Little theater was her number one hobby. She had other interests of course, such as genealogy and The Humane Society, but the theater stood out above all others. Dorothy had been a member of Amil Tellers for well over forty years. During her tenure she participated in nearly every aspect of the theater activities. She had acted, setup and painted scenery, produced and helped producers, assisted with costumes and makeup, ushered at many shows, reviewed scripts and did anything else that needed to be done around the theater.

She had many long-time friends made through the theater, and continued to make new friends among the newcomers. She kept doing her part around the theater for years, now and then getting a small part in a play, but she became dissatisfied because the plays selected for performance had few substantial parts for an older character, and competition was keen for such roles. What she really wanted was not a leading part in a play but a meaty role. Nevertheless she kept on assisting in production of play after play.

Eventually the selected play for late March needed a cast of women of all ages. A friend of Dorothy urged her to try out for the play. She was reluctant at first but finally agreed and went to the tryouts. I can’t adequately describe what happened as a result of the urging. I shall let Dorothy tell her story in her own words as written in letters to her family.

“What a wonderful Birthday I have had! It all started out in January of this year. I went down to tryouts for the show LADIES FIRST. Almost didn’t go down. I had made a copy of the script months before and studied some of the parts. Monday the 25th of January at 7:30 P.M. tryouts began. I sat in the front row of the auditorium. Read for the parts of Bess Truman. Mamie Eisenhower & Hannah the Maid. Read for Hannah a couple of times. Didn’t get a chance to read for Eleanor Roosevelt. When I left the theatre that night I felt kinda discouraged. They (the ladies) said that I had given a good tryout but that isn’t always what gets you the part. Competition is keen and lots of factors enter into whether you’re cast or not. I went on home telling myself that I did my best and be happy with it. At eleven o’clock that night the telephone rang. It was George Dunster the director for the show. I was already prepared to accept the message that I didn’t get any part. I was wrong. He told that I had given a good reading and he wanted me to play the part of Hannah, the feisty White House Maid. He said that he considered me a nice person but he wanted me to play Hannah, the opposite way. George and I go back a long way as friends and working together on stage as actress and actor and director and actress. Consider yourself privileged to be in a show he directs. I was on Cloud 29 that night and had a hard time going to sleep. It has been 10 years since I’ve had a good supporting role. I thanked God that night for granting me by birthday wish and asked for his help to do a good performance when we gave the play in March. Not just for my own self esteem, but for George who believed in my ability and to God who answered the prayer and let it be his will that I get the part and to the audience that I would be playing to for their entertainment. When you perform on stage you give a gift of yourself in playing a character to the people who pay good money to see your show. It is a good feeling to know that you did your best and have pleased the audience at the same time….

“To sum it up: We had a great time with a good show. Was directed by My favorite director, good production crew and a fabulous set to give Our show. My sister was so impressed with the play that she wants it to be given by the Fort Findlay Theater Group. It is just a well-written Script and the audience enjoyed it.

Wow, what a birthday!

Dorothy (Hannah)”

EPILOG: Like Cinderella, Dorothy did the dog work for the family, and wanted something better. Her friend Alice was the fairy godmother who sent her to the ball (tryouts). Maybe her doubts were the lost slipper, found in the director’s notes that led to the real prize.