Name: Tayla Giuffrida
Grade: Sophomore
Major: International Business
Character and Bio about character: Ethel McCormack-mother of Ren McCormack. Ethel is a cool mom. Her husband abandoned her and her son, which I think makes her and her son grow a stronger relationship. She supports and provides for her son in everything he does. She is a strong independent women-who don’t need no man’.
How are you and your character the same? Ethel Learned how to be independent after her husband left, and she is kicking a** at it, and I am independent as well. I feel I relate to Ethel too much. She has a line in the show that says “I can’t just not say anything- I don’t know how to do that.” And I have never related to anything ever as I did to that line! We both are extremely loving and supportive and we know how to have fun.
How are you different? I would say the only difference between us would be, I am not a divorcee/single mother. Other than that, we are highly similar!
Have you learned anything from your character? From Ethel I have learned that it is okay to start over and have to depend on others. After Ethel’s husband leaves her, she has no choice but to move to Bomont and leave her whole life behind her in Chicago. But Ethel stays positive and makes the most of her time with her son, and her relatives in this dry, dull town!
Are you more of a Bomont kid or a Chicago kid and why? I am more of a Chicago kid. I love to have fun, and dance and not be restricted by so many rules!
Name: Nicole D’Andrea
Grade: Junior
Major: Management/CIS
Character and Bio about character: Vi Moore, wife of Reverend Shaw. Vi is a supportive wife and mother, but she has her own opinions and thoughts which are often very different from that of her husband. Throughout the show, we see Vi fighting for her voice to be heard; both her and Ethel are representative of strong women that are constantly being silenced by men but refuse to accept it.
How are you and your character the same? Vi positions herself as an intermediary between many relationships. She understands the perspectives of both her husband and her daughter, Ariel, and spends the entirety of the show trying to get them to understand each other. Like Vi, I always find myself mediating relationships between the people in my life. Vi also has a subtle humor to her; even in serious situations, she tries her best to keep everyone smiling and lighthearted, which I definitely relate to.
How are you different? Although she does make her opinions known one way or another, Vi definitely bites her tongue more than I do!
Have you learned anything from your character? Vi has taught me that no matter how bleak a situation may seem, there is always hope to turn it around with a little love and patience.
Are you more of a Bomont kid or a Chicago kid and why? I feel like I’m more of a Chicago kid! Although I’m not that extroverted, Bomont is definitely too uptight for me.
Name: Briana Geoghegan
Grade: Senior
Major: International Business, Finance Concentration
Character and Bio about character:
I play Betty Blast, who owns the Burger Blast. She’s an older woman who helps to break up a fight between the kids of Bomont!
How are you and your character the same?
Betty Blast is quirky, and so am I. Granted she is an old lady who works in a diner so finding that much in common is difficult. But I can relate to the character in her ability to solve problems with confidence.
How are you different?
I am not an old lady who works at a diner, and I’m not the most likely to enforce a curfew.
Have you learned anything from your character?
I have learned that rollerskating is not easy!
Are you more of a Bomont kid or a Chicago kid and why?
I’m a Chicago kid because I’m fun, carefree, young and I love to dance!
Name: Gary Enoksen
Grade: Senior
Major: Marketing and Communications
Character and Bio about character: “Coach Roger Dunbar” and “the Cop”
Coach Dunbar for sure is not one of the students favorite teachers in Bomont. He’s rude, aggressive, and is tight with Reverend Shaw Moore, who believes the town should not have ANY fun.
The cop is a minor role in the play, but is on the same page with the Coach and Reverend, where he stops Ren for playing music too loud. The cops plays a typical stereotypical image of an ***hole cop.
How are you and your character the same? The cop and coach are both aggressive characters where I can not relate. If i ever came across these two there certainly will be trouble.
How are you different? We are different in every aspect. For instance, I never not crank my music to max.
Have you learned anything from your character? No.
Are you more of a Bomont kid or a Chicago kid and why? I am for sure more of a Bomont kid. I mean, who wouldn’t want to rebel against authority and dance in the streets!
