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PLSouthside Scroll

PLSouthside Scroll

Cast of “Rumors” untangled

“Rumors” is a Neil Simon comedy about guests at an anniversary party who find themselves entangled in lies and rumors surrounding a friend’s mysterious gunshot wound. The characters were brought to life in Titan Theater, and here the student performers tell all:
Tyson Johnson, 11th on the left and Sophia Anderson, 11th on the right. (A)

 

Tyson Johnson, 11th

as Leonard Ganz

“I am an exquisite, pristine businessman who co-owns a tennis club with my beautiful wife Claire. I am always trying to out-fancy the people around me. I have a short temper, I always dress my best for occasions, I am a bit narcissistic, and I am very dramatic. It doesn’t take me out of my comfort zone too much, but I begin to feel bad when I am rude to the other members of the cast.” 

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Sophia Anderson, 11th

as Cassie Cooper

“I am VERY not annoyed that I have to go to this stupid party with my husband I know is cheating on me! He never pays attention to me, but I’m not too worried because I brought my crystals! We both have strong personalities and we are not afraid to show how we feel. I don’t usually get angry at others and express it as much as Cassie does. She really can go from 0 to 100 in a matter of seconds! Cassie adds comedy and adds to the tension with characters and how they deal with the main conflict at hand. She is CRAZY…. I’m afraid at any time she might just murder us all or put all her crystal curses on us!”

 

Loghan Lawson, 11th

as Ernie Cusack

“I am a psychiatrist and Charley analyst who doesn’t seem to know whats going on. My character is a silly guy to watch and has a nice personality until it’s too much. He just has an upbeat personality that makes him funny to watch until he breaks. My character is the one who’s always trying to calm everyone down so it’s harder to get everyone to do that. Ernie and Cookie provide the silly weirdness that would be missing without us there to keep things calm.”

Joey Westerdale, 12th

as Ken Gorman

“My name is Ken Gorman. I’m a lawyer and a father of two. I was invited to a wedding anniversary for my best friend, Charley Brock. My wife, Chris and I arrived first at the party, when we heard the sound of a gunshot. The front door was locked, so I ran around back and broke in the kitchen window… Inside, I saw Charley with a bullet in his left earlobe! Now, it’s the responsibility of Chris and I to protect Charley… I relate to Ken because he’s not the type of person that should be responsible in this situation. He is far too frantic and nervous. Playing Ken has taken me the most out of my comfort zone in the scenes where he’s deaf… And the plot would be vastly different if one of the other characters found Charley first.” 

 

Caeli Karasek, 12th on the right. Silas Olson, 12th in the middle and Anika Roddy, 11th on the right. (aver)

Caeli Karasek, 12th

as Claire Ganz

“Claire is the absolute shining star of the show. She stuns the audience with her gorgeous bold looks and dazzles them with her witty humor. This is something I kind of made up when getting to know Claire, but she DEFINITELY did theater in her highschool… I don’t relate to Claire in many ways besides the fact I love to dress up and be super fancy, I love her, but she’s MEAN. Claire takes me out of my comfort zone in the way that she’s not the good guy… I know I’m acting, but sometimes I feel a bit bad saying some of my lines… because these are my friends! She is pretentious, but it’s honestly fun. Claire brings all the drama. She’s the kind of person that if you got a paper cut would be like ,“It’s probably infected now and you’re gonna have to go to the hospital because you might die.” instead of giving you a bandaid.””

Silas Olson, 12th

as Glenn Cooper

“I am a 40 year old from New York who is running for the state senate. My wife, Cassie Cooper, is significantly younger than me and can be very abusive both physically and mentally. I’m obsessed with my campaign and the last thing I want is a scandal that would shine poorly on my character. An interesting fact about Glenn is he went to UPenn. I relate to my character because Glenn is a people pleaser and he just wants to make everyone happy, even if it comes at the expense of his own health… He starts very calm and collected and turns very frantic towards the end. This change in personality is new to me and has been tough to get just right, however I have been enjoying the challenge! Glenn is the one who tells the cops that there were gunshots.”

Anika Roddy, 11th

as Chris Gorman

“My name is Chris Gorman, and my husband Ken and I are lawyers. I have two beautiful children, and my best friends are Myra Brock and Claire Ganz. When my husband and I arrived at our friend Charley Brock’s house for a dinner party one night, we had found that Charley had supposedly attempted suicide. As our other friends began to show up to the party, we had to deal with the chaos of hiding this secret from them. She can’t look people in the eyes when she’s lying, and she has a bit of a smoking issue. Overall, I can relate to my character in the sense that she is a smart, yet very nervous person. She is also a terrible liar and doesn’t do very well under pressure which I can see myself like as well… This character takes me out of my comfort zone in the sense that I have to be actively freaking out for the majority of the show. I’m screaming at my closest friends who are in the cast, I’m angry and scared (and drunk at one point), and overall every emotion I have to show has to be amplified by like 500%. It’s also very difficult, because there are so many funny scenes and lines or ridiculous things my friends in the cast do. And I have to stay acting anxious, when I really want to roll over laughing. If my character wasn’t there, I honestly believe it would be less chaotic, but also less organized in a way. Most of what I’m doing in the play isn’t the most beneficial to the stress of the situation, but I have my moments where I help figure out issues that keep the story going smoothly, or help other characters in certain ways.”

 

Ava Jane Albracht, 12th on the left and Creighton Thornton, 12th on the right. (ave)

Ava Jane Albracht, 12th

as Cookie Cusack

“Well, I came here to have a nice relaxing evening with my friends but of course they put me to work and I had to cook dinner. Everything she owns she inherited from her grandmother; she’s crazy. I have to be loud and obnoxious and sometimes it’s a little uncomfortable making sure to hit all my beats just right so that I’m funny … and not just obnoxious.”

Creighton Thornton, 12th

as Officer Welch

“I, Officer Welch, investigate a car crash but while I’m at this house, everyone in it is lying and I’m trying to find the truth. He has a daughter named, Connie. I relate to his anger with people lying to him. Once It’s obvious that they’re lying to him. He gets really close to people.”

Brynn Russell, 10th. (Avery Brasfield)

Brynn Russell, 10th

as Officer Pudney

“As Pudney, I play an idiot cop who doesn’t know what she is doing. Pudney definitely didn’t train to be a cop; she just showed up and got the job. I relate to Pudney all the time. I barely know what I’m doing or where I am.”

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About the Contributors
Sullivan Bunyan
Sullivan Bunyan, Staff Reporter
Hello, my name is Sullivan Bunyan and I'm a Junior this year on Titan Legacy Magazine. I enjoy reading books, playing games and paintball. Among other things I love to ski with friends and others.
Avery Brasfield
Avery Brasfield, Photographer
I feel like my biggest strength as a photographer is passion. I am constantly wanting to learn more and have more experience. I love to spend my time taking photos. I love the feeling of going home and seeing what I captured. Seeing my growth makes me want to strive harder to be better every day. I love being on the sidelines taking everything in. I also love to capture people that don't normally get the recognition they deserve. Showing people someone's personality and who they really are is my favorite.
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