The

Fresnel The newsletter of The Black Swamp Players, Inc.

Bowling Green, OH Fall 2019

Black Swamp Players

Established July 21, 1968

Incorporated Fall 1970

P.O. Box 601

Bowling Green, OH 43402

Website: www.blackswampplayers.org

E-mail: president@blackswampplayers.org

Facebook: Black Swamp Players

Board of Directors

President……..………………………..Heath A. Diehl

Vice President…………………………….Deb Weiser

Treasurer………………………….Stephanie Truman

Secretary…………………………….Alexandra Levine

Trustees…………….Monica Hiris, Inge Klopping,

Karen Long, Hali Malecki, Bob Marzola,

Tom Milbrodt, Penny Parker, Melissa

Shaffer, and Bob Welly

Board Meetings

Board meetings are held on the second

Wednesday of each month. Meetings are open

to subscribers, patrons, and the general public.

Email president@blackswampplayers.org for

additional information, including meeting time

and location.

The Fresnel Staff

Editor……………………………………Heath A. Diehl

Proofreading.... Inge Klopping and Deb Weiser

Photography …...……… Lily Parker-McLaughlin,

Melissa Shaffer, and Gary Thurman

The Fresnel currently is printed and mailed

three times a year—in fall, winter, and spring.

Deadline for content for the next issue, which

will be mailed late-January 2020, is Friday,

January 10 by 5 PM. All newsletter content

should be e-mailed to

president@blackswampplayers.org.

Season Subscription and Ticketing

Season subscriptions for the 2019-2020 season

are $50 for adults and $47 for seniors (65+) and

students(<18); a season subscription includes

one general admission ticket to all three

mainstage shows, as well as exclusive access to

other, subscriber-only events like opening night

receptions, talkbacks, and similar.

Individual tickets can be purchased online or at

the door on the day of a performance. Tickets

for the musical are $17/adults, $15/senior &

student; tickets for straight plays are $15/adults,

$13/senior & student.

In This Issue

Our 52nd Season 2 * OCTA News 3 * Volunteer Opportunities 4 *

From the President 5 * Fundraising News 6 * In Memoriam 7 *

Special Events 8

By Heath A. Diehl

August 1 of this year marked a

momentous day in the history

of the Players: for the first time

in our 52-year history, we

assumed ownership of a brick-

and-mortar structure.

On July 24, BSP signed a two-

year lease-to-own agreement

with JM Investment Property,

LLC, on the property at 115

East Oak Street, Bowling

Green. Within the period of

the lease, BSP must raise at

least the purchase price of

$177,000 to remain in the space.

This initiative began in May of 2019, when representatives from First United

Methodist Church (FUMC)—BSP’s current long-term temporary home—informed

then-Board-President Lane Hakel that the 2019-2020 season would be the Players’

last at the church. However, BSP has been looking for its own, permanent space for

significantly longer; in fact, some sources say that the search for a permanent home

has been ongoing for more than two decades.

Readers familiar with BSP’s history will understand the significance of this event,

having watched over the years as the Players traveled nomadically from church

gymnasiums to elementary school cafeterias, from the city park to the Woodland

Mall, and most recently FUMC.

The Oak Street property originally was built in 1880 as First Baptist Church. When

First Baptist outgrew the space and moved to its current location on South

Wintergarden Road in 1969, the space was then used as a daycare and preschool.

Over the years of its existence as a daycare/preschool, the space hosted several

current BSP Board members’ children and, in the 1970s, one of our current Board

members, Penny Parker, as students.

HOME SWEET HOME: BSP LEASES FORMER CHURCH, PRE-SCHOOL

BSP Board members and supporters on move-in day at the Oak Street property.

Pictured (L-R) are Lane Hakel, Gary Thurman, Deb Weiser, James Freeman,

Heath A. Diehl, Mark Pike, and Stephanie Truman.

The Fresnel * Fall 2019 * page 1

The Fresnel * Fall 2019 * page 2

SEASON 52 OPENS

WITH UPROARIOUS FARCE, PSYCH By Inge Klopping

We are excited to start our season with a comedy that is

tremendously funny and will keep you guessing the entire

time: Psych.

