Grade 12 Play – “Fools”

The Hawthorne Valley Class of 2024 will perform Neil Simon’s comic romantic fable Fools as their senior play in the School Assembly Hall on Thursday, June 6, Friday, June 7, and Saturday, June 8 at 7pm. The play tells the story of a remote Ukrainian village that has been under the influence of a curse for 200 years, which has resulted in all the townspeople being “fools.” When an eager and enthusiastic schoolteacher arrives to teach the lovely daughter of the town doctor, he soon discovers the enormity of his task. Can love, daring, and cleverness overcome tyranny, superstition, and ignorance?

The play works as a comedy by mining the tradition of Eastern European humorous folktales, as well as the comic sensibilities of writers and performers who, like Simon, grew up in New York in the 1930s and 40s. However, it also raises questions about the value of “acceptable” knowledge and education, and the extent to which our belief in “curses,” or predetermination, affects our potential for development.

This play is suitable for all ages, with laughs and lighthearted jokes throughout!

Tickets at the door (suggested donation): $5 for students, $10 for adults.