The Huntington High School drama club will bring Mary Chase’s award winning 1944 play “Harvey” to the stage this fall. Auditions are now complete and the show’s cast has been announced. A spectacular group of teenagers is set to perform.
Rehearsals formally kicked off last week. The curtain will rise for performances on Friday, November 22 at 7:30 p.m. and again on Saturday, November 23 at 2 p.m. and at 7:30 p.m. all in the high school auditorium. Huntington English teacher Michael Schwendemann is the drama club’s longtime faculty advisor.
The cast includes Sarah Biernacki (Myrtle Mae Simmons), Abby Semelsberger (Veta Louise Simmons), Keenan Lyons (Elwood P. Dowd), Aria Hannah (Miss Johnson), Katherine Eichenberger (Mrs. Ethel Chavenet), Natalie Ciccone (Ruth Kelly, RN), Brendan Garcia (Duane Wilson), Josh Avidor (Lyman Sanderson, MD), Robert Jean-Gilles (William R. Chumley, MD), Charlotte Simon (Betty Chumley), Ryan Aguirre (Judge Omar Gaffney), Dylan Brinn (EJ Lofgren) and Cobin Black as Harvey.
English teacher Michael Schwendemann is the Huntington High School drama club's faculty advisor.
“I am so excited for ‘Harvey,” Ms. Semelsberger said. “This is my seventh production with the drama club and I can’t wait to see what this one has in store. I am so lucky to have Mr. Schwendemann as a director and I am constantly in awe of his ability. The cast is incredible and I love getting to create theater with my friends. This show resonates very deeply with me. It is a show about accepting people as they are and kindness above everything else. It’s going to be a great show.”
A graduate of John Adams High School in Ozone Park, Queens, Mr. Schwendemann, or “Schwendy” as most students know him, earned a BA at CUNY-Queens College in communication arts and sciences and drama, theatre and dance. He obtained a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Alabama.
“‘Harvey’ asks us to look at ourselves and the world around us, begging us to decide what is important in life,” Mr. Schwendemann said. “Mary Chase introduces us to characters that we can identify with hoping that when we see both the good and bad housed within us we will leave the show embracing the better part of ourselves.”
When the curtain goes up in November, audiences can be assured they are in for a real treat considering how seriously everyone associated with the show takes their work.
“I’m very excited to be a member of the ‘Harvey’ cast,” Mr. Jean-Gilles said. “Since this will be my last drama production at the high school, I can’t wait to fully take in every moment of rehearsal. This show is a great commentary on society. I believe that there is something to take away from this show for everyone!”
Huntington High School’s drama club has reaped repeated honors in recent years for the exceptional productions it has staged. The club’s membership includes an incredibly loyal and talented group of student-actors and stagehands.
“It’s gratifying to be able to expand my involvement with the drama club by taking on a supporting role in ‘Harvey,’” Ms. Biernacki said. “The cast is very skilled and dedicated and it is an honor to be a part of the show. We have just begun our work, but we all look forward to putting on a great show in November.”
Ms. Chase won the 1945 Pulitzer Prize in Drama for “Harvey.” It’s the story of a perfect gentleman, Elwood P. Dowd and his best friend, Harvey; a pooka, who is a six-foot tall, invisible rabbit. When Elwood begins introducing Harvey around town, his embarrassed sister, Veta Louise and her daughter, Myrtle Mae, determine to commit Elwood to a sanitarium. A mistake is made, however, and Veta is committed rather than Elwood! Eventually, the mistake is realized and a frantic search begins for Elwood and the invisible pooka, which ends with Elwood appearing, voluntarily, at the sanitarium. In the end, however, Veta realizes that she loves her brother and his invisible his best friend just as they are and doesn’t want either of them to change.
“I’m delighted to take on the role of Elwood P. Dowd not only because of his multi-dimensional character, but the many comedic moments,” Mr. Lyons said. “This role will be a challenge as I have to imagine talking to a six-foot tall rabbit named Harvey. He is real, but he’s invisible; to some. I encourage everyone to come ‘see’ ‘Harvey!’”