Psych is a contemporary farce that focuses on Edward

Baxter (Heath A. Diehl), a once successful psychiatrist

who, at the opening of the show, is on the run with an

assumed identity and a suspicious new wife (Karen Long),

after being framed for murder. Edward seeks help from

Dr. Robert Smith (Mark DeNucci), a fellow psychiatrist

and a man with demons of his own. When Edward’s

meeting with Dr. Smith goes wildly awry and leaves

Edward clinging precariously to his last shred of sanity,

Dr. Smith’s psychic patient, Lydia (Deb Shaffer), gains

Edward’s trust and helps him find justice.

The cast includes: DeNucci (Dr. Smith/Sam); Diehl

(Edward); Shaffer (Lydia); Long (Suzanne); Garrett

Hummel (Irving); James Freeman (Gangster); and

Veronica Oliver (Pizza Person). The production is

directed by Inge Klopping.

Psych will open on Friday, November 15 at 7:30 PM.

Additional performance dates include: Friday, November

22 and Saturday, November 16 and 23, all at 7:30 PM;

and Sunday, November 17 and 24 at 2:00 PM. All

performances will take place at the First United Methodist

Church on East Wooster Street in Bowling Green. Psych

was written by Lisa Rowe and is being produced by special

arrangement with The Dramatic Publishing Company,

Inc., of Woodstock, Illinois.

Tickets for the production are $15 for adults and $13 for

seniors (65+)/students (<18), and can be purchased on the

organization’s website (www.blackswampplayers.org) or at

the door. See you at the theater!

Cast members of Psych on the set of the production at First United Methodist Church

during rehearsals in early-October. Pictured (L-R) are (front) Karen Long, Deb Shaffer,

Veronica Oliver, Mark DeNucci; (back) Garrett Hummel, Heath A. Diehl, and James

Freeman. Photograph by Inge Klopping

ALSO THIS SEASON...

February 21—23, 28—29,

& March 1, 2020

April 24—26 &

May 1—3, 2020

The Fresnel * Fall 2019 * page 3

THE (FEMALE) ODD COUPLE TRAVELS TO

OCTA, EARNS DISTINCTIONS IN ACTING By Deb Weiser

The 2019 OCTA Regional Festival was held in June at

the Owens Community College Performing Arts

Center. Black Swamp Players was one of over twenty

area community theatre groups that participated.

Those who participated in the competition performed

an excerpt from the organization’s spring production

of Neil Simon's The Odd Couple (Female Version).

The cast included: Hali Malecki (Olive Madison);

Alexandra Levine (Florence Unger); Ebere Okoro

(Sylvie); Deb Weiser (Mickey); Kasandra Frasier

(Renee); Colette Allred (Vera); Jared Murray (Manolo

Costazuela); and Andrew Varney (Jesus Costazuela). It

was directed by Heath A. Diehl. On the final day of

the competition, Deb Weiser and Ebere Okoro were

presented with awards for merit in acting.

The cast of BSP’s The Odd Couple (Female Version), which was produced in April 2019.

Pictured (L-R) are (front) Alexandra Levine, Kasandra Frasier, Ebere Okoro. Deb Weiser,

Collette Allred, and Hali Malecki, (back) Andrew Varney and Jared Murray. Photograph by

Gary Thurman

THREE BSP-ERS NAMED OCTA REGIONAL REPS

By Bob Welly

At the Northwest OCTAfest, Bob Welly, Bob Marzola,

and Inge Klopping (all BSP Board members) were elected

as Regional Representatives for the next year.

The Ohio Community Theater Association (OCTA) was

formed in 1953 to promote excellence in community

theater throughout the state. It provides workshops,

scholarships, awards, and festivals as well as networking

opportunities for Ohio community theaters. The state is

broken up into regions and each region has reps as well as

a designated rep from each member organization.

Regional Reps act as a liaison between the State Board of

Directors and the member theaters in their region. Reps

are expected to attend shows from various theaters within

the region, attend the state conference, attend regional and

state meetings, and help recruit participation in OCTA

from new theater groups. Reps are also expected to

encourage participation in the region’s OCTAfest.

