Those who know Jeremy Lepczynski may find it hard to believe that the Hartland High School senior says he doesn’t find it easy to get up in front of people. He is, after all, about to appear as one of the lead cast members in the Drama Club’s production of “Our Town.”
Lepczynski, who has been a member of Drama Club throughout his high school career, will play the role of Mr. Webb in “Our Town.” He has been a part of eight Hartland shows, first with the set crew and, beginning with “Oklahoma” his sophomore year, as a cast member.
The son of Jeff Lepczynski and sibling to sister Hayley, Lepczynski said his late mom exposed him to musical theater when he was young, and Hayley encouraged him to join Drama Club in his freshman year.
When he’s not in the auditorium, he enjoys drawing and practicing animation, as well as writing stories and singing in the HHS choir.
“I like to think I’m interesting,” he said, “but a significant part of my life is theater, after all.”
Lepczynski has dedicated many hours to studying his character and familiarizing himself with what he calls Mr. Webb’s “sarcastic and knowing attitude.”
“I like to lock myself in a quiet room for hours, run my lines over and over and put myself in the character’s shoes, so I can play the part the best I can,” he said. “I try to make the characters I play really come to life, and I always work to do them justice.”
He said the cast and crew give Hartland’s “Our Town” a completely different feel from other productions of the show, adding that it challenges audiences’ views on life.
“Being a part of this production has opened my eyes to the true nature of life, from the perspective of someone who has already lived it,” he said.
— Jennifer Stang
Shows are 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 9 and 10, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 11, at Hartland High School, 10635 Dunham Road in Hartland. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students/seniors, and can be purchased at http://hartlanddramaclub.weebly.com or at the door.
