SUNY Ulster Theater Department Presents The Boys Next Door “Bittersweet Comedy”

Stone Ridge, NY, November 09, 2008 --(PR.com)-- The play, by Tom Griffin, is a bittersweet story of four mentally challenged roommates living in an apartment with the help of a dedicated, but “burnt-out,” social worker. The challenges of developmental disabilities and mental illness that face the four afflicted men are rendered in realistic but compassionate terms. Audiences generally find that the hopes, frustrations, and emotional lives of the four “boys next door” resonate with everyone’s common humanity. There is much humor in the play, both verbal and situational, which adds an upbeat tone to an otherwise difficult subject. One critic aptly summed up the effect of the play on the audience as “making us howl with laughter as we fight back tears of recognition.”

Laura Love-Kroll, Acting Director of the Theater Arts program and instructor of acting and directing, is the director of the play. The cast members are James Noon of Stone Ridge (Jack Palmer, the social worker), James Stokes of Wallkill (Norman Bulanski). Anthony Curtis of Saugerties (Arnold Wiggins), Lerone Simon of Kingston (Lucien Smith), Mike Belluzzi of Rosendale (Barry Klemper) playing the four roommates; Frank Boyer of Stone Ridge; (Mr. Klemper), Courtney Constantino of Bloomington (Sheila), Grace Jarrold of Kingston (Mrs. Warren/Mrs. Fremus) and Hannah Pedersen of Pine Bush (Clara/Senator Clarke). The production stage manager is Angela Perez of Saugerties. The sign-language interpreter is Terry L. Neumann of Saugerties.

Students at SUNY Ulster can major in the Theater Arts program and earn an Associate in Arts degree. Laura Kroll observes that many students can profit from acting classes and involvement in theater. “Acting classes can help young people in many aspects of their lives. Acting teaches you how to pay attention and listen carefully, two skills that help in any career and in all personal relationships.” James Stokes, a second-year student in Theater Arts, agrees. Stokes feels that acting has taught him about “people and life” and the satisfaction of “rendering real emotions and moving an audience.”

All tickets available at the door. Call SUNY Ulster Theater box office at 845-688-1959 for more information.

###