About Us
Our Organization
Players de Noc Theater – A place for artists to grow and develop
Our mission is to create high-quality theatrical experiences to entertain, enrich, and educate people of all ages.
Submit a Show
Interested in directing a show? This form should be submitted along with at least one copy of the script to a board member, or in the Players mailbox at the Bonifas.
Awards
2019 – 04 – 12 – Region III AACTFest – Excellence In Set Design – Jamie Peterson – The Cutthroat Games
2018 Shopko Foundation – Silver Level Service Award – Robin Gavriloff – Teammate Charitable Service Challenge – Volunteer Service – Players de Noc
2019 – 03 – 17 – AACFect Michigan 2019 – Jamie Peterson – Best Performer In Leading Role – The Cutthroat Games
2019 – 04 – 12 – Region III AACTFest – Excellence In Acting – J.R. Spaulding Jr – The Cutthroat Games
Board of Directors
Heather Grimes, President
Heather Grimes is currently serving on the Players De Noc board as President. Heather has been in over 50 productions starting at the age of 11. She first appeared on the Players stage in 2000 as an ensemble member in the production of Guys and Dolls. She works in many capacities within the theater group. Besides acting, singing and dancing, she also works in hair/makeup, sound design/board, and light board operation. She has lead teams as backstage manager, and production stage manager. She directed her first show in 2007.
Heather first served on the Players board as Scene Shop Manager. Her reason for wanting that position on the board was to help improve the condition of the current building and to find new solutions for storage of our costumes. She is very happy to be part of the team that acquired a new building to be remodeled into the Players De Noc Costume Shop. Heather’s mission at Players De Noc has always been to ensure that everyone enjoys their time at the theater.
Outside of the theater Heather’s love of animals started her working at a veterinary office in 2000 as an office assistant. She moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 2007 to further her career by working at Greendale Animal Emergency. She received training in intensive care, triage, internal medicine, and exotic animal care. She became a Certified Veterinary Assistant in 2010. After retiring from animal medicine in 2015, she trained as an animal groomer at the K9 Club and worked there until 2022. She now works as the Event Planner for the Bonifas Arts Center.
Heather spends her free time enjoying the outdoors fishing and playing disc golf. She also loves singing in a band with her father.
Jenny Heller, Vice-President
Vice President, Jenny Heller was born and raised in Escanaba. She is a 1989 graduate of Escanaba High School and attended Bay College. She lives in Escanaba with her son Brett Baumler. She has been employed at Engineered Machined Products in Escanaba for 30 years in a variety of positions but most recently as Advanced Products Operations Supervisor. She joined Players de Noc five years ago and has worked backstage, as Production Stage Manager, and performed in several radio productions. She became a member of the board in 2022.
Jenny is very active in our local community, serving as a Special Olympics Coach, volunteering at the Delta County Animal Shelter, and with Big Brothers, Big Sisters. She has worked on several capital campaigns in the past. She has extensive non-profit board experience, having served on the boards of The Bonifas Fine Arts Center, Tri-County Safe Harbor, Esky Band Boosters, Delta Area Transit Authority, Embers Credit Union, and the Gladstone Women’s Softball League. She was Officer of the Year with the Escanaba Elks Lodge #354 and received State and National honors for outstanding leadership from the Jaycees. She has also been involved in the “Delta Force” community leadership school and the Public Safety Citizens Academy.
Christine Madalinski, Treasurer
Christine Madalinski has lived in Escanaba since 1998. She has made her home with her husband Kerry, daughter Sydney, son Riley and fur baby Marty. When she served as House Manager Christine was excited to work directly with patrons face to face. She first appeared on the Player’s stage in the musical Curtains in 2018. Following that she was cast in I Don’t Mind that You’re Ugly, Love Loss and What I Wore, Jake’s Women, Mamma Mia and The Cemetery Club. She was the backstage manager for Moon Over Buffalo. Her husband Kerry works as Sound Designer and board operator. Her daughter Sydney has assisted backstage as a hair and makeup Lead, as well as dog and child wrangler. The family takes part in set up, set painting and strike of most productions.
Christine is an active member of Central United Methodist Church. She has been on the finance committee and served as Lay Leader of the church. Christine is also an active member of the Central Singers. She has been a volunteer with Hope at the Inn rotating homeless shelter since it’s early days.
In addition to their two children, Christine and her husband have hosted international exchange students for several years, housing children from Taiwan and Spain.
Christine looks forward to seeing you at the show!
Katherine LeDuc, Secretary
Katherine LeDuc was born in downstate Michigan but has lived in Escanaba for most of her life, having relocated here when she was very young.
She graduated from Escanaba Area Public High School and obtained her undergraduate degree from Northern Michigan University. She also took accounting classes at Bay de Noc Community College and obtained a paralegal certificate through Southern Career Institute.
She is a paralegal who has worked at the same firm for over 35 years. She has also worked for Mountain Retreat Productions, a recording company representing performing artist Mickey Newbury. She oversaw accounting and distribution of the recordings and obtaining venues for performing artists.
She is very interested in music and theatre and has performed in group concerts in the US, Italy, and Israel where she was a soloist with the American Pilgrimage Choir.
She has been involved in Players de Noc for 45 years and has performed on stage and filled many backstage rolls including, directing, stage manager, props, makeup, lighting, set design and construction, and sound. Her favorite plays include “And the Winner Is…”, which she directed, and the many musicals she appeared in. She has been elected to the Board of Directors off and on (usually as secretary but once as President of the organization) several times during her time with the organization.
