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SCN Theatre Department

PRESENTS

FOOLS

 By

Neil Simon

A Note from the Director:

As it turns out, many of Neil Simon’s plays were based on some of his personal life experiences.  In fact, allegedly, Simon wrote Fools (1981) with the intention to design a play so awful that it wouldn’t last on Broadway since his ex-wife would earn the proceeds. At first, it seemed like his plan worked because the production, directed by the infamous Mike Nichols, only lasted 40 days on Broadway; however, the story has gained such a tremendous popularity that it spawned two different musicals and is also a favorite Simon play for high schools and local theater.  Unironically, due to his innate wit and comedic timing, Simon still couldn’t write an unfunny play even if he wanted.

It’s been a few years since we’ve produced a straight-up fun comedy during the winter, and that’s exactly what we set out do. However, even in humor, our shows still have a social commentary - it’s educational theatre, right? Simon considers Fools “a comic fable”; even though you may not see any talking animals (common in fables), you may feel a moralistic presence (also in fables), at least by the end, that I don’t really need to spell out in these notes. We’ll just say that the ultimate message still resonates with us today - arguably now more than ever. In any case, we just hope this is a fun-filled night with a lot of smiles, laughter, and just a touch of reflection (maybe some trembling, too).  

Personally, I’ve laughed more with students during this show than I have in a few years.  It’s part of the fun when choosing a comedy. We’ve all had a lot of laughs - cast and crew - but I can never truly describe the consistent dedication and passion of our students.  In the past, I’ve described my amazement, but even that word suggests “out of the ordinary,” which doesn’t quite characterize our North students. They continue to dedicate their leadership and personal lives to our productions. This leadership gives them a sense of ownership over their theatre program - it truly belongs to them. I want to thank Mr. Pietrie and the entire crew including our new student “propaganda” team who is taking a new approach to publicity, the entire cast, Josh our stage manager, and our two assistant directors Kristin and Dara. The essence of this production you’ll see tonight is a fusion of everyone’s hard work and love for SCN’s theatre program.

In the end, our lovable characters in Kulyenchikov might be cursed with stupidity, but they have hearts of uranium. On behalf of all involved in our production of Fools, we hope you enjoy the show.

Ryan Colton

Director