Eric McGinnis

Erik McGinnis is the director of the dramatic musical “Parade,” opening Friday at Cascades Theatrical Company. The community theater production stars a bevy of talented local performers, including 24-year-old McGinnis as Leo Frank.

“Parade” is based on a true story of Frank, a Jewish-American factory manager accused of murdering 13-year-old employee Mary Phagan while living and working in Atlanta.

“Parade” opens at 7:30 p.m. Friday, and performs through Aug. 6 at CTC, 148 NW Greenwood Ave., in Bend. Tickets are $39 ($35 for students and seniors) and available at cascadestheatrical.org.

GO!: What have been some of the biggest challenges of this show?

EM: Well, when telling a true story, you always want to be as accurate as you possibly can. So with that said, I, along with my team and many of the cast members, have spent many hours poring over research of not only the Leo Frank case, but the time period. It is such an important moment in our country’s history that is so rarely spoken about, so it was of utmost importance to us that everything be completely accurate. To the point of looking at photographs taken in the courtroom in 1913 and basing the staging of the show around that.

GO!: Was it important to you to stage “Parade” now? We are in a fairly polarized sociopolitical moment.

EM: Absolutely. This is maybe the most important time to be telling the story that “Parade” tells. “Parade” tells the story of the real-life murder case of Mary Phagan, and the trial of the falsely accused Leo Frank, a Jewish man from New York living in Atlanta. The case was rooted in antisemitism, prejudice and racism. Unfortunately, antisemitism is a very present and scary thing in our country and world right now, making Parade an extremely important story to tell right now. One that may be hard to hear for some, but one that we will all leave the theater reflecting on our actions, and prejudices we may hold in our hearts.

GO!: What songs and performers are you expecting to be showstoppers?

EM: I have had the blessing to join an amazing cast of performers in “Parade,” getting to play Frank opposite my amazing fellow actor Rachel Robinson, who plays my on-stage wife, Lucille Frank. There will be quite a few familiar faces in the show, like Constance Currie as Mary Phagan, Tom Kelley as Luther Rosser, Elgin Thompson as prosecutor Hugh Dorsey, and Christopher Romero as Jim Conley. In addition to them we have some newer faces to the CTC stage, Theryon Taylor as Frankie Epps, Joshua Harris as Governor Jack Slaton, and Alli Faucher as Sally Slaton, among almost a dozen more amazing performers.

As far as the music goes, I think it’s pretty hard to find a more beautiful score written for the Broadway stage. “Parade” features some of the most beautiful, heart wrenching, stomach churning and truly hopeful musical moments. Two songs I know we will all go home humming is “The Old Red Hills of Home” and the fearlessly hopeful “This Is Not Over Yet.”

GO!: What did you do to prepare yourself for playing Leo?

EM: Playing Leo has absolutely been the hardest role I have taken on, not only in the way that the content of the show is hard to hold in your heart as you are portraying it, but doing justice to a man who in real life was dealt a hand of cards of only injustice. “Parade” has been my favorite show for almost a decade, and I have dedicated this past year to absolutely consuming every piece of information I possibly could revolving around Leo Frank, his life, and the tragedy he and his family went through. It is my absolute highest honor to play Leo Frank, especially at such an important time in history, I can only hope to do him justice in bringing his unfortunate story to life onstage.

GO!: What do you think people will be most surprised by about this show?

EM: I think the biggest thing that will surprise people in that in what can be such a dark story, about the justice system failing an innocent man, and the terrors of antisemitism, what will shock people is the presence of hope, and the love and light that can come out in the midst of tragedy. That, and an amazingly INSPIRING cast of 18 performers ranging from 7 to 73.

GO!: Is there a message you hope people take away from “Parade”?

EM: I hope people look into their hearts to realize that even after 110 years since the trial and eventual killing of Leo Frank, we have not gotten very far. The prejudice is still alive and well, and we must do better. “Parade” is about a test of faith, humanity, justice, and devotion, things that I believe we are tested with constantly. I hope people walk away from “Parade” with hope for a better future.