Assassins
Book by John Weidman | Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim | The Hartt School, Spring 2026
In spring 2026, Emma returned to the Hartt School as a guest faculty member to direct an all-femme studio production of Sondheim’s most polarizing work, Assassins.
Featuring a cast comprised entirely of women and femmes, this production focused on the subversion of expectations and exploring the unique desires of men in America, and how violence becomes a means of reclaiming lost power.
Performances: May 2nd – 5th, 2026.
About the show: Assassins lays bare the lives of nine individuals who assassinated or tried to assassinate the President of the United States, in a one-act historical revue that explores the dark side of the American dream.
Production Team
Director………..……………………………Emma DeWitt
Stage Manager………….……Natalie Johannesen
Music Director……………………...David Marottolo
Intimacy Coordinator………...….Lillian Ransijin
Assistant Director…………….……Sophie Walters
ASMs………………...………Josie Hicks, Keira Fallon
Choreography…………………….……….Ariela Behar
Cast
The Proprieter..................…...……............Leandra Reyes
The Balladeer..........................…….............Natalie Green
John Wilkes Booth....………..………….Margarta Kuzina
Charles J. Guiteau.......................……..........Ariela Behar
Leon Czolgosz...........……………...……..........Isa Saralegui
Giuseppe Zangara......…………….…...........Mars Woelfel
Samuel Byck..........……........................Kat McElhenie
Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme…....Grace Nachreiner
Sarah Jane Moore......….....……..........Anna Benevento
John Hinckley, Jr.....…………....Emma Bucardo Rivera