Heather Scammon (Scarborough High School grad 2005) plays Laura, the kindly wife of the housemaster at a stuffy boys school, played by Patrick Malloy, right, (Orono High School 2009) who comforts Tom, played by Joseph Skelton Bearor (Bangor High School 2006), when he is tormented by his schoolmates for possibly being gay, in the University of Southern Maine Department of Theatre's production of Tea and Sympathy this November.
Tea and Sympathy
By Robert Anderson
Directed by Professor William Steele
November 6-15, 2009
When: November 6, 7, 12, 13, 14 at 7:30 p.m. & November 8, 15 at 2 p.m. / Special “$5 @ Five” show November 11 at 5 p.m., all tickets $5
Tickets: Students $7, seniors/faculty/staff $10, general public $14 / Season Flex Pass good for six tickets, in any combination (limit two tickets to the spring musical) to the play or plays of your choosing for $40
For reservations: call the Theatre Box Office at 207-780-5151
Where: Russell Hall on the Gorham Campus of the University of Southern Maine
Tea and Sympathy, far ahead of its time, examines the emerging relationship between a student and his schoolmaster's wife against a backdrop of homophobia and hypocrisy in the 1950's.
A sensitive teenage boy named Tom endures the cruelty and suspicion of his teachers and classmates as they taunt and ridicule him for possibly being gay at a stuffy private boy’s academy. The only one who seems to understand, to offer any sympathy, is Laura, the evasive housemaster’s young, compassionate wife.
Heather Scammon (Scarborough High School grad 2005) plays Laura, the kindly wife of the housemaster at a stuffy boys school who comforts Tom, played by Joseph Skelton Bearor (Bangor High School 2006), when he is tormented by his teachers and schoolmates for possibly being gay.
“At its heart, Tea and Sympathy, looks at how we make judgments about other people based on the degree to which they conform to our own preconceived ideals,” says Director and Professor William Steele.
“It’s also about kids who don’t fit in and how the people around them, their peers and parents and teachers, often compound their angst. It’s a sensitive play about a boy, falsely stereotyped, who is rescued by a compassionate woman who is locked in a lonely marriage that is itself based on false pretenses,” he adds.
Following the performance on Sunday November 8, the public is invited to attend a talk-back session. Director William Steele and the cast of the show will field questions about their work, the play, and the relevancy of this story to contemporary audiences. The post-show discussion is free and will be moderated by USM instructor Meghan Brodie.
