History

The history of the Joliet Drama Guild is integral to the history of Joliet, radio, Hollywood, and sci fi. While the Joliet Drama Guild has been entertaining audiences, giving youth a chance to express themselves, and contributing to the social equity of Joliet, it's members have gone on to do Radio, Television, Movies, Politics, Teaching, Ministry, and so many other things integral to our culture and communities.  We have been known over the decades as the YMCA players, the Ruby Street Players, the Joliet Drama Guild, and those guys.

Despite this rich history which began in 1932, there are many in Joliet and Will county who do not know that they have a community theatre. The good news is that you are here today reading this.  The good news is that this piece of history that is woven into the very fabric of Joliet is still alive to this day.  It is living history that can be viewed for under $20.

The Houses We Have Played

In 1932, the Joliet Drama Guild started their journey at the historic Joliet YMCA building.  We were popularly known as the YMCA players then.  









Periodically over the decades, the Joliet Drama Guild performed in the historic Joliet Public Library. For a short time between our time at the YMCA in the 30's and the Ruby Street Theatre in the 60's, this was a temporary home for the Joliet Drama Guild.



Though the actual structure in no more, the Joliet spent many years at the Ruby Street Theatre.  Ironically, the Joliet Area Historical Museum now stands at the site it once stood.  Not only that, but the museum has a small stage in the basement staying true to it's heritage.




Though it has never been a permanent home to the Joliet Drama Guild, the Joliet Drama Guild, Lewis University, and the Rialto Square Theatre had a joint venture that thrived in the 1980's called "The Theatre Connection".  The musicals performed during this time would pack the large house of the theatre.  Local talent was discovered, audiences loved it, and people had an opportunity to perform on a stage of the likes they may not have had an opportunity to before.  Sadly, in 1989, Lewis University decided that all musicals were to be done in house and this once grand opportunity no longer exists.




The University of St Frances, another piece of Joliet's Living History, has been home to at least two Joliet Drama Guild productions in their black box theatre.












In the late seventies, the Joliet Drama Guild moved from the Ruby Street theatre to the Will County Bicentennial Park which was founded in 1977.  This was a new turning point for the Joliet Drama Guild, not only was it the first tenant of the Park (and only one for a few years) it was also instrumental in designing the park.  Members of the Joliet Drama Guild were part of a key sub committee in advising the City of Joliet  as to the type of facility which should be built.

We were the inaugural group that got to test the quality of the stage to packed houses in the late 70's.  The first indoor performance was the Joliet Drama Guild Production of William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream." which was directed by past president of the JDG Board of Directors Georgiann Goodsen.

The People

To list only the people who have "made it" seems almost a crime.  The Joliet Drama Guild is so much more than radio, movie, and tv stars.  It is more than politicians, authors, and composers.  The sense of community is defined behind the stage, self confidence is made on stage.  There is a good chance that your librarian, minister, nurse, postman, or neighbor may be a current member, or have been a current member of the Joliet Drama Guild.  They will also tell you that the family they found in the Joliet Drama Guild helped define them and form them into the person they are now.  

I assure you that we will give the proper due credit to these everyday heroes in the near future.  

For now, here are some of the people who have been a part of the JDG who went on to professional careers of entertainment.


Audrey Totter (born December 20, 1918 in Joliet, Illinois) 

Totter began her acting career in the Joliet Drama Guild in the mid 30's and was discovered by local radio in the late 1930s and after success in Chicago and New York, was signed to a seven year film contract with MGM Studios.

She made her film debut in Main Street After Dark (1945) and during the 1940s established herself as a popular female lead. Although she appearance in various film genres, she became most widely known to movie audiences in film noir productions. Initially MGM groomed her to become an important player and she was paired opposite some of their biggest stars. Among her successes were The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) with John Garfield and Lana Turner, Lady in the Lake (1947) with Robert Montgomery and Jayne Meadows, The Unsuspected (1947 for Warner Brothers Studios) with Claude Rains, High Wall (1947) with Robert Taylor, The Saxon Charm (1948) with Montgomery and Susan Hayward, Alias Nick Beal (1949) with Ray Milland, The Set-Up (1949) with Robert Ryan, Any Number Can Play (1949) with Clark Gable and Alexis Smith, and Tension (1950) with Richard Basehart.

Mercedes "Mercy" McCambridge was born in Joliet, Illinois to Irish Catholic immigrant parents on March 16, 1916.

