Our Team

When I founded Senior Actors Guild & Education Services (SAGES), a thriving Community Theater presence in Pinellas County already existed, but I found the element of reality was missing in the plays offered.

For eight years prior, I had organized theater party excursions, along with Marvin Hollander, which provided a diversion for seniors as the plays were filled with zany antics and mad-cap humor, but they didn’t reflect reality. In our lives, we have endured change, grief, loss of independence, and, on the other hand, thrived intellectually, traveled, and adjusted to significant changes in our lives. Where were our stories on stage?

Out of frustration, I wrote a play based on true-life stories collected from seniors who participated in our theater group. It was performed in February 2014 and the positive reaction confirmed a connection with the audience. Many said, “That happened to me!” or “I’ve said those words!”

As a result, at age 70, I founded SAGES to present plays that have a positive image of aging, feature senior actors in lead roles, stimulate discussion on issues of older Americans and will be priced right to enhance access to Community Theater for all ages.

Until a play is performed, it is words on paper. In the hands of a good director and talented cast, it is given a life that keeps growing and giving.

I never expected to be blessed with an opportunity to take it up a notch until I met Christine Hamacher and her bold, contagious passion to raise awareness on fall prevention carried me along in her wake. 

Denying Gravity is a very special public service play and brought with it the birth of SAGES Theater, Inc. From its first performance at the Pinellas Park Performing Arts Center in February 2018, with an audience of close to 500, it has served as a unique outreach to seniors to raise awareness on fall prevention, the leading cause of injuries and death for older Americans. We cast older actors (50-80+) who reflect the senior audience and connect with them on an emotional level. When emotions are stirred, the audience can perceive the play as reality and the experience can be vividly remembered as a call to change and take positive action to prevent falls.

Together, we decided to become a non-profit and bring “Plays with Purpose” to life on a variety of topics that touch our senior population. I am honored to work with all the talented cast and crew members that make up SAGES, and am always ready to welcome new members to our theatrical family! Won't you join us in some way?