Birthday Club Cast

Diane Stoddard (Cheryl) has been a loyal supporter of and active with the Grand Marais Playhouse in many different capacities since 2005 - first as a backstage Mom and kid wrangler and then her debut onstage in 2010 in "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever". Productions include 6 Kid, 2 High School, 1 Dinner, 4 Summer, and 2 Virtual. Her favorite roles have been Mavis in "The Church Basement Ladies" and Daria in "The Games Afoot". For Diane, the only thing better than being on stage and hearing people laugh is being in a production with her talented girls, M and Abbey! Diane has worked for Cook County Schools for the past 5 years and for Odyssey Resorts, managing their international programs for almost 20 years. "Being part of the theater feeds my soul. The theater community in the Grand Marais Playhouse has been a constant support and at times my lifeline. Thank you, Sue Hennessy for the opportunity to share my talents, and also for maintaining a safe and inclusive environment where everyone is welcome. Being able to be safely back in the theater after so many months has been thrilling! We all need to laugh and this show does not disappoint!"

Jaye White’s love of theater started with the Prairie Fire Children’s Theater summer productions in Silver Bay in the 90s. For high school she attended the Perpich Center for Arts Education Arts High School in the theater department and received an acting degree from The New York Conservatory for the Dramatic Arts. As an adult, she worked mostly in film and television and is excited to be returning to the stage for her first Grand Marais Playhouse stage production playing the roll of Sarah in “The Birthday Club”. She previously performed in the streamed version of A Christmas Carol in December.

Introducing Claire Smith. She is a resident of Grand Marais and works in investment advising. She has enjoyed theater all of her life, and participated in community plays frequently when she was young. Excited to be a new addition to the Playhouse, she looks forward to continuing to take part in the theater community of Grand Marais.

Alyssa Hedstrom grew up in the Grand Marais Playhouse. After taking a 20 year break she is back and so excited to be here, playing Abbie. She currently lives with her husband, 3 daughters, dog, cat and 3 goats. Alyssa was part of the ensemble in the musical Shrek; dancing, singing and having the rare pleasure of having her whole family in the same show. She hopes you laugh and fall in love with the characters of this play as much as she has.

Originally from Minneapolis, Amanda has lived in Grand Marais with her family for the past 11 years. While this is her Playhouse debut, it is not her first (theater) rodeo. When not trying desperately to memorize lines, Amanda spends her time teaching school, writing and performing music with a number of local musicians, gardening, and trying to do her part to make the world more just and equitable. She is grateful for the role the Playhouse serves in our community and in the lives of her own and other local children. Theater pushes envelopes, heals wounds, illuminates darkness, relieves pressure, inspires joy, and builds community. Perhaps even better than football.