The Northwest region is one of the most active regions in

the state of Ohio and routinely furnishes some of the finest

examples of local production. Our motto: The best comes

from the Northwest!

Ebere Okoro expresses shock after being awarded Merit

in Acting for her performance of Sylvie in BSP’s

production of The Odd Couple (Female Version) at

OCTA in June. Photograph by Heath A. Diehl

The Fresnel * Fall 2019 * page 4

UPCOMING AUDITIONS: THE DROWSY CHAPERONE

By Lizzie Edwards, Music Director, The Drowsy Chaperone

Auditions are quickly approaching for this season’s musical, The Drowsy Chaperone! The Drowsy Chaperone is a parody of American

musical comedy in the 1920s featuring Jazz-Age style showstoppers and

dance numbers. It follows a man in a chair, listening to his favorite

record: the cast recording of the fictitious 1928 musical, The Drowsy Chaperone. The recording comes to life as we meet the characters

involved in a wedding including two lovers, the bumbling best man, a

desperate theater producer, two gangsters posing as pastry chefs, a not-

so-bright hostess, and an intoxicated chaperone. This comedic musical

has all of the elements for a fun and exciting show for the cast, crew,

and audience!

Auditions will take place on November 18th and 19

th from 6—9 PM

(with callbacks on November 20th) and will be held at our new BSP

home, 115 East Oak Street in Bowling Green. Those interested in auditioning must prepare 32 bars of a song from

a musical in the style of The Drowsy Chaperone. Please come with clearly marked sheet music for our pianist to

sight read. Auditioners should wear comfortable clothing to move in for learning a short dance number as well as be

prepared to cold read from the script. More information about auditions will be made available on our website

closer to audition dates. All are welcome and no previous experience is necessary.

The show dates are February 21st, 22

nd, 28

th, and 29

th at 7:30 PM, as well as February 23

rd and March 1

st at 2 PM. All

performances will take place at the First United Methodist Church in Bowling Green. The show will be directed by

Heath A. Diehl and music directed by Lizzie Edwards. We are very excited for this production and hope to see you

at auditions or at the show!

JOIN BSP AT THE BOWLING GREEN

HOLIDAY PARADE: NOVEMBER 23, 2019 By Deb Shaffer

“Polar Express: Next Stop Bowling Green” is the theme for this year's annual Holiday Parade. This year the parade

will be on Saturday, November 23rd, stepping off at 9:50 AM.

Black Swamp Players will have a presence in the lineup of the parade and we are looking for people to walk with the

BSP contingency!! Have you ever been in a BSP show? Have you ever attended a BSP show?? YOU are invited to

walk with the BSP group--IN COSTUME--if you are willing! The idea is to have a crowd of colorful, interesting

characters walking behind our Black Swamp Players banner. If wearing a costume does not appeal to you, don't let

that stop you from joining in!! All are welcome, with or without costumes.

With the acquisition of the Oak Street property, BSP has significantly increased our visibility within the community

and we want to keep the momentum going! Making ourselves known and visible in the community is one of our

ongoing goals and being present in the parade will help with that effort. WTOL TV is broadcasting the parade live

which means that an additional 30,000 people will see the parade! Please contact Deb Shaffer at

deb.bgoh@gmail.com if interested in participating.

The Fresnel * Fall 2019 * page 5

FROM THE PRESIDENT: PLAY YOUR PART IN THE FUTURE OF BSP

When I graduated from college in 1995, my theater director/acting

teacher/mentor, Gene Caskey, gave me a handwritten, congratulatory card

in which he advised, “Act well your part.”

Drawn from the wisdom of Alexander Pope, this advice was an apt

capstone to my four-year education at a private college affiliated with the

Mennonite Church and focused on social justice. Gene’s advice also was a

powerful directive that has guided me throughout my adulthood,

reminding me that, within any community, all of us have a responsibility

to contribute to the health, vitality, and longevity of that community in

ways that capitalize on our unique skills, attributes, and resources.

