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About
Ole Olsen...
Ole Olsen was born John Siguard Olsen on November
6, 1892, in Peru, Indiana. He graduated from Northwestern University in
1912 with a degree in music and hit the Vaudeville circuit. In 1914 he
met Chic Johnson, who was advertising himself as the "Greatest
Ragtime Pianist in the Midwest." The two hit it off and formed 'Olsen
and Johnson.' They struggled for 24 years in Vaudeville before hitting the
"big time" with the Broadway show and movie, "Hellzapoppin."
Ole's ambition was to make people laugh. He is
remembered for the quote, "May you live as long as you laugh, and laugh
as long as you live." Those words are engraved on his headstone.
Ole Olsen died in 1963, at the age of 71, a year
after the death of his long time partner and friend, Chic Johnson.
Is there a star in you just waiting to come out? Do you
have talents that could be used backstage? Do you like to express
yourself with paint, clothes or lights? Well, why don't you join our
merry troop? Membership is open to anyone who is interested in any
aspect of the theatre. We have a wonderful time, but the most fun we
have is putting the shows together. Talent of acting or singing is not
a requirement.
Membership is only $5 per year and entitles you to
newsletters, play selections, audition announcements and membership
meetings. Where else can you make new friends and have a great time
for such a small cost??!
Anyone interested in theater, either on
stage or off, is invited to join Ole Olsen Memorial Theatre. Membership is
only $5 a year! For information on how to become a member of Ole, call
765-472-3680.
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About
Ole Olsen Memorial Theatre...
Ole Olsen Memorial Theatre was born in the fall
of 1964, with the goal of promoting an interest in the theater arts on a
nonprofit basis.
The group's first play, "Come Blow Your
Horn," was presented in the old Peru High School auditorium in March
1965, directed by Rex Friedline. The group's first president was Bob
Gross.
There were several lean years, when rehearsals
were held in homes, props were stored in area businesses and schools, and
furniture for sets came literally from the living rooms of members.
Ole staged its first musical in October 1967. Ron
Blackman directed "The Music Man," and loaned the theater group
enough money to produce the play. In 1972, Ole presented "South
Pacific" in the new Peru High School auditorium. That production put
the group on its feet financially.
The Ole building on Wallace Row was purchased in
1974, and in 1977 an addition was added to the building.
In 1992, Ole merged with Our Town Peru, and in so
doing acquired the restored Depot at Broadway and Canal Streets. At least
two of Ole's four productions each season are presented in the intimate
atmosphere of The Depot.
The theater group looks toward the future in
bringing quality entertainment to Miami County, and counts among its
future goals the construction of its own theater near The Depot.
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