Written by Neil Simon
Directed by Atticus Cooper Boidy
Produced by Judi Wobensmith
Performance dates:
September 7 - 29, 2018
Run time: 2h
(including intermission)
At a large, tastefully-appointed townhouse, the Deputy Mayor of New York has just shot himself. Though only a flesh wound, four couples are about to experience a severe attack of farce. Gathering for their 10th wedding anniversary, the host lies bleeding in the other room, and his wife is nowhere in sight. His lawyer, Ken, and wife, Chris, must get the story straight before the other guests arrive. As the confusions and miscommunications mount, the evening spins off into hilarity.
To download the production postcard for Rumors to share with your friends, visit the Downloads page of our website and look under the Production Postcard heading.
About the Playwright
In 1975, The American Theatre Wing presented NEIL SIMON with a special Tony Award for his contributions to the world of theater. It was a testament from his peers to the exalted status he held in the theater world. For two decades, beginning in the 1960s, Simon was the undisputed king of Broadway comedy, with four of his plays running simultaneously during the 1966-67 season. In 1983, he became the first living person to have a Broadway theater named after him when the Schubert Organization changed the name of the 1920s-era Alvin Theatre to the Neil Simon Theatre. He has had a long and successful career as a writer of comedy sketches for television, a Tony Awardwinning playwright, and an Academy Awardwinning screenwriter. Simon’s childhood was not a happy one. Financial hardships stemming from the Great Depression resulted in a tempestuous marriage for his parents and an unstable household. He took refuge at the movies, where he especially enjoyed silent stars such as Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Laurel and Hardy. “I was constantly being dragged out of movies for laughing too loud,” he later recalled. After his military service, Simon and his brother, Danny, who was 10 years older, teamed up as comedy writers for radio shows and some very early television comedy series. The younger Simon’s big break came when he landed a writing job for Sid Caesar's Your Show of Shows, where he worked with some of biggest names in comedy, including Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks. Simon’s first two Broadway plays, Come Blow Your Horn and Barefoot in the Park, ran for a combined 2,197 performances. They were followed by The Odd Couple, which was a hit play, a hit movie, and a hit television series, cementing his reputation in the mid-1960s as a master of comedy. The plays and the hits kept coming. During the 30 years beginning with the 1961 premiere of Come Blow Your Horn, 25 of his plays and musicals were produced on Broadway. Simon won the Tony Award for best play for The Odd Couple, Lost in Yonkers, and Biloxi Blues, and received 14 other nominations for Tonys. He was also nominated for four Academy Awards and four Primetime Emmy Awards. Many of Simon’s plays arose from life experiences. The three plays in The Eugene Trilogy — Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, and Broadway Bound —-- drew from his experiences in the military and his teaming with his brother to write comedy when he returned to New York. Chapter Two, about a widowed writer embarking on a new relationship, was written after the death of his first wife. Rumors, his first farce as a playwright, opened on Broadway Nov.17, 1988. He said in one interview that he was going through difficult times and thought writing a farcical comedy would be a cathartic process that would help him get to a better place in his life. Without doubt, Rumors and two dozen other Simon plays and musicals have helped multitudes of theater fans laugh their way to a better place in their lives during delightful hours spent sitting in darkened theaters from Broadway to community playhouses, enjoying the work of a comic genius.
About the Director
Atticus Cooper Boidy is ecstatic to be directing with The Colonial Players for the first time! He is the resident artistic and technical director at Severna Park Middle School, and his past credits with the school include Once Upon A Mattress, Beauty and the Beast Jr., Fame Jr., and The Little Mermaid Jr. Additionally, he has been teaching the acting portion of SPMS Drama Camp for the past four years and directing the annual musical revue. Additional directing credits include Annie Get Your Gun with 2nd Star Productions, Madagascar -- A Musical Adventure Jr. with Children’s Theatre of Annapolis, and Honk Jr. and Mulan Jr. with Indian Creek Upper School’s Summer Program. He is currently working on The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee with Artistic Synergy of Baltimore and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Jr. with Children’s Theatre of Annapolis. Atticus' recent stage management credits include Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre's 9 to 5 The Musical, The Full Monty, and The Wedding Singer; Colonial Players' The City of Conversation; and The Theatre at AACC's In Love and Warcraft. In addition to directing and stage management, Atticus appeared as Jack in Into the Woods and Ensemble in James and the Giant Peach at Heritage Players. He is thrilled to be appearing in the Ancestor Ensemble in The Addams Family Musical at Silhouette Stages opening in October. Thank you all for your continued support of the arts. Enjoy the show!!”
