PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A school shooting in a rural Pennsylvania town that captured the country’s attention nearly 20 years ago is once again reaching the spotlight, as a Philadelphia playwright explores the aftermath of that story in a new musical.
Five years ago, theater artist Mary Fishburne took a trip from Philadelphia to Lancaster County, and she could sense painful memories as she reached the town 90 minutes west of Center City.
“I could still feel the presence of the Nickel Mines shooting,” Fishburne said. “Even 15 years later, I could feel it in the air, in the community.”
Charles Roberts, 32, entered a one-room schoolhouse on Oct. 2, 2006 heavily armed, as the New York Times article from the day described. He ordered the boys out of the room, killed five girls and wounded several others, then died by suicide.
Fishburne said that the shootings, which shook the region and many across America, resonated in her.
“I remember myself being very impacted by how hard it was to hear that story, and how amazing it was to hear all the grace that the Amish so generously outpoured,” Fishburne said.
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She’s now telling that story of grace through a musical she wrote called "Boundless."
“It takes place 10 years after. Survivors of the shooting still negotiating and struggling with the religious call to forgive,” Fishburne explains.
“It’s one version of how much bravery it takes to claim the path of your own life.”
Dylan Nunez, one of the musical’s stars, said they worked to make a tough subject matter digestible for all ages, while also bringing people into a community that few people know about.
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“I think we can all find characters in the show that we connect to, especially children and kids my age,” said Nunez. “I think it’s very easy to point out a character in the show and say 'Oh, he's a little bit like me.’ or ‘She’s a little bit like me.’ I think that’s really magical. You can’t find that very often.”
Music Theatre Philly is producing "Boundless," and it features a cast of fifth through 12th graders. It premieres May 21 at the Arts Bank with two performances.
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