Volunteer Profile:
Anna Olmsted
When I retired from my job of 35 years as a retail manager, I was thinking of what I wanted to do as a hobby besides teaching fitness classes.
I saw Theatre Kent on a website for theatre groups in the Chatham area. TK was competing at the festival in Owen Sound that year. Since my mother-in-law lived there, I decided to take her and seek out a connection to TK. I was introduced to Angie Present!! She was the director of the play and I was told that she would be the best person to see. And this is how it all started. Thank you. Ang! xoxox
I would say that the first play that I was involved with was Steel Magnolias with JC as director. I worked with Tam on the set. A good initiation as to what goes into the ‘behind the scenes’! I recall hunting for furniture pieces and the excitement of finding the perfect salon chair at a surplus store in London.
In high school, Port Perry H.S., my favourite class was Theatre Arts, from grade 10-13. We even held our rehearsals for our plays through the summer so we would be ready with a production for fall. My main play was ‘A Village Wooing’. There were just 2 of us doing the entire play. My memory now would not permit such a task and I have not acted since then. I majored in Science at university, not the arts. But apparently the passion for theatre has never left me.
Back in 2004, the Sears Drama festival highlights were being hosted in Chatham that year. I happened to be managing the Sears store there at that time and found myself saying a few words to the audience before the performances began. So I guess, that was stored in my memory banks. That may be my remote connection to TK in some abstract way. I was only at the Chatham Sears for that year before being transferred to another location so it’s rather coincidental.
In all the plays since Steel Magnolias, I’ve been doing props and sets. I can’t say which play would be my favourite. I believe that I have worked with almost every director since then. Musicals are by far the most challenging, especially when there is a large cast of children. Eric , you will remember me saying at one point, ‘I’ll never do this again’! Ha! A short- lived statement. Okay, the one prop that was the most fun to make was the Voodoo doll. I can’t remember who we gave it to at an afterglow. Hilarious. !!
My most recent involvement was ‘The Dresser’. Wow, we pulled that one off!
I think that being with theatre is like having a baby! It can be painful when you’re going through the labour, but when it’s over, you can’t believe the exhilaration and pride of what you’ve produced and next thing you know, you’re having another baby, I mean play, LOL!!!!
Having transferred all over Ontario with work, it has been difficult to form liaisons and relationships with people. Theatre Kent has introduced me to some wonderful people whom I now consider friends.
Thank you to Karen, Christine,Gina, Eric, Tim, J.C., Tony, Sharon and other directors for putting their trust in me. I would also like to thank Barb, Tam , Angie and Gene for their direction in the many talents that a Crew exhibits from play to play.