Name: Samantha Varney
Grade: Sophomore
Major: Accounting
Character and Bio about character: Cowgirl Bobbie is the lead singer at the BBQ who tries to make sure everyone is having fun.
How are you and your character the same? Cowgirl Bobbie and I are extremely outgoing and we both love to flirt… alot.
How are you different? I am not as confrontational as my character.
Have you learned anything from your character? If my character has taught me anything it is not not take life too seriously and always make time to have fun and let loose.
Are you more of a Bomont kid or a Chicago kid and why? I am most definitely a Chicago kid because of the fact that I am extremely outgoing and always ready to make everyday an adventure.
Name: Kerianne Hall
Grade: Junior
Major: Marketing
Character and Bio about character: Urleen is one of Ariel’s friends. She is friendly, a little bit sassy, and definitely boy crazy.
How are you and your character the same? I am friendly and outgoing, and very sassy, a lot like Urleen. I also say what is on my mind-good or bad!
How are you different? I am not so boy crazy or the flirty type. I feel as though I have more independence and confidence than Urleen has.
Have you learned anything from your character? Yeah, I wouldn’t want to live in Bomont.
Are you more of a Bomont kid or a Chicago kid and why? I think there is a little of both in me. I was raised to be conservative and know when to keep my mouth shut, but there is another side of me that likes to rebel against the rules and just let loose.
Name: Jackie Calamari
Grade: Senior
Major: Finance and Economics
Character and Bio about character: Principal Clark. Principal Clark is definitely everyone’s least favorite character as she is strict, aggressive, and a yeller. She is a constant stopper of fun.
How are you and your character the same? I would say Principal Clark and I are not similar at all.
How are you different? Principal Clark and I probably could not be more different. The Principal has a very cold and strict personality, where I would say I am a very warm and easy going person. Although we are not similar at all, it has been a blast to embody a new personality and I cannot wait for opening night.
Have you learned anything from your character? I have learned how to remember lines and yell on stage while playing Principal Clark.
Are you more of a Bomont kid or a Chicago kid and why? I would have to say I am WAY more of a Chicago kid as I like to let loose and dance as much as I can.
Name: Caitlyn McNaughton
Grade: Freshman
Major: Accounting
Character and Bio about character: I am a general ensemble member. In some scenes I am a kid, in other scenes I am an adult.
How are you and your character the same? My kid character is a little different from the rest. She also doesn’t like authoritative figures keeping her from being herself and dancing.
How are you different? My character is definitely way more outgoing than I am. While I do not like authority and being told what to do, I tend to keep my head down and listen to others.
Have you learned anything from your character? My character has taught me to be myself, no matter who tries to stop you. She has also taught me to stand up for what I believe in, dancing, for example.
Are you more of a Bomont kid or a Chicago kid and why? I am more of a Chicago kid. I like to be able to let loose and be myself without worrying it will get me in trouble. I also like that Chicago kids have less authority controlling them and stopping them from being themselves.
Name: Hannah Ratcliffe
Grade: Sophomore
Major: Communications
Character and Bio about character: Lulu is Ren’s aunt and houses Ren and his mother, Ethel, when they move to Bomont. Lulu is one of the stuck up adults who is very intune with all the laws set in Bomont concerning fun and dancing.
How are you and your character the same? Different?
I think the most Lulu and I have in common is our gender. Besides that I don’t think my character and I are the same at all. I think that Lulu has a tendency to let her husband as well as others in the play push her around. I like to believe I am not so easily influenced. I’m with Ren on this one, “if there’s one thing worth fighting for, it’s freedom!”
Have you learned anything from your character?
I think the biggest thing I have learned from my character is how to bite my tongue. When I see something I don’t like, I am usually very vocal; however, Lulu is very passive under male dominance throughout the play. It comes to the point that in the play people are fighting, whether it be physically or verbally, and I literally just watch the scene go down. Talk about being a bystander!
Are you more of a Bomont kid or a Chicago kid and why?
