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If you missed seeing “Calendar Girls” at The
Harlequins Theatre in April, you missed a real treat.
Calendar Girls is a heart-warming comedy about a
group of older women who decide to do a “nude”
calendar, in later life, to raise money for a hospital, in
memory of their close friend who died of cancer.
Harlequins Theatre Company is 100% volunteer.
It is a mix of talented people who are retired, near
retirement, young and middle aged that make up
the volunteers.
For this interview, Kate Volz, 30, actor; Adrian Go, 19,
sound & lighting and has also acted in other shows;
Ann Marie Muehlhauser,59, actor; Jim Ohlemacher,
64, worked on sets and ran the lights for this show;
Tabetha Sarkkinen, 37, actor; Lori Demres, 51, actor;
Frank Swinehart 67, actor; Barbara Steinmetz, 79,
actor; and Jennifer Wertz, 53, actor, all stayed after the
show and talked with me about how they brought the
show, “Calendar Girls”, to life in Sandusky.
Other actors who
performed, but were not
available to talk with
were: Donna Jean Evans,
Katherin Guathier, Rob
Albach, Jean Fries and
Dave Riegel, some of
whom are also in the 60+
category.
Deb Presser, 62, was the director of “Calendar Girls”.
Jennifer was the lead actor in the show. She saw
the movie and loved it. When she learned that it was
turned into a play she was the motivating force behind
purchasing the rights to produce the play, and the rest
is history…
When the word was out that the next play was to be
“Calendar Girls”, people started to come out of the
woodwork, expressing their interest in auditioning for a
part. When it came time to actually audition the number
dwindled.
What I like about this theater company is that it is inter-
generational and the people are FUN! To volunteer at
the Harlequins Theatre is serious business, but the
atmosphere of camaraderie, quick wit and humor seem
to make it easy to give time to the cause of producing
live, entertaining theater.
I asked if anyone thought about dropping out of the
show as they got further into practice? Lori said,
“Maybe a month into it I said to myself- What am I
doing here?”
I asked her, “Did you want to drop out?” Lori was quick
to reply that she would never do that to the show.
Ann Marie clarified, “You just can’t. If you ever
volunteered here, you know that unless you are dying
you cannot drop out.” In other words, none of these
performers have understudies. They are the show.
Calendar Girls
By Sue Daugherty
800-564-1856 419-624-1856
The Calendar Girls: Top Row (L-R) Jennifer Wertz, Ann
Marie Muehlhauser, Lori Demres, and Barbara Steinmetz
Bottom Row (L-R) Kate Volz and Tabetha Sarkkinen
Barbara Steinmetz
Jennifer Wertz
Kate Volz
