Claire Connors, Maeve Connors and Michael Ruff (left to right)rehearse a scene from last fall’s production of Arsenic and Old Lace at HF-L Photo by Donna MacKenzie
Three Honeoye Falls-Lima Class of 2026 graduates recently received 2026 John Hennessey Memorial Scholarships from Pittsford Musicals.
Claire Connors, Maeve Connors and Michael Ruff were all members of the HF-L Drama Club’s Fall drama shows and the spring musicals and they were also involved in the music program at the school. Hennessey was the school’s drama director and artistic director of the spring musical until passing away in September 2024. He directed seven spring musicals and seven Fall drama shows. He was also a longtime member of Pittsford Musicals. Hennessey played King Arthur in Pittsford Musicals’ 1985 production of Camelot. When he returned to the area from New York City in 2002, he portrayed anvil salesman Charlie Cowell in Pittsford Musicals’ 2003 production of The Music Man and also was Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the organization’s 2010 production of Annie. He directed Pittsford Musicals productions of Fiddler on the Roof (2005), Steel Pier (2007), Carousel (2009), The Sound of Music (2012), Cabaret (2015) and The Wizard of Oz (2016).
Claire Connors was involved in three shows that Hennessey directed. She was on the crew for the Fall drama show It’s A Wonderful Life-Radio Show as a freshman and on stage for the spring musical Guys and Dolls as a freshman and played Fern Arable in the Fall drama Charlotte’s Web as a sophomore.
“I was very honored to receive the scholarship because I learned so much from him,” Claire said during a phone interview on August 23. “One thing that always stuck with me was his professionalism. He wanted us to take advantage of the opportunities for learning that being in the theatre program could give us. During Charlotte’s Web, he was always very patient when I had a question and, as a young actor, that was important.”
Maeve Connors was also involved in the same three shows. In Charlotte’s Web, she played the Sheep/Lamb.
“Charlotte’s Web was the show that I worked closely with him,” Maeve said. “I was very honored to receive this scholarship. Even though I only worked with him three times, I had known him longer than that because our older sister Molly had been in the school musicals. He taught me so many things in the first two years of my being involved in the theatre and drama program at HF-L and made an impact on me.”
Like Claire and Maeve, Ruff worked with Hennessey three times and, in Ruff’s case, all three times he was a member of the cast. He played Ernie in It’s A Wonderful Life, portrayed Harry the Horse in Guys and Dolls and was Wilbur in Charlotte’s Web.
“I was so grateful and honored that Pittsford Musicals appreciated my application and it means a lot that I received the award in Mr. Hennessey’s name,” Ruff said during a phone interview on August 18. “Being one of the few freshman on stage in It’s A Wonderful Life, he showed how much confidence he had in me and encouraged me to have that confidence in myself as well. He let me know that he had a lot of faith in me. Even though the members of our class did not perform in an extensive number of shows with him as our director, he was still a great director and I enjoyed our time with him and he left a lasting impact on the drama department. We are appreciative of what he did for us and grateful to him for his contributions to the drama department and miss him dearly.”
