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It's November 25th, 1864, at the Winter Garden Theater in New York City,

four years into America's Civil War.

Edwin Booth, son of the famous actor Junius Booth,

steps on to stage to begin the second act of Julius Caesar.

He can see the houses packed with enthralled theater goers all waiting for him to begin.

But before he can deliver his line as Caesar's famous assassin Brutus,

he is interrupted by the sound of fire bells outside the theater.

Anxious whispers spread through the crowd.

Just last year, a compulsory draft for the Union Army sparked riots that set the whole city ablaze.

This memory sends a chill down Edwin's spine.

He hopes tonight's alarm is just an accident and not awesome.

When Edwin's panic grows as the fire brigade bursts into the theater,

he makes eye contact with his two brothers, John Wilkes and Junius Jr.,

who are waiting off stage and looking to him for direction.

Edwin quickly scans the theater for signs of smoke or fire and finds none.

Then you seem safe, but Edwin and his audience are on edge.

The crowd goes silent as the firefighters fill the aisles,

announcing they have just extinguished a fire at the theater next door.

Edwin breathes a sigh of relief before rushing to get tonight's performance back on track.

...