By Andres Martinez, Cast ’15
A little over a month ago, we started our quest to recruit the best class of New Guys that Mask and Wig has ever seen. The way we went about is through various performance and social events during NSO, all of which are recapped in this previous article by my NSO right hand man, Jeremy Golant. On Labor Day, over one hundred freshmen came out and auditioned and/or were interviewed for all four sections of the company, all longing for a spot in the New Guy Class. Out of all of them, 15 lucky fresh faces managed to impress us and were accepted into the 127th Company. I think all sections would agree that their New Guys are exceptional, but I want to highlight the amazing talent that was brought into the Cast! In the picture above, we took the six Cast New Guys to enjoy some FroYo after a successful period of writing original content for the past three weeks. I’d like to highlight each one of them:
Tyler Bloom – (Great Neck, NY) Tyler brings an old soul to the cast. With his hipster glasses and leather jackets, he can easily pass for an upperclassman, but don’t get confused; he’s still a New Guy with a lot to learn. He has a strong musical theater background and has played Tevye in Fiddler, obviously.
Jacob Gardenswartz – (San Diego, CA) Jacob’s fashion style is hella Cali; his signature messenger bag shows that he means business but is not afraid to let loose sometimes. He has a ton of experience with musicals and straight plays; he is a very well-rounded performer. He was also very well rounded when he had to wear a fat-suit to play Augustus Gloop in Willy Wonka when he was little.
Max Levy – (Pleasantville, NY) Max is a bag full of tricks. He is an amazing opera singer (YouTube him!), an accomplished tennis player and fan (was a Ball Boy at the 2013 U.S. Open), and a hilarious actor (his frat bro impression at auditions sealed the deal). As a true Penn legacy, Max had been listening to Mask and Wig songs since he was a baby and we are so happy to finally welcome him home. Oh, and he has also played Tevye. TWICE.
Sam Korn – (Belmont, MA) Sam’s hair, yellow as corn, can be spotted from miles away; we’re hoping it doesn’t blind audiences once our stage lights go on. His quirky personality brings a wave of fresh air to the cast. He is a talented magician, composer, singer, and actor; qualities that would make him the Phantom of Opera, are you the Phantom, Sam? We’ll never know, because he just made himself disappear.
Zach Fox – (Berwyn, PA) Zach Fox WILL hand you his business card, so get ready for that. A quick google search will show you that Zach is a Disney and Youtube personality who shines in the realm of uncensored surreal comedy. He paid me to tell you all to go watch his YouTube video called “BEST OF ZACH FOX.” As an experienced comedian, his extreme ideas and short shorts really get all our juices flowing at writing meetings.
Gabe Mickel – (San Francisco, CA) Gabe loves to tap. He already joined the tap dancing group on campus, Soundworks Tap Factory, and loves tap water. He can’t wait until he turns 21 so he can finally go to Tap House. When junior year comes around, he will more than likely get tapped by a senior society. We are very tappy to have him in the cast!
All of our new guys are hilarious, talented, and great people. They are the best writing partners you can ask for, as they will laugh at anything you say. Look forward to seeing their nervous faces on stage at our Fall Show coming up on October 15th-18th!
