RUMORS

RUMORS

Written by Neil Simon

Directed by Alec Kyte (he/him)
Stage manager: Tife Bode (she/her)
Assistant stage manager: Fiza Janjua (she/her)
Assistant stage manager: Somin An (she/her)

SYNOPSIS

It’s May 1984, and Deputy Mayor of New York City Charley Brock and his wife, Myra, are having their 10th wedding anniversary party. However, everything goes awry when the guests arrive to find Charley unconscious and Myra nowhere to be found. Hilarity ensues as the guests try to protect Charley’s reputation and keep his condition a secret until they can figure out just what went wrong.

CHARACTERS

Chris Gorman
A smart, though tense and defensive publishing lawyer with a smoking addiction. Ken’s wife. (female, 40s, large role)
Ken Gorman
Charley’s quick-witted attorney who loves to take charge of a situation. Chris’s husband. (male, 40s, large role)
Claire Ganz
A socialite who’s always up on the gossip at the local tennis club. Lenny’s wife. (female, 40s, large role)
Lenny Ganz
Charley’s sarcastic, self-deprecating, and overdramatic accountant. Claire’s husband. (male, 40s, large role)
Ernie Cusack
A kind-hearted but slightly pretentious therapist. Cookie’s husband. (male, 40s, medium role)
Cookie Cusack
The eccentric host of a TV cooking show who loves fame and suffers from back pain. Ernie’s wife. (female, 40s, medium role)
Glenn Cooper
A pompous, self-aggrandizing, and condescending candidate for State Senate. Cassie’s husband. (male, 40s, medium role)
Cassie Cooper
Glenn’s immature and paranoid wife who’s obsessed with her quartz crystal. (female, 30s, medium role)
Officer Welch
A no-nonsense police officer. (any gender, 40s, small role)
Officer Pudney
Another police officer. (any gender, 30s, very small role)
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PRODUCTION TEAM

Rumors_Headshot_Alec Kyte

Alec Kyte (he/him)
– Director –

Alec is tickled pink to be directing Rumors in his third season with Sock ‘n’ Buskin. Previously with SnB, Alec has portrayed the titular character in Macbeth and The Motorist / Chief of Police in Clue, in addition to performing in shows for the Ottawa Fringe Festival, Youth Infringement Festival, and Canada’s Capital Cappies. Outside of SnB, Alec is an avid improviser and occasionally enjoys non-theatre-related things such as watching baseball, reading the news, and playing with his cats, Elizabeth and Sidney. He is very excited to be working alongside Tife, Fiza, and Somin to create a silly show for people to enjoy!

Tife

Tife Bode (she/her)
– Stage Manager –

Tife is thrilled to be stage managing Sock ‘n’ Buskin’s upcoming production of Rumors! She joined the company during its 79th season as Mina in Dracula, and has loved being a part of the community from the start. She has since worked as a stagehand for Clue and Murder on the Orient Express, and has enjoyed exploring the many facets of theatre production in that time. Tife is enthusiastic about art and media in its many forms, is always on the hunt for new experiences to be immersed in, and is equally as enthusiastic about sharing those experiences with those around her. She is very excited and grateful to be a Stage Manager this season, and hopes to create an environment just as delightful as the one she met!

Fiza

Fiza Janjua (she/her)
– Assistant Stage Manager –

Fiza is tickled to death to be an assistant stage manager for Rumors this season. This will be her second year working with Sock ‘n’ Buskin, previously as a volunteer on The Outsiders, she fell in love with the company and wanted to be more involved. Fiza is a fourth year Cognitive-Psychology student with a passion for the arts. She has always been deeply invested with the art of storytelling, whether it’s through films, paintings, plays, or novels, in any medium it has always been a vital part of her life. Fiza loves to immerse herself into stories by appreciating how different worlds are crafted and how it would feel to exist within the story. She loves to engage with the entirety of a story from the setting to the emotions and seeing new perspectives. She was pleased as punch to be taking the leap this year and working behind the scenes in order to make this dream a reality. With years of creative experience in painting, music, and a mild fear of acting. She couldn’t be more excited and honoured to be working alongside Alec, Tife, and Somin this season to bring forward an amazing experience. 

Somin (she:her)

Somin An (she/her)
– Assistant Stage Manager –

Somin is a third-year Media Production and Design student minoring in French. Her first experience with Sock ’n’ Buskin was when she volunteered as a sound assistant for Dracula in 2023. Although she is relatively new to the theatre field, she has gained creative experience by constantly volunteering and working at festivals and art galleries in Canada and Korea. She is excited to join the board of directors as a graphic coordinator for the first season and see how far the company can develop with the team!