UW Theatre and Dance to Present Bluegrass Musical ‘Bright Star’
Published October 23, 2025
UW student Chase Nylander, of Laramie, who plays the character of Billy Cane, and Avey Jesperson, of Torrington, who plays Margo Crawford, are among the performers in the UW Department of Theatre and Dance’s performance of the musical “Bright Star,” which runs Friday-Saturday, Oct. 31-Nov. 1; Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 6-8, at 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Nov. 2, at 2 p.m. on the Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts main stage. (Erin Carter Photo)
Next up for the University of Wyoming Department of Theatre and Dance -- and from
the brilliant minds of actor-comedian-musician Steve Martin and singer-songwriter
Edie Brickell -- comes the heartfelt, Tony-nominated musical “Bright Star,” a must-see
tale of love, loss and redemption.
Directed by Matthew Greenberg, with choreography by Cat Kamrath and music direction
by Zachary McCulley, “Bright Star” runs Friday-Saturday, Oct. 31-Nov. 1, at 7:30 p.m.;
Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 6-8, at 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Nov. 2, at 2 p.m. on the Buchanan
Center for the Performing Arts main stage.
Tickets are available at www.tix.com/ticket-sales/uwyo/6984 and in person or at (307) 766-6666 at the Performing Arts box office, Monday-Friday,
noon-6 p.m. and one hour before performances.
Set against the stunning Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, this sweeping folk
and bluegrass musical moves between the 1920s and 1940s, following the story of Alice
Murphy, a successful literary editor in Asheville, N.C. When Alice meets Billy Cane,
a young soldier and aspiring writer who has just returned from World War II, their
unique connection sends Alice on a journey to confront her past and uncover a secret
that changes everything.
Inspired by a true story and a natural outgrowth of Martin and Brickell’s 2013 Grammy-winning
bluegrass album, “Love Has Come for You,” “Bright Star” celebrates the promise of
second chances and the light that can emerge from the darkest of places.
Martin is one of the most well-known and pervasive talents in entertainment. His work
has earned him an Academy Award, five Grammy Awards (two for comedy, three for music),
an Emmy, the Mark Twain Award and the Kennedy Center Honor. As an author, Martin’s
work includes the plays “Picasso at the Lapin Agile,” “The Underpants” and “Meteor
Shower.” Also, an accomplished banjoist, Martin created the Steven Martin Prize for
Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass, an award established to reward artistry and bring
greater visibility to bluegrass performers.
Brickell first rose to fame with the folk-rock band New Bohemians in 1988 after the release of the debut multiplatinum album “Shooting Rubber Bands At The Stars.” Since then, she has pursued a solo career and released several albums, including a second collaboration with Martin -- “So Familiar” -- in 2015.
