Photo Courtesy of Bob Pohlad.
Last month, Ferrum College Musical Theatre major Sarah Laliberte took to the stage in Sale Theatre on February 24 and 25 to perform Flashes of Life: The Story of Lee Miller, Model Turned Photographer, a one-person show she wrote, produced, and performed for her senior capstone project. The play chronologically tells the story of Lee Miller, who was a New York fashion model in the 1920s before becoming a fashion and fine arts photographer in Paris. After the outbreak of World War II, Miller began a career in photojournalism as a war photographer for Vogue, taking some of the most famous images of the war.
Laliberte was inspired to tell Miller’s story after Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts and Program Director Rebecca Crocker sent her an article about Miller. Crocker thought that Miller’s story would be a good fit for Laliberte, who was immediately intrigued. “The more I researched about her, the more I thought she was really interesting,” said Laliberte, who was able to connect to Miller to tell her story in her own way.
Photo Courtesy of Bob Pohlad.
Laliberte included personal photos in her show. One photo that was very special to her was a photo of her father, who unexpectedly died of cancer during the spring of her freshman year. “He was never able to see me perform so this is a dedication to him. He really meant a lot to me,” said Laliberte.
Crocker explains the importance of Laliberte and other students being able to put on their own shows. “The thing I love about this idea is that students can take this project and make their own work in the world. It’s a very powerful process, and can be pretty frustrating sometimes, but at the curtain call it is worth it. I am incredibly proud of Sarah, and I think she has really proven to herself that she has the ability to make it out there,” concluded Crocker.
