How does a celebrated Shakespearean actor become the assassin of a president? Originating from a family of thespians, John Wilkes Booth would instead go down in history as the infamous assassin of Abraham Lincoln, doing so in cold blood in Washington DC’s Ford’s Theatre on the 14th April 1865. It’s a drama that’s been depicted in a variety of mediums, but for writer/director Kaely Michels-Gualtieri, the story had a different significance.

A universally-acclaimed trapeze artist, Michels-Gualtieri’s big break came when she signed with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, otherwise known as the circus created by Hugh Jackman-impersonator, P.T. Barnum. Initially unfamiliar with the details of Lincoln’s murder upon first arriving in Brown University, Michels-Gualtieri soon discovered the largely-overlooked friendship shared between Barnum and Lincoln. Struck that this connection had not been dramatised before, an idea for a play began to take shape.

“You have to go with your audience, and [decide] when you need to pull back, and when do you trust them”

Barnum. Booth. Lincoln. has had a long road to the Corpus Playroom. After a severe concussion and related injuries brought her trapeze career to a halt, Michels-Gualtieri, who remains in recovery with the support of an exceptional medical team, began searching for a new creative outlet. As she explained: “I couldn’t express myself artistically through my body anymore […] and so, I was terrified I would never have a passion again in my life.”

I ask how she began her career. “I went to a very artistic high school where two-week internships were built into the curriculum. I told my mom I didn’t want to do anything boring, and she, jokingly, said ‘you should join the circus.’” The challenge was accepted. Cut ahead two weeks, and the 17-year-old gymnast had completed a two-week internship at the Circus Centre in San Francisco, before taking a gap year to train at Circus School in Italy, despite not speaking the native language. It wasn’t long before she waved America goodbye. Many years of “constant falling” later, and Michels-Gualtieri was performing all over the globe, becoming the youngest person ever nominated for membership in the Circus Hall of Fame.

We talk at length about her memories from this time. From setting up a Big Top in the Irish rain to dealing with the competitiveness of her fellow trapeze artists to performing in Cirque du Soleil, I wondered how she felt her confidence had evolved over this time: “After several years of performing, I began to understand that there’s an unspoken trust built during every trapeze act between performer and audience. As I matured on stage, I realised that trusting the audience, in the same way I trusted myself, was essential, especially in allowing the pauses and breaths to carry as much meaning as the tricks themselves.” That same sense of trust and timing now shapes her approach to dramatic writing.

“One of the reasons I really wanted to come to Cambridge was because the musical theatre scene is so strong”

Initially entitling the show Eclipsing Stars, Michels-Gualtieri won grants from Brown to develop it further, performing a staged reading last year in Washington as part of the District Fringe. Partnering with Avant Bard, a local professional Shakespeare company, Michels-Gualtieri soon had the chance to see the show come to life. Initially, the play revolved more around Barnum as narrator, but audience responses signalled a strong interest in Booth’s family drama: “So many people were really interested in [Booth’s] older brother, and his history.” The piece has since evolved, with Edwin Booth taking on the narrative role while Barnum continues to shape the world of the play.

Re-moulding the play with a keen interest in making it a musical, there was only one place the writer could take it further: “One of the reasons I really wanted to come to Cambridge was because the musical theatre scene is so strong.” In developing the musical, she has partnered with Chi Wai Hu, a fellow Cambridge student, who serves as the show’s musical director and composer: a collaboration she describes as especially exciting.

For Michels-Gualtieri, the Corpus Playroom was ideal for the show, owing to her love for intimate venues. “I loved performing in small tents because you can feel the connection with the audience, and you can make eye contact. One of the things I loved about theatre is that I can go back to these small venues. My family goes to Edinburgh Fringe every summer, and it’s magical, because where else in the world do you get world class theatre, but you’re also three feet from the performers?” As we close, it’s clear that playwriting has inspired a new drive within the artist: “It’s been a really powerful experience after how terrified I was that I would never have passion in my life again.” This has been a long time coming for the prodigy, and I, for one, cannot wait to see what this story has in store for us. A show that spotlights and accentuates these enigmatic figures through a medium synonymous with spectacle, yet one which promises to leave their sorrows bare in a venue that leaves nothing to the imagination. My Week 2 plans are set.