Director's Notes
As the director of this production, I formally invite you to join us as we celebrate the 10th Wedding Anniversary of Charley and Myra Brock at their home at 1257 Peekskill Road, Sneden’s Landing, NY, hosted by The Colonial Players! Planning this party has taken a considerable amount of preparation as it is my first time directing in the round at CP, and we hope you are thoroughly entertained! The playwright, Neil Simon, invites an interesting cast of characters to this event, and it was important to me to have our cast be as honest in their portrayal of them as possible. As my first venture into directing farce, I have discovered that the true strength of this style of comedy is when the most over-the-top humorous situations are presented as a natural progression of successively more absurd events. To make these characters come alive, the actors and I have collaborated to find where we can fuse the actors’ personalities and characteristics with the choices their fictional counterparts make in the story. By bringing the setting to a more modern time period of the early 2000’s, I have applied this same theory of combining the givens of the play with the demands of a modern production to give the show a sense of familiarity while maintaining the integrity of the script. I have been so honored to work with such a skilled production team and cast on this show. My theory with directing is that there are a thousand ways to do anything in a show and that, as a team, we can find the most creative options and use the best one for our production. It is out of this collaboration that we are able to present this interpretation of the show, which would not have been possible without all the talented production team members, actors, crew members, and every one of our volunteers.
– ATTICUS COOPER BOIDY
The Cast
Dann Alagna (Ken Gorman) - Originally from New York but raised in South Florida, Dann first found the stage at age 12-ish after his mother tried virtually everything else to get him to focus. Dann has performed in over 30 community theater productions and is thrilled to be back in the round at CP for the fifth time! Past CP credits include last season’s 33 Variations and It's a Wonderful Life in addition to Earth and Sky and his WATCH-nominated turn as Zed the Village Idiot in Cinderella Waltz. Dann is the director of Free Range Improv in Annapolis and is beyond proud of his troupe, winner of three consecutive Rammie Awards from Rams Head Onstage for best comedy show of the year. Dann is grateful to be included on stage with such an amazing ensemble cast and thanks Director Atticus Cooper Boidy for helping him realize his dream of reading Mr. Simon’s words... out loud! A special nod of gratitude to Producer Judi Wobensmith for constantly making him feel welcomed, inspired, and at home in the theater. Happy 70th, CP.
Brian Binney (Lenny Ganz) - Brian is thrilled to be making his “long form” Colonial debut with this wonderful cast and crew! He last appeared here in the 2017 One Act Festival (Zipless). He has also appeared locally in PGLT’s Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Lawrence Jameson), Lost in Yonkers (Uncle Louie), and Fox on the Fairway (Henry); in 2nd Star’s HMS Pinafore (Captain Corcoran), Kiss Me Kate (Fred Graham), and Peter and the Starcatcher (Chief Fighting Prawn); in GAC’s Pippin (Charlemagne), Frost Nixon (Bob Zelnick), Big River (Duke), and The Merchant of Venice (also Duke, a Rude Mechanical’s production); as Dave Moss in the Dead Cat’s Glengary Glen Ross at the Capitol Fringe Festival; and at LMP as Father in Ragtime and Father Jack in Dancing at Lughnasa, to name a few favorites. Love and thanks to Jeaneo, Chris, and Kat - and thanks, Colonial, for letting us play on your stage. Enjoy the show!!
Shannon Benil (Chris Gorman) - Shannon is very excited to be doing another Neil Simon play here after appearing in Jake's Women with a fabulous cast back in 2006. She has been performing at The Colonial Players since 1993, when at age 16 she did her first of five productions of A Christmas Carol. Other favorites include Calendar Girls; Bat Boy; and I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change. She sends much love to her parents and to her wife, Marcy, who spends many a night putting their son, Nilsson, to bed alone so she can continue her theater habit. For The Love Of It!
Stephanie Bernholz (Officer Pudney) - Stephanie was going to be reasonable and take a break at the beginning of a new school year at a new school, but who can resist Neil Simon? Stephanie is excited to be branching out both with her first play in years and to The Colonial Players! Most recently she performed with 2nd Star Productions in Ragtime (featuring a very comical fake pregnant belly). You may have also seen her making goofy faces on stage at Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre in The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Nicole Cricker/ Deputy), The Producers (Shirley Markowitz), and Sister Act (Sister Mary Martin-of-Tours), among others. A million thanks to her parents and boyfriend for accepting her constant absences for rehearsals and shows!”