At this crucial juncture in BSP’s history, I now find myself challenging

those of you who are our subscribers, our patrons, and our supporters to

act well your part. If this organization is to not simply survive, but to thrive

over the coming years, as we take on additional financial responsibilities,

as our organization evolves in unprecedented ways, and as we build more

robust programming for our community, we need everyone to play their

parts to the very best of their abilities. And there are many ways to act well

your parts.

Subscribe to our mainstage season, and encourage your friends to do the

same! A night at the theater is delightful, but a double– or

triple-date to the theater is even more delightful, and, at the

same time, will help BSP to build a subscriber base that will

carry the organization into the next fifty-two years of our

existence.

Pledge a one-time or recurring donation to the organization.

Now more than ever the future and longevity of BSP

depends on the financial backing of our most fervent

supporters and we hope that the fifty-two years of quality, live

entertainment (and great memories!) that we have given to

you serve as strong motivation for you to give back—perhaps

in ways that you’ve not been called upon to give in the past.

Volunteer. Like any non-profit, we live and die by the labor

that our membership generously donates to us each year.

We have a number of permanent and ad hoc committees

that would benefit from additional volunteers—from Marketing to Membership to Season Selection and so on.

Whether you’re an actor or a director, whether you construct costumes or run the lightboard, whether your talent is

graphic design or public speaking, there is a volunteer opportunity for everyone at BSP.

And if you’re a local business owner, then consider advertising in our season playbill or sponsoring a show. You will

grow your audience base and help out a local organization in the process. Win-win.

If in the past fifty-two years BSP has enriched your life in any discernible way, then I challenge you to act well your

part and contribute to our future—which also is the future of our community—in whatever ways you are able. Thank

you for your support and I look forward to seeing you at our season opener, Psych, in November.

Monica Hiris, Penny Parker, and Matt Truman load a truck at

BSP’s former storage unit on Grove Street in preparation for the

big move to Oak Street, August 2019. Photograph by Heath A.

Diehl

The Fresnel * Fall 2019 * page 6

GOFUNDME CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED TO

PURCHASE SEATING

The “sanctuary” space of the Oak Street property during auditions for Murder at the Pie Auction, August

2019. Pictured (L-R) are Penny Parker, Heath A. Diehl, Annelise Clifton, Patrick Davis, and Hali Malecki.

Photograph by Melissa Shaffer

By Heath A. Diehl

A GoFundMe Campaign, launched in early

September, already has generated $2,825

toward the purchase of auditorium seating for

the Oak Street theater.

Launched by Board President Heath A. Diehl,

this crowd-sourcing campaign has as its goal

the raising of $5,000. Funds raised through

this campaign will be used to purchase 150

stackable, padded, fabric chairs, which will cost

approximately $50 per chair. These chairs will

be in use as early as January 2020 when BSP

plans to launch a “First Monday” series at the

Oak Street property, featuring reader’s theater,

live music, lectures, improv, and other types of

“performance.”

Individuals interested in the GoFundMe

campaign can visit https://www.gofundme.com/

f/play-your-part-help-us-buy-chairs-for-our-

theater to learn more or/and to donate.

The cast of Murder at the Pie Auction following their final dress rehearsal. Pictured

(L-R) are (seated) Erin Santangelo and Sara Aichholz; (standing front) Jan Schaller,

Andrew Varney, Annelise Clifton, Hali Malecki, Leah Truman, and Penny Parker;

(standing back) Bob Welly, Karen Noble, Lily Parker-McLaughlin, and Patrick

Davis.

MURDER AT THE PIE AUCTION RAISES FUNDS FOR BSP

By Heath A. Diehl

Black Swamp Players played to a sold-out house for our one-

night-only production of Murder at the Pie Auction on

October 18. The event, which was conceived as a fundraiser

for the organization, was held in the Simpson Garden Park

Meeting Room and boasted an audience of 120. Ticket sales

for the event raised nearly $1,700 for BSP.

