The BUM Players came into being after and because of the dissolution of the old Brockport Community Players. The BUM Players’ founder, Gary Thomas, a veteran of BCP as well as the prestigious D’Agostino Lincoln Dinner Theater, wanted to continue to put his talents to use. Thomas was also a veteran of SUNY Brockport’s Theater Department. As a leader within the Brockport United Methodist Church, he found support to start a worship-drama group, the BUM (Brockport United Methodist) Players. From there, the group has grown into the only true community theater group left in Brockport.
Along the way, many members have joined the fold from those now-defunct groups. Although many have come and gone, Thomas and his troupe still soldier on, and this year they celebrate 35 years of existence.
The journey started in 1990 as a worship-drama group in the Brockport United Methodist Church, with their plays usually coming in place of sermon message. It was during this time that Thomas first tried his hand at script-writing when he penned Soldiers and Souls, a worship-drama in which several soldiers discover God in the midst of the horrors of the Vietnam War. This worship-drama format continued until 1997. With the church facing a serious financial crisis, Thomas and several others decided to “kick it up a notch” and produce a full-length comedy, selling tickets to the community at large, to help with the budgetary deficit. This comedy turned out to be Scrambled Eggs, a play which is no longer in print.
This experiment proved to be so successful and popular that the group decided to continue on an annual basis and have now produced a full-length comedy each year since then, with the exceptions being from 2020 to 2022 due to the COVID pandemic. Besides a list of lesser-known plays, the BUM Players have produced several well-known ones such as The Odd Couple and The Sunshine Boys by Neil Simon; Duck Hunter Shoots Angel by Mitch Albom; and The Madwoman of Chaillot by Jean Giraudoux.
In 2008, the BUM Players took their first step toward non-reliance upon royalty scripts, when long-time member David Hansen wrote Plausible Deniability. Although no one stepped up to duplicate this feat until 2016, when Gary Thomas wrote Tavern for production by the BUM Players. Since then, the last six comedies have been written by members of the BUM Players, including another by Hansen and five copyrighted scripts by Thomas.
Additionally, beginning in 2003, the BUM Players teamed up with the Kiwanis Club of Brockport to produce an annual autumn audience-participation “whodunit” murder mystery. Seventeen of these took place, with the last being in 2019, due to COVID and a loss of willing participants. Of the 17, only two were written by someone other than Thomas, including 2018’s Expedition to Murder, written by BUM Player Chuck Edwards. The Players are hopeful to resume this tradition this coming fall.
The BUM Players, will soon be making a return with their annual dessert-theater comedy. The troupe is extremely excited about this upcoming show, since it will be a true World Premiere showing of the sixth full-length comedy script in a row written by a BUM Players member. This one, entitled Return to Draspar, is written and copyrighted by Thomas and is actually a sequel to Lake Effect Blues, performed two years ago.
As always, this play will be performed in the Brockport United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall, with performances being May 15, 16, and 17 at 7 p.m. each night and a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. May 18. And, of course, delicious donated desserts and beverages will be available during intermission and are included in the cost of the tickets. Through a special and long-standing partnership, these desserts will be served by members of the Kiwanis Club of Brockport, also serving as co-sponsors.
All action will take place in DeWitt, New York, in the apartment of Marty (Steve Richardson) and Martina Stone (Marcy Miceli). Rex Collins (Turk Thomas) has returned home to attend the funeral of his recently deceased brother, Bob. His disillusion with the song-writing business makes him nostalgic for his DeWitt roots and he contemplates staying. However, Pete Edmunds, his record-exec boss, reminds him of his long-term contract obligations via his attorney. To confuse things, Bob’s widow, Amber (Marita Keys), unable to deal with her loss, reverts to believing she is the Queen of England. Marty and Martina, once fused as one being, are now free to live separate lives, but are ever-searching for a way to return to their beloved home of Draspar, the planet from which they came in the Andromeda Galaxy.
Unbeknownst to them, Draspar’s Supreme Commander has been searching for them, thinking they have deserted. He has sent a spy/bounty hunter, in the guise of a young girl, Taylor Cole (Helen Schofield), to bring them back to Draspar. How will this all end? Will Marty and Martina return to Draspar? Will they be exonerated or found guilty of desertion? Will Rex ever find what he is truly looking for? Will Taylor collect her bounty? Will Amber ever get her mind right? These answers and more are available with the price of admission.
The play will be artistically directed by playwright Turk Thomas. Serving as Co-Technical Directors are Thomas and Richardson.
Tickets are available in the Church Office between 9 a.m. and noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays, or at the door the nights of the show. Tickets may also be reserved by phoning the church office at 585-637-4240 or by calling 585-261-7381. Tickets are $10 general admission, $8 for seniors (age 65+), and $25 per one-family household. For a wonderful night of laughter and fun, don’t miss this show!
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