F&M Players Presents The Wedding Singer
While many Franklin & Marshall students were scattered across the country during winter break, a group of their peers was hard at work during the month of January preparing for their first exam of the semester—the raising of the curtain.
F&M Players, the College’s student-run musical theater organization, will unveil its latest full-scale production when The Wedding Singer opens in Roschel Performing Arts Center tonight, Jan. 19, at 7:30 p.m. Directed by Aimee Vachon ’14, the musical will also be performed Friday, Jan. 20, at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, Jan. 21, at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Tickets, which are $5 for students and seniors, $7.50 for College employees and $10 for off-campus patrons, may be purchased online.
The musical is produced entirely by F&M students, including the directing, conducting, choreography and acting. Vachon, who was a member of the ensemble for Seussical last year, proposed The Wedding Singer to the executive board of F&M Players last spring.
“I looked at a lot of different shows and thought about what would be the best fit for our singers and dancers,” Vachon says. “I decided I wanted a comedy, or something fun. People seem to be drawn to that.”
The Wedding Singer is the story of rock-star wannabe Robbie Hart, New Jersey’s favorite wedding singer. After Robbie’s fiancée leaves him at the altar, he falls for a free-spirited waitress named Julia Sullivan. Scott Goldscher ’12 stars as Robbie, while Ali Tufano ’14 plays Julia. Other key members of the cast include Gardner Reed ’12 as Glen Guglia, Marissa Bendit ’15 as Holly and Bridget Holmes ’12 as Grandma Rosie.
Vachon, who has put so much work into the production that she calls it “my fifth and sixth classes,” gained experience in theater well before arriving at F&M. She was a member of Clocktower Players in Westchester County, N.Y., and estimates that she has participated in more than 15 musicals.
“Being a student-run organization helps us develop in many ways,” Vachon says of F&M Players. “It’s both a challenge and a blessing. A lot of students say, ‘Let’s try this, experiment and see what happens.’ It would be much harder to do that in a professional setting.”
Other key contributors to the production include Mike Manley ’14 (assistant director), Josh Chopak ’14 (musical director), Corinne Littlefield ’13 (choreography) and Gaurav Ganguly ’14 (stage manager).
“I’m so proud of what the cast has accomplished,” Vachon says. “They’ve grown as people, and I can’t wait to actually sit down and watch the performance. “I hope the audience walks away with a smile and enjoys themselves. If they learned something about themselves or others, I’d consider it a success.”
For more information about The Wedding Singer, contact the F&M Box Office at or 717-358-4858.
- Chris Karlesky
