Welcome to the Colonial Players Fall Production of Altercations, written by Plymouth Whitemarsh student Cole Walther (Class of 2018).
We are very excited to bring an original play to life for the first time onstage. Altercations is about a 16-year-old boy, Thomas Pendleton, who has a rare dissociative identity disorder that produces multiple personalities. In this case, Thomas’ personalities stem from the traumatic car accident that took his parents’ lives when he was merely nine years old. Since the accident, Thomas has been raised by his financially struggling aunt, Andrea Pendleton. This play explores the second half of Thomas’ junior year in high school and how he manages new people and events, such as love, with the various personalities in his head.
This fall show has been rewarding on so many levels. To begin, I believe this might be the first time we have ever performed a full length play that was written by a current student. It has been amazing to witness the unyielding support and excitement from the Colonial Players’ family towards Cole. Before announcing the Fall show last spring, the kids were buzzing about “Cole’s show.” The excitement continued throughout the summer and then this fall during the audition and rehearsal process. Everyone is invested in making this a success and that is truly heartwarming to be a part of.
The dedication and time invested by all the students is apparent in the final product of this show. In addition to our actors, student crew members have helped to create the show you will see tonight. I would be remiss if I did not thank Audra Polsky for her dedication this fall as Stage Manager. As a collective team, the cast and crew brought this intense story to life.
A number of people contributed countless hours to make this fall production a success. It all starts with Cole. Thank you for your willingness to share your story, for trusting us with it, and for allowing me to apply our vision to your words. You took a huge leap of faith – I commend you for your ability to let go, I know it wasn’t easy.
To the staff – you rock! The theatre has always been my second home and you are definitely my second family. Thank you for your time, creativity, dedication, friendship and endless sarcasm/sense of humor. Your countless hours to ensure the success of our production is always appreciated. My deepest gratitude to: Melissa Downer (PW Class of 1994) and Jeramie Iannelli (PW Class of 2003) for your efforts to bring the characters to life; Eric Scheidly, Peter Kelsey, Josh Wein, and Barb Sharavsky and her costume team for their efforts in ensuring the students had a killer set to act on, the audience could hear their lines and that the students looked their best; and, finally, thank you Jen Crea for keeping us all organized and running smoothly. I feel honored to work with such a great team.
Thank you to our Colonial Players parents for their enduring support of their sons’ and daughters’ love for being on the stage. Additionally, a special thank you goes out to Charlie Forster for his unyielding support of our program. And to the custodial staff for endless help throughout the run of our production.
To my parents and husband, thank you for your love and support as I explore my passion and love for theatre. You are the best a girl could ever wish for - XO!
Please join us again for this show or for our spring production of RENT in March 2017. Your continued support allows us to create wonderful shows and memories on PW’s stage, thereby keeping the arts alive.
Fondly,
Valerie Cucinotta Collado (PW Class of 1997)
