The Fox on The Fairway

With Ken Ludwig’s The Fox on the Fairway, Joseph Ennenbach is directing his fourth show in three years (following I Ought to Be in Pictures at Morris Theatre Guild, Passengers at Prairie Arts Center in Princeton and Unnecessary Farce at Stage 212 in La Salle), and his 20th overall (including such plays as Lend Me a Tenor, Lost in Yonkers and Steel Magnolias at Engle Lane and the musicals I Do! I Do!, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and They’re Playing Our Song).  He has also acted at numerous venues, including the roles of Robert in Proof, Saunders in Lend Me a Tenor and the Captain in Mister Roberts.  A retired attorney, he serves on the boards of directors of Engle Lane, Stage 212, Festival 56 in Princeton and Morris Theatre Guild and was recently awarded the Robert Gard award for long-time service by the American Association of Community Theatre.  Joe resides in Peru with his wife, Maryann, who has unstintingly supported his theater avocation.

Josh is one of the resident set designers and builders at Engle Lane but that isn’t where his skills end. You will also find him in the light booth for Fox on the Fairway and he has lent his skills for set building to more shows than can be counted, most recently, Clue. Josh is also a wonderful handyman for the theatre, helping to maintain/repair AC units and building the new sound booth. When he and the Gill family aren’t helping out around the theatre he enjoys fishing and woodworking.

Nick is trying his hand as an assistant director with Fox on the Fairway but that is not where his talents end. He was first found on the Engle Lane stage using his Jim-Carrey-like facial expressions in the 2022 production of Clue and was the Wizard in Wizard of Oz and Billiy in Island of Dr. Libris both at Streator High School. His voice talents have added a particularly hilarious touch to rehearsals as he would stand in for Louise, Pamela or Muriel and he was particularly adept at “the voice on the other end of the phone” and the golf announcer.

Long time Engle Lane alum, Marlee is known as “The Costume Lady” and can find almost any costume one would need for a role. She can be found on stage in several productions a year including The 39 Steps, any Marx Brother’s production and The Pearl Apron, the reading of a short story she wrote based on an apron discovered in the costume room. She has also directed the kid shows Babes in Toyland and Back in the Act and most recently, Cinderella in 2022. She and her four children have made Engle Lane their home away from home.

Karen returns to Engle Lane assisting Joe with his vision, but she has been involved with shows for over a decade. From Madame Thenardier in Les Miserables, to Martha in A Games Afoot, Vivian in Church Basement Ladies and many more, she shares her love of the stage with all. She also showed her directing chops with Mamma Mia in 2019 and has expanded her theatre family to many other theatres including Indian Valley Theatre in Sandwich where she portrayed Mrs. Medlock in The Secret Garden in 2022 and most recently began rehearsing for the role of Alice in The Tin Woman. While the stage makes up a big part of her life, in her downtime she enjoys spending time with her daughter, Adrienne, as they enjoy all the shows the area has to offer. She is also very active in her church and has a passion for reading and if she can’t be found on stage, she can often be found browsing a local library.

One of our newer members to Engle Lane has jumped in feet first, both on and off stage. From her stage debut in the 2022 Cinderella to Get Smart that same year, Kelli was bitten by the acting bug after watching her daughter perform for several years. Now, she is lending her skills behind the scenes as prop master. When she isn’t at Engle Lane, Kelli can be found running her children to soccer, rehearsals, 4-H and more. In her downtime (hahaha) she enjoys spending time with family and friends.

A newcomer to the Engle Lane stage, Luke is excited to expand his talents in the Illinois Valley. After portraying Paul in Stage 212’s Barefoot in the Park last year, he caught the acting bug. Since then he has changed his major at Illinois State University to acting and is looking forward to growing his resume role by role. When he isn’t practicing his lines, Luke enjoys basketball, philosophy and relaxing with a good show or movie. We know we’ll be seeing more of Luke in the future.

Jim is no stranger to theatre and is excited to be sharing the stage again with several former cast mates. From Is the Real You Really You with Kathy Missel, to Wait Until Dark with Larry Kelsey and California Suite and The Dinner Party with Joe Ennenbach, he has many memories to pull from. Add in Dial M for Murder, Noises Off, and I Hate Hamlet and Jim has run the gamut of roles. Jim is a retired State of Illinois employee who fills his time driving part time for ARC of Streator, fulfilling his role as a freemason at the Streator lodge and participating in Renaissance Faires. He and his lovely wife, Vickey, have 3 children and 7 grandchildren and enjoy spending time with them when he can.

Devon is a newcomer to the Engle Lane stage but is definitely not new to performing. With over 20 years of on stage and backstage experience she is a force to be reckoned with. From Stage 212 to Joliet and everywhere in between, she has wowed audiences with her performances. Devon enjoys working with kids and teens and has taught improv classes and worked with Walt Willey assistant directing children’s classes and showcases. She also has a love of special effects makeup and travels all over Illinois hosting SFX makeup classes for all ages. Married to the love of her life, Robert Anderson, Devon will be trading Illinois for Washington very soon. She will be missed in the local theatre community but we are sure that she will have no trouble setting down roots there in the theatre world.

Jennifer is not a new face to the Engle Lane stage. She came back to theatre in 2019 after years off for work and kids and dove in as ensemble for Mamma Mia and Bright Star. After reopening from Covid, she gladly returned as The Queen in Cinderella and Agent 99 in Get Smart. She is excited to tackle another role at Engle Lane. A big thanks to her parents for the late night sleepovers with the kids during rehearsals and to her children for tagging along to practice over and over and over while eating fast food in the green room.