McCambridge began with the JDG at the YMCA at around the same time as Totter did.  She was discovered as a radio performer in the 1940s and also performed on Broadway. Her work in this period included a period as Rosemary Levy in the radio program Abie's Irish Rose. Her big break in Hollywood came when she was cast opposite Broderick Crawford in the 1949 film All the King's Men. McCambridge cemented her fame when she won the 1950 Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film, which also won Best Picture for that year. McCambridge also won the Golden Globe Awards for Best Supporting Actress and Most Promising Newcomer - Female for that film.

In 1954, McCambridge co-starred with Joan Crawford and Sterling Hayden in the offbeat western drama, Johnny Guitar, now a cult classic. McCambridge and Hayden publicly declared their dislike of Crawford, with McCambridge labeling Crawford "a bad egg." The cast also included a fresh faced, but close to 40 years old, actor named Ernest Borgnine.

Her performance in "Johnny Guitar" led to her co-starring with Burt Lancaster and Walter Matthau in "The Kentuckian," in which she played, yet again, a woman of evil intent.

McCambridge was also well-known for providing the dubbed-in voice of the demonically possessed character in The Exorcist, acted by Linda Blair. McCambridge, however, was not originally credited for the voice in the film's initial release, probably so as to heighten the film's initial mystique. McCambridge later went public in the 1970s in her dispute with the film's creator William Friedkin and the Warner Bros. brass over her exclusion, and with the help of the Screen Actors Guild, she was ultimately properly credited for her vocal work in future releases of the film.

McCambridge frequently acted in feature roles in the radio dramas of the CBS Radio Mystery Theater.

McCambridge has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: one for motion pictures, located at 1722 Vine Street, and one for television located 6243 Hollywood Boulevard.


Lynne Thigpen was born Cherlynne Theresa Thigpen in Joliet, Illinois, and obtained a degree in teaching. She performed with the Joliet Drama Guild and taught high school English briefly in Joliet, while studying theatre and dance at the University of Illinois, then, in 1971, moved to New York City.

Thigpen had a long and prolific theater career, appearing initially in musicals such as Godspell, The Night that Made America Famous, The Magic Show, Working, and Tintypes. Her crowning theater achievement was her appearance in the Wendy Wasserstein play "An American Daughter". She won a Tony Award in 1997 for her portrayal of Dr. Judith Kaufman.

Her first film was Godspell in 1973. She appeared in a number of featured roles in films over the year, including appearances in "Streets of Fire", "Tootsie", "Running On Empty", "Lean on Me", "Hello Again", and "The Insider". Her last film appearance was in the 2003 comedy Anger Management, starring Jack Nicholson. Few people know that she was also the DJ in "The Warriors".

Thigpen may be best known for her role in the children’s geography TV show Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?. In the series, she played the role of "The Chief" of the ACME Detective Agency, a role that involved both education and comedy, and, on occasion, musical performance. She also appeared on another children's show, Bear in the Big Blue House, and voiced the character of Luna.

She appeared on many primetime series; her last role was a contract role as Ella Farmer, a statistics clerk for the Washington, D.C. police department, on The District. She was also prominently featured in a storyline on the daytime drama All My Children as Grace Keeler. She had recurring roles on Gimme A Break!, L.A. Law, Law & Order, The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd, and thirtysomething.

She appeared in radio skits of the Garrison Keillor program A Prairie Home Companion. Thigpen's dusky voice was also heard on over 20 books on tape. The books were often works with socially relevant themes.

On March 12, 2003, Thigpen was found dead at her home in Marina del Rey, California, by a friend; she had died of a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 54. She had been complaining of headaches for several days. She had not been seriously ill, and her death was a surprise and shock. 

When Thigpen died, The District also had a funeral for Thigpen's character as well.  Thigpen's untimely death also led to the three-year hiatus of Bear in the Big Blue House. A planned film version was also put on hold. According to Tara Mooney ('Shadow'), who was interviewed by Ray D'Arcy on Ireland's Today FM in 2005, "the crew's hearts just weren't in it anymore" after Thigpen's death. Friends have established a non-profit foundation in her name to help young actresses and actors learn how to survive and succeed in New York Theater, to mentor the next generation of Broadway stars.


Andy Dick Dick graduated from Joliet West High School (Joliet, Illinois) in 1984. He was in numerous productions in Joliet West and the JDG during high school, was well known as the class clown, and was elected homecoming king his senior year in the fall of 1983

He attended Columbia College Chicago and is registered as one of the school's "distinguished alumni". According to faculty member David Wooley, during his final for Stage Combat his partner did not show up and faced with a failing grade Andy decided to fight himself, earning him an A for the final.

He was a cast member on the sketch comedy program The Ben Stiller Show, which aired on FOX from September 1992 to January 1993.

He also starred as the son of Maxwell Smart and Agent 99 in a Get Smart reunion movie.

