Luke Washburn (above) and Claire Connors (on the phone) rehearse the first scene in the HF-L Drama Club production of the play Rumors last week. Photo by Donna MacKenzie
Rumors, what rumors? It is true that the Honeoye Falls-Lima High School Drama Club will perform Neil Simon’s classic play Rumors this weekend, on Friday, November 8 at 7:30 p.m. and on Saturday, November 9 at 2 p.m. (family-friendly show) and at 7:30 p.m. at the HF-L high school auditorium. Tickets are $10 general/$8 students and can be purchased at the door (cash or check).
The play, which premiered in 1988, is about four power couples who are forced to handle an interesting situation at another couple’s 10th wedding anniversary when they discover or learn about the husband’s (the Deputy Mayor of New York) accidently shooting himself and the apparent disappearance of his wife Myra and the kitchen staff gone. As confusions and miscommunications mount, the evening spins off into farcical hilarity.
“I chose Rumors because it is a show that I’ve always been interested in directing,” said artistic director CJ Tomaszewski, who is directing a straight play for the first time. “Rumors is a farce which is like comedy but things happen to the characters at their own expense. I’ve always loved comedy but the thing that is special about Rumors by Neil Simon is how he’s able to explore human realism better than any writer I’ve ever known and he is one of the most incredible writers. He’s able to take us from a scene where something happens at one character’s expense to a following scene with a very human moment between characters.”
There are 10 roles in the cast and Tomaszewski also has two students who are swings if one of the other student actors is unable to perform due to illness. The students in the cast are Luke Washburn (as Ken Gorman), Claire Connors (as Chris Gorman), Mikey Ruff (as Lenny Ganz), Maeve Connors (as Claire Ganz), Paige Moscicki (Irma Cusack), Dari Osso (as Cookie Cusack), Zach Boehm (as Glenn Cooper), Maggie Grann (as Cassie Cooper), Sadie Guckenbiehl (as Officer Welsh) and Tiger Comstock (as Officer Pudney). Addie Beutner is the swing for the characters of Chris and Claire while Sophia Jacopille-Bornheimer is the swing for Cookie, Cassie and Irma.
Jacopille-Bornheimer will actually go on stage for the Friday night performance as Moscicki will be at the state team tennis tournament with the Lady Cougars’ squad. Their character was originally written as a male character named Ernie Cusack.
“When I auditioned, I did the audition as a male version,” Moscicki said. “When I got the role, we went through the process of deciding whether to keep the role as a guy or doing it as a girl. I ultimately decided on a girl. I thought it would be fun just because it adds a new dynamic to the show because of the time period. It’s not something super conventional so I get to explore different relationships and determine whether the character would still do what they had originally thought they would do or act a little different because of gender.”
For Jacopille-Bornheimer, it’s been a challenge learning the lines for three different roles and then finding out that she definitely would go onstage in one of the roles.
“It is challenging as a swing, having to learn three different roles and it is hard to remember every single line for every character but I have been constantly practicing my lines,” Jacopille-Bornheimer said. “I am going to bring my own interpretation to the role of Irma. It’s a sarcastic role and I intend to make it very sarcastic.”
The crew members for the show are Kaelyn Frame and Kayla Wells (student directors), Anneleise Corey and Alannah Orr (assistant student directors), Kaylee Henshaw (stage manager), Fred Kirkwood (assistant stage manager), Olivia Henderson and Gianna Woodcock (lights), Will Gabrielsen, Samantha Healy and Archer Sifling (stage crew), Taber Gloor, Max Jacopille-Bornheimer and Jacob Moscicki (props), Addie Beutner, Donald Cooper, Abby Flagg, Andy Fosler, Kaylee Henshaw and Mikey Ruff (publicity crew/box office), Owen Boggio, Lita Brady, Aaron Campbell, Tiger Comstock, Abram Courtney, Grace Francis, Horia Shaheed and Sam Roth (sound), Adrien Abraham, Lydia Borgesen, Evie Ha, Eva Jackson, (costumes) and Emily Repass (hair/makeup).
For Maeve Connors, it’s been fun to play a character different from any other role she has had.
“It’s been fun to explore the different parts of the character of Claire Ganz,” Maeve said. “For me, the biggest takeaway and message of this show is that it is important to protect your friends and be there for them but it is also important to tell the truth and to be honest with the people we care about. The play is about that balance.”
Her twin sister Claire Connors said drama club is relaxing for her after a busy schedule of academics.
“The best part of drama club is that it is totally separate from everything going on outside this,” she said. “We can just be ourselves and be a family and not have to worry about things outside and step fully into this atmosphere, this community, this stage that we have. It is so fun and different from other things we do in school. It’s a great way to express yourself.”
Ruff not only displays his talent on the stage but off the stage for this production as well. He designed the posters and the graphics for the show as well as the show t-shirts.
“It was super fun and I am grateful to CJ for letting me do that,” Ruff said. “I have been interested in art since I was little. In Middle school, I designed the posters for our plays and things. Then, I took a graphic design class last year here at the high school. I designed the t-shirts for Mamma Mia! last spring and this year, CJ appointed me to design the posters.”
Tomaszewski said he talked with the Drama Club officers at the end of June about what they wanted to get out of their experience in the club and the drama show. Many asked for acting training and the process of learning a serious role and that played a part in choosing Rumors as there is no one real lead character; everyone is integral to the plot. The kids also wanted the drama show to be like the musical; something that students wanted to be a part of.
To that end, Tomaszewski said the 2024-2025 drama club will offer an expanded range of events throughout the year to make theater more accessible to even more students and provide opportunities for everyone. Those events will range from acting and dance workshops to improv sessions.
The vision of the drama club officers is already bearing fruit as 27 students auditioned for Rumors.
“I have had some kids come up to me in the past couple of weeks inquiring about joining drama club,” Tomaszewski said. “We have up to 94 people on the HF-L Drama Club’s Schoology page. We had 50 kids go to New York City for a theatre experience and had a waitlist for it.”
Tomaszewski also had thoughts about a summer theatre program. While he was thinking about it for the high school students, the drama club officers said they would like the summer camp experience geared toward Manor and Middle School students.
“They want to inspire the younger kids because they felt that many of the younger kids may have been inspired by seeing Taber (Gloor) and Madison (Fleming) and the rest of the cast from Mamma Mia! to act and sing,”
Tomaszewski said. “Some of the kids said that my portrayal of Uncle Fester in The Addams Family when I was a senior inspired them and they want to pass that along. Their passion for wanting to get the younger kids interested is inspiring me.”
