Tommy Folan ’25 has been a long-time contributor to the arts in the broader school community by acting in plays and leading the Improv Club. Tommy first got into theater in Form I, wanting to try something new without any previous experience before Belmont Hill; he stated, “When I first came into the school, I was constantly looking for things to do that were outside of my comfort zone, and the prospect of trying something completely new excited me. Theater seemed like a great choice at the time, so I just dove in.” Tommy added, “I didn’t really do anything related to the arts before coming here, so that was also a world I wanted to step into and get a feel for. It was really my first close experience being an active member of the arts community.”
When asked about his favorite parts of theater at BH, Tommy emphasized that it was the people who made theater so special, including faculty advisor Mr. DiResta, fellow theater members, and collaborators from sister schools like the Winsor School: “It’s definitely unlike any other community at Belmont Hill; it feels really diverse, and directors like Mr. DiResta always make the experience so much more rewarding and fulfilling. The people in theater are what makes it so appealing to me, and it’s honestly just fun to be around them.”
Some memorable outside theater experiences for Tommy throughout his career include attending shows at the Improv Asylum, an improvisational comedy theater in Boston that produces multiple shows per week and spotlights a critically acclaimed mainstage performance. Tommy believed hosting a collaborative activity between the Improv Club and the Purple Crayon of Yale was one of his highlights of the year. The group, the oldest collegiate long-form improv group in the country, participated in a couple of warm-up exercises, provided a short performance joke/narrative exercises, and improvised with audience members.
In terms of improvements to the theater sphere of BH as a whole, Tommy mentioned, “It’s generally a great experience, but I would say there could be some fixes to some scheduling issues. I think everyone should try it and that it should be advertised more, but the current system makes it harder to do both sports and theater, especially in the winter. They should also have ISL championships not interfere with our performing show days so we can get maximum attendees. But these are pretty minor issues, and as a whole, it’s a very rewarding experience for anyone who tries it.”
When asked about Tommy, fellow senior and Improv Club co-head Stephen Agular ’25 stated, “He’s been super involved in theater for his entire time at Belmont Hill, and you can tell how much he puts into every play; I think he’s a great figure to look up to for a lot of the younger theater guys and he’s obviously done an awesome job heading initiatives and leading the Improv Club with a lot of passion and energy.”
This fall, Tommy will attend Boston College, and is excited at the prospect of discovering new activities to participate in to broaden his horizon, whether in the arts or other spheres. The Panel wishes Tommy luck in his artistic endeavors and thanks him for the many contributions he has provided to the wider theater community.