A comedy by Michael Druce, Murder at the Pie Auction focuses on a zany group of professional and amateur pie

bakers who come together in the most unusual location

(Mynute, Alaska) for the famous Mother Mabel’s Annual Pie

Baking Competition. The show also features audience

participation in the form of a live pie auction.

BSP Board members and other supporters donated over

twenty-five different pies for the live auction, which, thanks to

very generous audience members, brought in $1,321 for the

organization.

Plans currently are in the works for a similar event in the

spring, which will feature a spaghetti dinner and a show; this

fundraiser likely will be held at the Oak Street property.

Watch our Facebook and website for more details soon!

BSP REMEMBERS: FRAN WEITH (1931-2019) & BOB HASTINGS (1931-2019)

Of all the colorful

characters who have

participated in or

been a part of the

past 52 years of

Black Swamp Play-

ers’ history, Bob

Hastings is the most

memorable.

Bob was a force of

nature when he took

on a produc-

tion. And, in his

time, Bob took on a

lot of productions.

In fact, Bob directed our annual musical extravaganza

for 23 consecutive years. Readers who have taken on

that task are the only ones who can truly understand

what a monumentally time- and energy-consuming task

that is. Clearly, he loved BSP. And we loved him, too.

While Bob himself was not a big fan of his shows par-

ticipating in OCTA festivals, his shows won many hon-

ors at both the regional and state level. I recall mem-

bers of another NW Ohio theater claiming that we had

an unfair advantage because of our connection to the

university. They were almost right. We did have an

unfair advantage. It wasn’t the university, though. It was

Bob.

A year and a half ago, our Board of Trustees made the

difficult decision to shutter the theater for at least a year

and perhaps forever. It fell to me to meet with Bob at

Grounds For Thought and explain our decision and

how we came to make it. To put it politely, Bob was

not happy. Bob promised me that we were not going to

close. Then Bob got to work. And here we are.

Bob’s legacy lives strongest in his family of course, but

it also lives here with us in the Swamp. BSP owes this

man and his memory a tremendous debt. Let’s make

our permanent theater happen, and once we have, let’s

remember Bob again. For myself, I’ll be thinking that

the “B” in BSP stands for Bob.

—Lane Hakel

To paraphrase Will Rogers, Fran Weith never met a

person she didn't like! In fact, the minute you were in

her presence she made you feel comfortable...at

ease...warm...and even loved, like a member of her

family. She was a gracious person, quick to offer praise,

and encourage you when you were down.

She was a huge supporter of BSP, and any time she

came to a rehearsal (usually toting a bag of candy for

everyone) she would find the time to speak with you:

"How've you been?" "How's (she'd say the person's

name) doing?" "How was the trip?" (and to me, she'd

personally say "oh, my. you just keep so busy..!"). And

these questions weren't your garden variety small talk.

She genuinely cared about each and every person she

encountered during her day. Fran had a way of making

you feel as if you were the most important person in

the world. And to her, you were!

We will miss Fran's smile. And her exuberance. And

her love for life...and for her fellow human being. We

are blessed for having known her, and I, for one, am a

better person because of her.

"Because I knew you, I have been changed for good."

—Wayne G. Weber

The Fresnel * Fall 2019 * page 7

Invited guests and Board members mingle during the Sneak Peak event on

September 29 at 115 East Oak Street. Photograph by Lily Parker-McLaughlin

By Heath A. Diehl

On September 29, BSP Board members hosted a By-Invite-

Only event in the Oak Street property so that long-time

members, patrons, and supporters could get a sneak peek at the

space before renovations begin next year.

The event featured live music by local musician Cleve Patten, a

silent auction with items donated by individuals and area

businesses, and “historical tours” of the property, among other

activities. Light hors d’oeuvres and refreshments also were

served.

Approximately 150 people attended the event during its three-

hour duration and the event raised nearly $1,500 for BSP.

This event also served as a kind of unofficial kick off to our

2019-2020 season and is the first of a series of Subscribers-Only

exclusive events that will be offered throughout the season.

BSP HOSTS SNEAK PEEK AT OAK STREET PROPERTY

FOR VIPS

Black Swamp Players, Inc.

P.O. Box 601

Bowling Green, OH 43402