Rosalie Daelemans (Cassie Cooper) - Rosalie is delighted to be a part of this wonderful production with such a talented cast and crew. She has most recently performed at The Colonial Players in the One Act Festival and in Calendar Girls. Other favorite shows include: The Importance of Being Earnest (Lady Bracknell), Noises Off (Vickie/Brooke), The Man Who Came to Dinner (Maggie Cutler), Bloody Murder (Jane), Fox on the Fairway (Pamela), On Golden Pond (Chelsea), Run for your Wife (Mary), Don’t Dress for Dinner (Suzette), Steel Magnolias (M’Lynn), City of Angels (Alaura), South Pacific (Nellie), Damn Yankees (Lola), Little Shop of Horrors (Audrey), My Fair Lady (Eliza), and Mame (Gooch). Offstage, Rosalie has helped in various capacities with stage managing, costumes, props, lighting, set dressing, and painting. Tremendous thanks to everyone for their support, creativity, hard work, and sense of humor!
Amy E. Haynes (Cookie Cusack) - Amy is beyond thrilled to make her debut with The Colonial Players! By day, Amy is a proud cat mom who is pursuing her master’s degree in speech and language pathology. Her favorite theatrical experiences include directing Seussical (Heritage Players) and portraying Aunt Sponge in James and the Giant Peach (Heritage Players), Kate McGowan in Titanic in Concert (Heritage Players), Pepper Walker in Crybaby the Musical (Silhouette Stages), Sister Mary Patrick in Sister Act (Toby’s Dinner Theatre), Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray (purple light theatre company), and Kate Monster in Avenue Q (Phoenix Festival Theatre). Amy would like to thank her incredible family and amazing friends for all of their love and support. Special thanks to her darling Casey for being her rock and for all he does to keep her smiling. A final heartfelt thank you to the wonderful production team and stunningly talented cast for keeping her laughing and always having her back! (Get it? Haha!) Enjoy the show!
Kevin McConnell (Glenn Cooper) - Kevin is returning to the stage after a 20-year hiatus. In 1998 he played Lenny in Rumors at The Colonial Players and Jack in Broadway Bound at the Vagabond Theater in Fells Point. Before coming to Annapolis, Kevin did standup comedy in New York City as well as a few minor roles in college. He considers his first true acting experience to be in A Nightingale Sang, where he performed with Ray Fulton, one of bravest men he ever met. "Ray was not only inspiring on the stage but also in our personal battles with cancer at Johns Hopkins.” When Kevin is not acting he is responsible for Machine Learning Market Development at SAP. You can also find him most Mondays at St. Vincent de Paul working to support people trying to improve their lives. Kevin would like to thank his children, Megan and Christopher, for giving him the time to play.
John Purnell (Officer Welch) - Rumors marks John’s regular season acting debut at The Colonial Players. He has performed here in two summer productions -- Clue: The Musical, 2016’s one-week musical, and If Men Played Cards as Women Do in the 2017 One Act Festival. John just played Warner Purcell in ASGT’s Bullets Over Broadway in May and June. In his designer capacity, John recently lit Colonial Players’ Quartet, first runner-up for best play in the Ruby Griffith Award competition, and ASGT’s Altar Boyz, Light Up the Stars, and 50th Anniversary Gala. He is the lighting designer for CP’s October/ November show, Babylon Line, and assisted with Calendar Girls. John’s association with CP began in season 42 (1991) as a lighting tech and designer, including award-winning designs for Driving Miss Daisy and The Road to Mecca. In the few hours left in his schedule, John runs an IT consulting firm in Annapolis. He is father of two grown daughters and a 15-year-old Welsh springer spaniel. His wife, Claire, is very considerate of his having so many oars in the water.
Mary C. Rogers (Claire Ganz) - Mary is thrilled to be back performing with The Colonial Players after last season's It's a Wonderful Life. She has worked onstage, backstage, and everywhere in between with a number of area community theaters, including Prince George's Little Theatre, Greenbelt Arts Center, and Dignity Players of Annapolis. Some of Mary's favorite roles include Maggie in Red Herring, Aunt Bella in Lost in Yonkers (WATCH nomination), and Billy Dawn in Born Yesterday. Mary would like to thank the director and entire production staff for their phenomenal work on this show! Thanks to her amazing and supportive partner, Abner, for being awesome in every way. “This performance is dedicated my mother, Maryann.”
Glenn Singer (Ernie Cusack) - Glenn recently returned to the Annapolis-area theater scene after an almost 10-year hiatus as Benny VanBuren in Damn Yankees. Prior to that, Glenn was most recently onstage in New York in a semi-equity production of the whodunit comedy It Could Be Any One of Us as Brinton Chalke. Glenn also graced the stage in Iowa in productions of The Foreigner as Owen Musser and Little Women as Mr. Lawrence. Favorite Annapolis roles include Fred Martin in The Battle of Shallowford, Ben Benjamin in God’s Favorite, Clement Musgrove in The Robber Bridegroom, Charlemagne in Pippin, Herbie in Gypsy, Pooch in Good News, and Mr. Fezziwig and Bob Cratchit (for six years!) in A Christmas Carol. Glenn is thrilled to be back on the CP stage again after being away for too many years! In “real life,” Glenn majored in psychology and worked in the mental healthcare field for about 10 years; he dedicates his performance to his late father, Roland, who was a psychologist.
