue insurance (in case we trip over our period dresses, of course)
• Rehearsal space rentals 
• Technical operator to run the show
• Festival registration fees 
• Reimbursing our producers
• Marketing costs - I.E. professional graphics, printing, in-person workshops, online ads 
• Prop building and shipping fees 
• Incidental costs (cause it'd be on-brand to damage a set piece we desperately need 24hrs before opening night)
• Period appropriate costumes, set pieces, and props
• Wigs!!!
• Promotional materials (postcards, photos, swag, events, etc)

And of course, there can never be too much help! What if we go BEYOND our goal, you ask? Right now, our goal of $5,000 will help us greenlight our production by getting it up on its feet at HFF with the supplies needed to make it happen. Reaching the following stretch goals would help us unlock additional ways to make this play the best version it can be:

• If we reach $7,000, we’d be able to afford paying our creative team and actors (10 people)! We value our community’s creativity, and we want to honor their art by thanking them with a couple Lincolns in their pocket. They’ve put so much time and effort into making this piece a success!

• If we reach $8,000, we would be able to put the funds towards additional research and writing materials as our goal is to expand this 45min play into a 2hr, full-fledged production.

• If we reach $10,000, we would be able to fund registration and domestic travel to take a Sunny Gingham production to at least 2 other fringe festivals in the U.S. over the next year.

• If we reach $12,000, we would be able to afford registration, insurance, and venue fees to take an original Sunny Gingham production overseas to the world-renowned Edinburgh Fringe in Scotland!

• If we reach $18,000, we would be able to fund our team’s travel, accommodation, and food for our 10-day Edinburgh trip.

• If we reach $20,000 (like what!), we can put money towards improved costume pieces and period-appropriate design elements.

THANK YOU!

Love,

Two very tired, very inspired playwrights, actors, producers, and of course, best friends finalizing the script at 1:30AM on a Thursday.