Katherine is a Roman Catholic and is active in her church choir, as a cantor and lector in the parish of St Anne in Escanaba, Michigan. She attended the Diocesan Lay Ministry Leadership school. She has also been active with the National Association of Pastoral musicians serving as the Diocesan chapter director and served on the Cantor Steering Committee as the National Coordinator of the Basic Cantor Certificate for six years.
Jesse Traub, House Manager
Jesse is a recent transplant to Escanba, having moved here from Lansing, and from Nashville, TN before that. His first role on stage was in the Players de Noc production of I Don’t Mind That You’re Ugly in 2019, playing the eponymous character of Clyde. He has since been in several other Players productions in both acting and backstage roles.
During the day, Jesse co-owns and runs the Canterbury Book Store and teaches courses at Bay College.
In a past life he was an academic botanist. He believes firmly in the democratization of art: that all should be able to partake in the creation and enjoyment of it.
Sam Komay, Publicity Director
Sam Komay joined Players de Noc in 2019 after being cast in Gypsy. Previously she appeared in or directed 11 shows in 6 years with Area Community Theatre in Tomah, WI, and served on its Board.
Since joining Players she has also helped with costumes, appeared onstage in The Cemetery Club and numerous radio shows, and worked back stage for Mamma Mia. Sam directed both Charlotte’s Web and It’s a Wonderful Neverland, and was back stage manager for James and the Giant Peach. Her love for children’s theatre is eveident in the bonds she builds with her casts and production teams.
Sam became Marketing Director in 2021 and enjoys all aspects of job, including updating this website. She is the mom of four grown boys, and enjoys crafting and spending time with family and friends.
Beth Peterson, Scene Shop Manager
Beth Peterson is a local artist, theater-maker, and teacher. She has been involved with Players de Noc since her loving husband, Jamie, dragged her to the green room to help with make-up for Into the Woods many, many years ago. Since then, a passion for creating a feeling of time and place is what has driven most of her theater endeavors. Designing sets, painting backdrops, dressing sets, and building costumes that transport audiences across time and space and into the playwright’s and the director’s world is her goal.
Some favorite plays that Beth designed are Charlotte’s Web (costumes), The Wizard of Oz (costumes and scenic design), A Christmas Story (costumes), The Hairy Ape (costumes), Spamalot (set design and painting), Wall (costumes), and Love, Loss and What I Wore (costumes and set painting).
Artistic talents and interests serve well in Beth’s profession as an art teacher for the Escanaba Public Schools. She has spent the last several years inspiring and guiding the area’s youngest artists in grades begindergarten-2nd grade.
Outside the classroom and theater, Beth is wife to Jamie and mother to their incredible boys: Gabe, Jack and Ty. As a family, they love to explore the U.P. in kayaks and on trails and go on road trips. Beth also serves the community as Vice President of Spotlights (Patrons of Escanaba School’s Performing Arts) and is a founding member of the Esky Pops.
The Crew
Jamie Peterson, Technical Supervisor
Jamie Peterson holds an Associate’s degree and is continuing his education toward a Bachelor’s. He is employed with the Social Security Administration as a claims representative. He is our technical wizard, coming up with innovative solutions for set design, lighting, sound, and special effects. He also directs, acts, and does some of our repair work at the scene shop. He has served four terms on the board of directors, as President, Treasurer and Marketing Director. He has just completed his second term as treasurer of the Community Theatre Association of Michigan (CTAM) and is extremely active in the American Association of Community Theaters (AACT) as an actor, designer, and adjudicator. He has won several awards for set design from AACT. He has been mentoring the Escanaba Robomos robotics team for the past few years. He is a board member of Spotlights (Patrons of the Escanaba Schools Performing Arts), is a founding member of the Esky Pops, and was previously a volunteer firefighter. He enjoys spending time in outdoor adventures with his wife, Beth, and three children, Gabe, Jack, and Ty.
Jim Soderberg, Lighting Supervisor
Jim Soderberg joined Players de Noc in 1993 and has served in various capacities over the years, including technical, administrative, and artistic roles. He holds a BA from the Univ of Michigan, a Masters from Eastern Michigan Univ and a JD from the Thomas M. Cooley School of Law. He has contributed to Players productions as an actor, set builder, lighting director and technician, director, house manager, and season ticket manager along with his wife Lynn. He has also been the technical director for 12 musicals at Escanaba High School between 2004 to 2015. Retired from the practice of law, he serves on the Escanaba City Housing Commission and acts as informal legal counsel for Players and The William Bonifas Fine Arts Center. He has been actively involved in over 100 Players productions spanning his 30 years in community theater.
Pat Feldhusen, Sound Engineer
Patrick Feldhusen moved to Escanaba in 2001. His degree is in electronics, and he was employed before his retirement with the phone company. This experience allows him to analyze and repair equipment issues. Pat has worked with Players de Noc for several years. Though he has occasionally stepped on stage as an actor, he primarily oversees our sound department. He has upgraded almost the entire sound system, going from analog to digital and providing mixing capabilities in the orchestra pit. Under his supervision the monitor system has been updated and additional sound fill has been added for center stage. He has done sound design for many shows including Blood Brothers, Gypsy, One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, A Piece of My Heart, Urinetown, Oliver and many others. He has trained numerous apprentices in sound design and troubleshooting with at least one of them now working professionally in off-Broadway productions. He continues to make recommendations to the board for equipment improvements, researches and recommends purchases, and trains anyone who wants to learn about sound production. Outside of Players he has his own band, Wingin’ It, which includes his daughter, Heather, as a vocalist.