The Production Staff
Kirsti Dixon (Costume Designer) Kirsti is excited about her first adventure as a costumer for CP. Usually she is on the other side as an actor, so she’s delighted to have this chance. She’s recently been seen at CP in Lucky Stiff (as a human roulette wheel) and Nine, as well as at ASGT in Bullets Over Broadway (Eden). The last thing she helped costume was The Full Monty at ASGT, so she is happy to be looking for complete coverage outfits this time. When not doing anything related to theater, she teaches pilates in Severna Park and Annapolis at Club Pilates. She sends much love and wishes for good luck to the fabulous cast!
Sarah Irving (Assistant Director) Sarah is a senior at St. John's College. This is her first production with The Colonial Players. She is president of the King William Players at SJC, and recent directing credits with them include Spring Awakening and As You Like It. You will find Sarah back at Colonial this winter assistant directing The Merry Wives of Windsor while writing her senior thesis on Shakespeare’s Scottish play. Many thanks to Atticus and Maggie for their hard work and new friendships. Play it with love!
Chol Kubit (Set Decoration Designer) Chol is excited to be working this show as set decorator. He hopes that he channeled his inner Bobby Berk adequately.
Shirley Panek (Lighting Designer) Shirley is proud to be a part of this fun show. Other lighting design credits at The Colonial Players include Calendar Girls, The Cripple of Inishmaan, Clue - The One Week Musical Project, A Few Good Men, Dead Man's Cell Phone, Trying, Moonlight and Magnolias, and Chapter Two (2012 WATCH nominee). She also designed lights for Art at Dignity Players. “Thanks to Atticus Boidy for his vision and this fun cast of women and men for their laughter and patience during tech week. Love to Alice, Emma, and Jeff -- the lights that shine in my life every day."
Bill Reinhardt (Sound Designer) Bill started in theatrical sound and lighting at community theaters in 1999 and owned and operated a sound and video company for ten years. Most recently, he was sound designer for Bullets Over Broadway at Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre and assistant lighting designer for Quartet at The Colonial Players. He is thrilled to be collaborating on Rumors with such a talented team and looks forward to many more years working on theatrical sound and lighting.”
Constance Robinson (Properties Designer) Since 2003 Connie has volunteered as a public relations consultant, graphic designer, box office assistant, properties designer, and set decorator for The Colonial Players. She also is a member of the CP Marketing Committee. Connie has collected props for over 15 productions at CP, one for Dignity Players, and one for Severn School. She is proud to have received three WATCH nominations for properties designing. Connie enjoys her volunteer hours because of the terrific people she works with who also devote their time and talents to the theater. She thanks her husband, John, for his assistance, and also thanks her friends for loaning and donating props and for their enthusiastic support.
Magdalene Urban (Stage Manager) Magdalene is excited about her first production with The Colonial Players. She graduated from Anne Arundel Community College with Film and Theatre Associate of Arts degrees and is attending UMBC for her bachelor of arts in theater design and production. At AACC, Maggie stage managed multiple productions, including Tarzan and The Phantom of the Opera. She participated in a Disney College Program Internship in the Magic Kingdom costuming department. Her local credits include Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre’s The Producers, In the Heights, and 9 to 5; Compass Rose Theater’s Pygmalion; 2nd Star Productions’ Annie Get Your Gun; the Heritage Players’ Into The Woods; and Silhouette Stages’ Big Fish. She thanks Atticus, Sarah, the production team, and cast for the wonderful rehearsals and their dedication to this production. She would like to thank her family and theater family for keeping her fed, rested, and (relatively) sane.
Judi Wobensmith (Producer) Judi has been involved in many productions in the Annapolis/DC area since 1979 and has produced shows at The Colonial Players, Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre, Pasadena Theatre Company, and Petrucci’s to name a few. Previous directing credits include: The Music Man, Gigi, The King and I, Carnival, Marriages, Something’s Afoot, Mrs. California, The Sunshine Boys and A Christmas Carol. She has served three terms on the Board of Directors at CP, two terms as Production Director at ASGT, and on the the board of Children’s Theatre of Annapolis. She has appeared in various TV commercials and documentaries and spends her spare time at the House of Delegates. Judi wants to thank all the production staffs, past and present, for giving unstintingly to all of CP’s productions. But then, every volunteer at CP invests a lot in our productions. She would especially like to thank her husband, John, for supporting her for over 50 years in her theater forays.
