Before either Morehead made it to the big stage — as Broadway director and actor, respectively — the two met at UNC as aspiring thespians in the 1980s and made movie magic. Or at least they made a movie about vampires, using campus frat houses as backgrounds. Wilson directed, Cumpsty vampired.

Fast forward to 2003. Wilson is artistic director for the venerable Hartford Stage, where he’s launched a popular Tennessee Williams marathon. Cumpsty’s an It name on Broadway. He’s recently starred in the revival of 42nd Street and the Tony Award-winning Copenhagen and boasts several movie and television credits (L.A. Law, Star Trek: Voyager and The Ice Storm.)

Both found their dramatic flair at Carolina, with The Morehead playing a starring role. Wilson sampled television during his enterprise internship in Los Angeles. The following year, he traveled overseas to study theater throughout Europe. And during the school year, he volunteered with student television, the professional theater group PlayMakers, and the student-run Lab Theatre.

Cumpsty, a British Morehead, finished his English degree in three years. The Foundation agreed to pay for a year of graduate school, so Cumpsty went for a master’s in fine arts and loved it. And he designed his own Morehead internship with the Shubert Theatre organization in New York City.

As Cumpsty pursued his MFA degree, Wilson shot his vampire flick, Shadows of Dromgoole. Each recognized and admired the other’s talents during the project, and over the years stayed in touch. When Broadway picked up Wilson’s regional production of Enchanted April, he turned to his old Morehead chum when casting the comic role of the pompous husband. The play enjoyed enchanting reviews and a respectable five-month run.

The two are back to separate projects — Wilson in his Connecticut theater, Cumpsty considering other play options. But you can still catch them together — during the occasional replay of Shadows of Dromgoole at the Carolina Student Union.

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