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President and Financial Director

Gary Gunther is very active in our technical organization with lighting and special effects with assignments in 47 shows. In addition he has acted in 23 shows, most recently as Ruckly in One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest and the Judge in Whose Life Is It Anyway? His dedication and expertise made him only the second person to win both our “Hazen” Most Valuable Player and “Carter” Golden Hammer awards in a single season. He has served on the Kirk Player Board for 12 years. In addition to his Kirk Player activities he serves on the Mundelein Planning Commission and is Vice-President of Mundelein MainStreet. He has also served on the Fremont Public Library Board and C&M Automotive Customer Advisory Board.

Art Director & Vice President

Paddy Lynn is a graduate of ISU where she and her husband, Jon, studied theatre. Her credits include Best Director in Summer Workshop, two Best Actress awards in our Festival in the Forest One-Act Play and directing our first entry in the ICTA Theatre Festival. In her first stint as our Special Activities Director, Paddy adapted and directed children’s pieces for community performances. She has directed most of our children’s performances and several others, including Tribute, Kindergarten, An Inspector Calls, Comedy Tonight, Deathtrap and last season’s Over The River and Through The Woods and Whose Life Is It Anyway?. She won Best Actress “Leslies” for I Shot My Rich Aunt, The Runner Stumbles, Death of a Salesman, I Hate Hamlet and Rumors, a Best Supporting Actress “Leslie” for The Odd Couple (Female Version) and two “Hazen” Most Valuable Player awards. Paddy works as a professional storyteller these days, and enjoys the honor of being our Artistic Director.

Administrative Director

Brenda Sparks attended Drake University with a major in Theatre. She is currently the Kirk Players’ foremost Set Designer and Decorator and her artistry has been seen on virtually every production since she joined the Players in 1993. Brenda has also been the creative person behind a number of our advertising posters. She also performed several roles in our production of Comedy Tonight and earned a “Leslie” Best Supporting Actress nomination. She was seen as the delightful Humbug in The Phantom Tollbooth and received a nomination for a “Leslie” Best Actress award. Last year she appeared in Whose Life Is It Anyway?, did the set design for Over the River, James and the Giant Peach and Noises Off and was the assistant stage manager for Over the River! The Players honored this talented lady by selecting her to receive our “Hazen” Most Valuable Player award for two consecutive seasons! Brenda has recently been elected to her second term on our Board as our Administrative Director.

Publicity Director

Bev Johnson was introduced to the Kirk Players at our 1997 Summer Workshop. She worked on props for The Spell of Sleeping Beauty, The Odd Couple (Female Version), and Pack of Lies, and headed the props crew for The Nerd. She has taken on many technical assignments, including Stage Manager for The Prisoner of Second Avenue and Over The River and Through The Woods, Assistant Stage Manager for Romantic Comedy, Deathtrap, and James and The Giant Peach, and Assistant Director for Done To Death. Bev has appeared on stage in Exit the Body, Little Old Ladies In Tennis Shoes, The Diviners, Rumors, Tribute, Blithe Spirit, Comedy Tonight, and The Curious Savage. Her performance in Don’t Dress for Dinner earned her a “Leslie” Best Actress nomination. Most recently she appeared as Belinda Blair in Noises Off earning a Best Supporting Actress “Leslie” nomination and stage managed Over The River. Bev was recently elected to her third term as our Publicity Director.

Membership Director

Sheila Bourque joined the Players after she worked props for The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940. Sheila’s incredible talents are displayed backstage for many of our productions. Sheila is a three-time “Carter” Golden Hammer award winner for technical excellence and a two-time “Hazen” Most Valuable Player award winner. Entering our 42nd season she has completed 25 Player stage management assignments and her favorites include Death of a Salesman, Do Not Go Gentle, Tribute, Rumors, Dracula, and All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. Sheila has a special place in her heart for our children’s shows, serving as stage manager for 13 of our 15 productions. Last year, she managed the stage for James and The Giant Peach and Noises Off and served as Technical Director for our Cuneo production of Over The River and Through The Woods.

Communications Director

Jon Matousek majored in theatre at the University of Michigan and directed children’s theatre before entering a career in business. Jon’s Kirk debut as a guest performer in The Murder Room won him our “Leslie” award as Best Actor. He has since won the same award for performances in The Prisoner of Second Avenue, Rumors, and Blithe Spirit. Jon also won the “Leslie” Best Supporting Actor award several times for his work in Alice in Wonderland, The Odd Couple (Female Version), One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, and again last year for his portrayal of Lloyd Dallas in Noises Off. Last season, Jon returned to directing with the delightfully imaginative James and The Giant Peach. and served as props assistant for Over The River. Jon has served two terms as our Publicity & Promotions Director and has returned to the board this year as our Communications Director.

Sales Director

Janet Walker accepted a very challenging props assignment in 1990 for The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, and promptly became entranced by the lure of the stage! The next year, she made her acting debut as the cockney maid in The Murder Room and earned a "Leslie" Best Supporting Actress award. Since then she has been on stage in many of our Kirk Player productions. Her performances in Do Not Go Gentle and Little Old Ladies in Tennis Shoes earned her "Leslie" Best Actress awards and her performances in I Hate Hamlet and Deathtrap earned her 2 more Best Supporting Actress awards. In addition to acting, Janet designs sound for most of our shows and was our 2003-2004 "Carter" Golden Hammer award winner for technical excellence. Janet is now entering her second year of service on our Board.