QCT SPOTLIGHT: Doris Sanders
QCT volunteer and actress Doris Sanders has had an opportunity that few performers have had: a chance to go back. Like the character that she once played, Doris is reliving an experience—this time with a new perspective.
We caught up with this incredible woman to ask her about this new OUR TOWN experience…
Q: Can you tell me a bit about yourself?
A: I was born and raised in Clinton, IL. I attended Illinois Wesleyan University and have a degree in Music with a minor in drama.
Q: How did you first become involved with theatre?
A: I sang my first song in public at age 5. It was a talent show. My aunt gave me a dime for doing it. I was involved in theatre from the time I was in 6th grade, both in school and community theatre. I often did monologues for school assemblies as well as solos.
Q: How did you first become involved with QCT?
A: I moved to Quincy in 1985 with my husband, Glenn. I went to theatre on 13th and Payson and introduced myself to Director Barbara Rowell. I started volunteering as a way to meet new people in Quincy and to do something that I loved. My first production was GIGI in 1986.
Q: This isn’t your first time doing OUR TOWN. Can you tell us about the first time you were in the show?
A: I was in a production of OUR TOWN at Wesleyan. That production was in the round and I was in the ensemble. I fell in love with the show and it has been my favorite ever since.
Q: You were also in a production of this show at QCT, correct?
A: In 1989 I had the opportunity to play Emily Webb in the QCT production at the theatre on 13th and Payson. The theatre was very small and intimate. We were able to interact with the audience members personally. We were able to descend from the stage and speak directly to them. It was a lovely way to involve the audience as if they were in the show. The show had a big emotional impact on me. It made me re-evaluate myself, my priorities, and the direction I wanted to take my life.
Q: What inspired you to audition for OUR TOWN again?
A: I wanted to audition for OUR TOWN in 2017 and play Mrs. Webb as a way of coming full circle. Mrs. Webb has a huge presence in the show. She also has a big impact on Emily and how Emily views her life and how she lived it. Mrs. Webb is a down to earth, rather matter-of-fact woman whose role in life is to be a good mother and wife. Her way of doing that is by doing rather than being.
Q: OUR TOWN is a very meaningful show. What do you hope the audience will take with them?
A: We all are so busy doing that we forget to stop and take time to be with one another and savor that time. Live goes by so quickly. OUR TOWN is so relevant today as it’s about daily life of loving, living, and dying. It’s everything that every human being experiences. Everyone in the audience can identify with one or more of the characters. I hope the audience will take away from this show the desire to spend more time with their loved ones before it is too late. Life is so short.
Learn more about the show…
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