From Susan McClelland:
I’ve been in theater since I was nine years old. It’s probably the thing I know best. Growing up, I never wanted to be anything other than an actress and while I’ve dabbled in other hobbies and certainly have a wide array of interests, theater is still the place I feel most at home. When I got married and moved to Chicago nearly ten years ago, I took something of a break – my work schedule and being a newlywed and then a new mom and a whole host of things just made it really hard to want to give up all the time it takes to be in a show. It wasn’t a complete break, I’m not crazy! We had season tickets to Steppenwolf Theater and I had the privilege of working as the dramaturg for a couple of Chicago’s independent theater companies, including the amazing Lifeline. But actually acting in a show – nope.
Then, in 2010, we moved to Zionsville. After a few months of settling in and buying furniture, I decided to audition for the local theater group. I was fortunate enough to be cast in that first show and in several shows thereafter. I made some great friends (including one Patsy See – more on her later!) and had a lot of fun. But what I discovered is that being in a show and raising a family at the same time is really, REALLY hard. It’s a lot of time away from the people you love the most, doing something they likely don’t understand in the least. And while it is very rewarding, it can also create a lot of friction. Which is not to say that my husband and daughter (who is now seven) are not proud and supportive of my return to acting – they were and they are. But it is still challenging for all of us to find the right balance.
Somewhere in the midst of all this I discovered WITT 91.9 on my radio dial and I could not have been more thrilled. At last a radio station in Indiana that didn’t feel morally obligated to play John Cougar Mellencamp every third song! This was amazing!!! I loved the absolute unpredictability of it, the Broadway show tune next to an old blues piece next to something classical next to some stand up comedy. I loved that it was listener supported. I loved that it was run by some guy out of his second bedroom in Broad Ripple. I knew you could buy your own air time and I kept telling my husband, who had been a DJ in college, that he should have his own show. He was a bit “whatever” about it.
Then one morning I was driving up Main Street in Zionsville after dropping off my daughter at the bus and WITT was airing its promo spot about “do you have favorite local programming or even an idea for a program of your own” (or something like that – I forget exactly how it goes) and all of a sudden, there was my idea – we could do plays on the radio! Through the local theater group, there was a sizable circle of talent: people who could act and write and direct and sing and who knows what else! Nearly all of them had busy lives and families and felt many of the same pressures and challenges I did. This seemed perfect! I drove home and texted Patsy: “I have a great idea – will tell you later.”
Later, I showed up at her house, laid out my vision, and voila! Zionsville Radio Players was born. Well, sort of. It took a while for the name to sort itself out. But Patsy instantly saw the potential of the idea. We would use public domain literature and adapt it, as well as write our own original pieces. Minimal rehearsal time, depending on the piece. Nobody would need to memorize anything since it would be on the radio. No sets, no costumes, no giving up weekends to perform – just record it and it’s done!
We started writing almost immediately. We knew right away that Halloween was the perfect time to start – who doesn’t like scary stories? (okay, some people don’t and I’m pretty sure my sister is one of them, but whatever!) Everyone we told about the project was so excited and all our theater friends wanted to be part of it. We also planned WAY more than we had the initial capability to do, but that’s okay. This entire process has been one long exercise in humility and I am completely fine with that. There is so much we don’t know, but every time I find out we can’t do something, all I want to know is what we CAN do and I am happy with that.
To realize that drive up Main Street wasn’t even a year ago and that our first plays are about to go on the air? Amazing. And that’s where it all began.
--Susan
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