I think I was raised more of a Bomont kid, very conservative and in a small hometown where everyone knew everyone. However, I think I have always had the mindset of the city girl. Fun and outgoing is what I strive to be, and maybe even a little rebellious!
Name: Mike Criscuolo
Grade: Sophomore
Major: Management/Marketing
Character and Bio about character: Uncle Wes takes in his sister-in-law and nephew after her husband left them. He is very old school and strictly follows the rules of the town. He is very disappointed with his nephew’s actions but can’t do much about it.
How are you and your character the same? I don’t think I’m very much like my character in the sense that I’m not very strict about the rules set and I’m not going to damn those who don’t follow them.
How are you different?
Have you learned anything from your character? In the past month or so since I’ve taken on this character I’ve learned that just because you hold a position of authority doesn’t mean everyone will listen to you and sometimes if you want people to follow you you can’t use force.
Are you more of a Bomont kid or a Chicago kid and why? I think I’m more of a Bomont kid because I know how to be kind and respectful when I need to be and let loose when I can.
Name: Jacob Costa
Grade: sophomore
Major: Politics and Law
Character and Bio about character: Travis. Travis is one of the bullies who picks on and beats up Ren after he [Ren] comes to Bomont. Essentially, Travis for most of the show of the show is one of Chuck Cranston’s yes men. He’s used to always listening to Chuck and following him. By the end of the show we see Travis leave Chuck and come over to Ren’s side of things.
How are you and your character the same? I do understand what it’s like to feel as though you need to be a part of a group, even if it’s made up of people aren’t on the right side of things. It’s a natural desire to feel like you belong to something or that someone has your back, and I think that’s what Travis sees in Chuck originally.
How are you different?
Travis for most of the show is a bully and goes along with whatever Chuck does. I’ve always been against bullying and hurting people for no reason. However, that’s part of the fun of acting (playing a character unlike yourself).
Have you learned anything from your character?
From playing Travis I’ve learned that you shouldn’t follow anyone/anything blindly, that you should make your own decisions, and that you shouldn’t bully anyone.
Are you more of a Bomont kid or a Chicago kid and why? I’m a Bomont kid in the sense that I grew up in a small town where everybody knew each other, but at heart I think I’m a Chicago kid, in the sense that I believe in being rebellious, being adventurous, and expressing yourself.
Name: Jill Buckley
Grade: Sophomore
Major: Communications
Character and Bio about character: Wendy Jo. She is one of Ariel’s best friends. She is goofy, sassy, boy-crazed girl who would do anything for her friend.
How are you and your character the same? We both are goofy girls who enjoy helping their friends out.
How are you different? I am not nearly as boy-crazed as Wendy Jo and I don’t think I could lie to a Reverend about his daughter.
Have you learned anything from your character? I didn’t necessarily learn this, but I saw the importance of being loyal to your friends no matter what. I luckily have not had to face the town council, but Wendy Jo and the rest of the Bomont kids rally around Ren and Ariel and follow them to the end.
Are you more of a Bomont kid or a Chicago kid and why? I am more a Bomont kid. I grew up in a town where everyone knew everything about everyone. I also feel that I am willing to fight for what’s important, just like the kids of Bomont.
Name: Theresa Galli
Grade: Freshmen
Major: Applied Psychology
Character and Bio about character: Eleanor Dunbar is a very uptight, nasty old woman and spends most of her time making children miserable. She likes to bake toll house cookies in her free time when she is not working on the town council. She does not notice much going on around her and is kind of selfish. She gets very easily stirred over trivial matters
How are you and your character the same? Honestly, I’m also not a huge fan of children.
How are you different? I feel like not much, I love toll house cookies and genuinely being the worst. I am an uptight nasty old woman at heart.
Have you learned anything from your character? Sometimes it’s okay to not follow the rules. (Also it’s really satisfying to obnoxiously bang a gavel!)
Are you more of a Bomont kid or a Chicago kid and why? Chicago because I had thee exact same initial feeling Ren had when he arrived at Bomont and thought it nuts when I arrived at Bryant! Then I learned how to make a home out of it and have fun.
