This Fourth of July, William Peace University students and faculty will perform Peace and Love on America’s 250th, a concert-style production inspired by the 1960s rock musical Hair. Pure Life Theatre Company, in collaboration with the City of Raleigh and Seed Art Share, is hosting the free, family-friendly event at Fred Fletcher Park. The performance will combine musical elements and choreography with spoken word, poetry, local artists, and more.
Wade Newhouse, professor of English at Peace, is directing the performance. In a departure from traditional theatrical staging, this performance will have no scenes. Instead, the focus will be exclusively on musical numbers interwoven with artistic interpretations of the show’s themes.
“It’s 18 songs presented outside with minimal storytelling,” Newhouse said. “We’ve taken most of the script out, but there’s still a little bit of explanation when you need to know what the song was originally about. And it’s all in the spirit of the Fourth of July being a complicated holiday. This is designed to be a little bit more introspective than the traditional chicken wings and fireworks.”
Hair, which debuted on Broadway in 1968, was famously known as a counterculture protest piece. The plot follows a group of young people in the 1960s who are struggling for meaning and personal identity in the midst of the Vietnam War, all while exploring recreational drug use and the sexual revolution (Britannica). It was intentionally chosen as inspiration for the Independence Day Celebration based on its central themes, many of which remain relevant today.
“There are several themes pervasive in Hair — economic injustice, environmental justice, racism, bigotry, anti-war — all of that is present,” said Deb Royals, assistant professor of interdisciplinary arts at Peace and producer of Peace and Love on America’s 250th. “The idea was to take aspects of the musical and curate this new thing to really shift the way we talk about the Fourth of July, while still being very celebratory and highlighting the possibility of what could be.”
The hope is that people who pass by the performance may leave thinking more deeply about these themes and what they mean to them, Royals said.
“I’m really excited about shaking up the way that we spend time together on that day in community and being reflective about our history and truth,” she said.
Thriving Partnership
The partnership between Peace and Pure Life Theatre Company has been in motion for several years. In exchange for the use of Peace’s theatrical spaces, Pure Life offers various levels of involvement to Peace students, from being cast in shows to designing sets, stage management, technical opportunities, and more.
“When Peace switched to the Interdisciplinary Arts model, we still had this beautiful theatre space to use,” Newhouse said. “So, I thought, why don’t we bring in outside groups? In exchange, our students have access to dozens of opportunities to be involved per year.”
The goal of the partnership is to ensure that students have consistent access to immersive arts learning experiences. By learning from and working alongside professionals, they have a unique opportunity to peek behind the curtain of a theatre career.
“Wade and I got into conversations about how it would be so incredibly beneficial to incorporate students into everything we were doing as far as producing shows here,” Royals said. “Now, there are professional actors who are working alongside students who are working on stage management, design, and even acting in the shows. That relationship has been tightly tethered together to create this incredible opportunity for students and the community.”
Peace in the Community
Peace and Love on America’s 250th is being produced in collaboration with the City of Raleigh, demonstrating local support for innovative artistic initiatives. Peace’s central location in the heart of Raleigh makes this opportunity very accessible to students, offering immersive learning even during the summer.
“This is what Peace is,” Newhouse said. “Peace is this little island in the middle of this giant city. We are walking distance to nearly everything that makes Raleigh what it is. So, ideally, nothing should go on in downtown Raleigh that doesn’t have a whiff of Peace in it. This is an example of how Peace is nimble enough to do that. Peace can be places where you don’t expect it to be.”
Three current Peace students are involved in the production, including Aliya McCryndle ’28. For them, this show presents a unique opportunity to be involved in their community and make a statement on a larger stage, according to McCryndle.
“I am so excited; I love it,” she said. “I hope people see that everyone’s concerns are valid, whether they’re extreme or not. And I hope that people will learn to use their words instead of fighting, because fighting only hurts the innocent.”
Learn more about the upcoming production of Peace and Love on America’s 250th.