Name: Raheem Champion
Grade: Senior
Major: Management & Biology
Character and Bio about character: Garvin. Garvin is one of the three best friends of the character Willard and can be seen often with his pals Jeter and Bickle. These three make a fun trio and have great chemistry on the stage. Garvin is a goofy fun loving guy and always has his friend’s back.
How are you and your character the same? I am a pretty goofy and free-spirited person myself so we have that in common. I am rarely seen without other people as I have the most fun with friends, so we are both extroverted individuals. We also both love to sing and dance.
How are you different? Garvin does not seem to be too accepting of Ren at first since he is an unfamiliar element to his environment, though he gets over it very quickly. I have little to no care for other individual’s backgrounds so that is a distinction between us. In all honesty Garvin is a much better dancer than I am, without choreography I could not even fathom doing so many different dance moves in these songs.
Have you learned anything from your character? I learned that the best part of a supporting character that is in a group with others, is those other people. It has been so much fun getting to know the other castmates during this time.
Are you more of a Bomont kid or a Chicago kid and why? Definitely Chicago. The quiet country life just is not for me. I need more enjoyment than I feel I would get from Bomont. Plus, the entire town seems pretty prejudice which I’m against. Oh, and the people of Bomont would not like my taste in music.
Name: Liz Willmonton
Grade: Junior
Major: Applied Economics
Character and Bio about character: Ariel Moore. Ariel is your typical teenage rebel, but that’s pretty hard when you’re the preacher’s daughter. Feeling trapped by the rules, her town, and father, when Ren McCormick rolls into town with the idea of abolishing the law against dancing, she feels she has found her opportunity to break free.
How are you and your character the same? I guess everyone could say they have a little bit of rebel in them, but Ariel is much more rebellious than I could ever be. We’re both bold, not afraid to say something, and talkative.
How are you different? Ariel is quite the rebel, which I wouldn’t totally call myself one. She’s fearless, whereas I tend to be cautious.
Have you learned anything from your character? I learned it’s okay to relax and enjoy the small things more.
Are you more of a Bomont kid or a Chicago kid and why? Bomont, they have to fight for what they want, which is way more interesting than being a plain Chicago kid.
Name: Benjamin Kane
Grade: Freshman
Major: CIS
Character and Bio about character: Bickle, Bickle is a small town boy who doesn’t talk much.
How are you and your character the same? I also came from a small town.
How are you different? I talk a lot.
Have you learned anything from your character? The importance of standing behind something you believe in.
Are you more of a Bomont kid or a Chicago kid and why? I am more of a Chicago kid because I love singing and dancing.
Name: Brendan Reynolds
Grade: Sophomore
Major: Human Resource Management
Character and Bio about character: Willard is a sweet country boy who has a strong sense of right and wrong. Ren pushes these boundaries, and you see Willard’s insecurities as the musical goes on. He likes to come across as tough and rugged, but has a soft spot for those whom he cares a lot about.
How are you and your character the same? I think we are both people who care heavily about other who are important to us.
How are you different? He is much more assertive and aggressive than I am. He is also overall more confrontational.
Have you learned anything from your character? Be open to new experiences.
Are you more of a Bomont kid or a Chicago kid and why? As much as I’ve come to love Bomont and all of its quirks, I’m definitely more a of a Chicago city kid at heart. I do not come from a small town and I like to “let loose” every now and then.
Name: Joe Sterrey
Grade: Senior
Major: Marketing
Character and Bio about character: Chuck. Chuck is the town’s “bad boy” and is also Ariel’s boyfriend. He’s abusive, hyped up on drugs and alcohol, and is not the sharpest tool in the shed. Trailer trash at it’s finest.
How are you and your character the same? We both like to drink.
How are you different? I’m the complete opposite to my character.
Have you learned anything from your character? Nice guys finish last, until much later when Ariel gets with Ren.
Are you more of a Bomont kid or a Chicago kid and why? A mix of both, I’ve lived my life in both a bustling city and a small country town where I currently live.
Name: Jonathan Rosum
Grade: Freshman!
Major: Actuarial Mathematics
Character and Bio about character: Ren McCormick! He’s new to town and has a passion for dancing while also having a bit of an attitude, tries to “save” Bomont from crazy laws set by Reverend Shaw.
How are you and your character the same? I would say that I’m pretty defiant and rebellious when I feel as though something isn’t right and I will fight for what I believe in.
How are you different? Ren might like to bite more than he can chew and I definitely know how to pick my battles.
Have you learned anything from your character? Standing up for what you believe in is always the right thing to do if you honestly believe it.
Are you more of a Bomont kid or a Chicago kid and why? Chicago kid! City life= love
Name: Sarina Resnick
Grade: Sophomore
Major: CIS and Marketing Double Major!
Character and Bio about character: The Character that I play is Jeter. Jeter is one of the country bumpkins that is friends with Willard. She is an out-there character that is more goofy and a bit dumber that a lot of the other characters in the play. Originally the character is a guy, so we are just going with that she’s bisexual and a tomboy.
How are you and your character the same? Me and my character are both really out there people. I tend to be really silly and goofy in most situations. Also, we both live in the middle of nowhere, so I kinda feel where she’s coming from with the “small town feels.”
How are you different? She is kinda dumb, and I’d like to think I’m not that thick-headed.
Have you learned anything from your character? I really learned how to become more crazy and show my true colors.
Are you more of a Bomont kid or a Chicago kid and why? I am definitely a combo of the both. I like a nice harmony of civilization and cow country!
Name: Tynan Collins
Grade: Sophomore
Major: Communications
Character and Bio about character: I am Reverend Moore in the play. He is a charismatic guy on the outside, but he hides a troubled past which still haunts him and guides his actions.
How are you and your character the same?
My character and I both have struggles that they have had to overcome through the help of other, of family and friends.
How are you different?
I’m not a jerk too much lol.
Have you learned anything from your character?
I have learned that it is not beneficial to always hold on to the past, sometimes you have to look towards the future.
Are you more of a Bomont kid or a Chicago kid and why?
I came from Bomont but I want to be a Chicago kid.
Name: Katie Gauthier
Grade: Freshman
Major: Global Studies
Character and Bio about character: Lyle the bully, troublemaker, and best friend of Travis
How are you and your character the same? I think we’re both a little impish and mischievous.
How are you different? I don’t think I would ever surround myself with feisty and mean friends, like Chuck and Travis!
Have you learned anything from your character? Be a kid while you can.
Are you more of a Bomont kid or a Chicago kid and why? Definitely Bomont, because I come from a very small town!
Name: Sami Prisco
Grade: Senior
Major: Marketing
Character and Bio about character: I am super excited to be playing Rusty in Bryant’s production of Footloose. Rusty is Ariel’s goofy and energetic best friend that comes along for the ride as Wren tries to change the rules. Her love for adventure and Willard, the boy of her dreams, are constantly showing.
How are you and your character the same? I think a similarity that Rusty and I share is definitely the outgoing personality. Rusty is always jumping around and getting excited about every little thing that happens throughout the show and I really believe that’s how I am in real life.
How are you different? Rusty is absolutely boy crazy. Throughout the entire show she is trying to get Willard to ask her out, and she is constantly failing. I’d like to think that I’m not as boy crazy as Rusty and, if I were, that I’d be a little more successful in getting the guy!
Have you learned anything from your character? There’s a scene where everyone finds out that Willard can’t dance, and they all make fun of him. However, Rusty stands her ground and tells them every single thing that’s amazing about him. This really showed me that you should never care about what anyone thinks about you and/or the people you surround yourself with. If that person makes you happy, then that’s all that matters.
Are you more of a Bomont kid or a Chicago kid and why? I’m definitely more of a Bomont kid. Big cities are too crowded and I like denim… and in Bomont we wear LOTS of denim.