He was a regular cast member (portraying Matthew, the clumsy and clueless production assistant) on the popular sitcom Newsradio for the duration of its run on NBC (1995–1999).

In 1998, Dick lent his voice to the character Nuka in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride. He also provided the voice of Boingo Bunny for the hit 2006 animated movie, "Hoodwinked".

In 2000, Dick had a cameo role in the motion picture Dude, Where's My Car?

In 2001, Andy created his show on MTV called The Andy Dick Show; series ended in 2003 with two seasons, and it was a cult hit. Andy starred in a satirical reality television show on the same channel called The Assistant in 2004. The show spoofed themes and scenes from The Apprentice, The Bachelor, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Survivor, among others.

Dick is also the lead singer of his band Andy Dick and the Bitches of the Century. They have appeared together on television and despite speculation otherwise are a serious performing group. They released a self-titled album in 2002.

Dick also appeared in an episode of Star Trek: Voyager as the Mark II Emergency Medical Hologram in "Message in a Bottle".

Dick also provides the voice of Maurice from the radio station WCTR's segment "Gardening with Maurice" in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. In 2005, Dick was featured in the documentary The Aristocrats with his own version of the joke and analysis along with explanations to some of the "acts".

Dick competed in the eighth season of Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown. He finished in last place, behind Robin Tunney, Christopher Meloni, Macy Gray, and Joy Behar. He played for the PETA Animal Emergency Fund.

Recently, Dick wrote and directed his first feature film, Danny Roane: First Time Director. He recently portrayed the character "Owen Kronsky" on the ABC sitcom Less Than Perfect, until its cancellation on June 6, 2006. He also starred in Jessica Simpson's music video for her song "A Public Affair".

As of October 2006, Dick has hosted his own radio program, The Shit Show, on Howard Stern's Sirius channel Howard 101 every Monday night at midnight eastern.

John Barrowman (born 11 March 1967 in Glasgow) is the Joliet Drama Guilds most renown ambassador and is one of only two of the performers listed who not only mentioned their involvement with the Joliet Drama Guild, but also credits the JDG with being a part of his career and formation as an actor.  Barrowman was raised in Joliet, Illinois, and graduated from Joliet West High School in 1985. He is the son of a plant manager of the former Caterpillar Inc. tractor factory in Joliet. While still in high school, he won parts in several musical productions while still a freshman. Between 1983 and 1985 he performed in productions of Hello, Dolly!, Oliver!, Camelot, L'il Abner and Anything Goes. He attended university in San Diego, and returned to the United Kingdom in 1990.

He has appeared in several West End musicals, including Anything Goes (both 1989 and 2003 productions), Miss Saigon, Beauty and the Beast, Matador, Hair, Grease!, Sunset Boulevard and The Phantom of the Opera (as Raoul).

He was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award in 1998 for his role in The Fix. He has also appeared in the West End in non-musical dramas, such as Rope and the 2005 production of A Few Good Men, in which Barrowman starred opposite Rob Lowe. Most recently he starred in Cinderella at the New Wimbledon Theatre for the 2005-2006 Christmas season.

He has played the role of Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard in the West End and, briefly, on Broadway. His only other Broadway credit is the Stephen Sondheim revue Putting It Together (1999–2000). In 2002, he appeared in the central role of Bobby in Sondheim's Company in the Kennedy Center's Stephen Sondheim Celebration. He is probably best known in the United States for starring roles in several short-lived prime-time soap operas such as Titans with Yasmine Bleeth in 2000 and Central Park West, as well as the low-budget cult film Shark Attack 3: Megalodon.

He appeared in five episodes of the BBC One science fiction television series Doctor Who (2005) as Captain Jack Harkness, beginning in The Empty Child. Barrowman is now continuing the role of Jack Harkness, starring in Torchwood (an anagram of "Doctor Who"), a 13-part Doctor Who adult orientated spin-off series shown on BBC Three set in modern-day Cardiff and investigating alien activities and crime. In both shows the character is portrayed as omnisexual. Torchwood has been renewed for a second series. Barrowman is also scheduled to return to Doctor Who in 2007, appearing in three of the final four episodes of the show's third season.

Barrowman's musical abilities have been featured in film: he had a duet with Kevin Kline in the Cole Porter biopic De-Lovely, and he sang "Springtime for Hitler" in the film of Mel Brooks' The Producers, based on the Broadway adaptation of the original movie. He also recently performed in and co-presented another new BBC One series for Saturday nights, entitled The Sound of Musicals, in which performers from West End musicals sing songs from the shows.

For the 2006/7 pantomime season, he is appeared as Jack in Jack and the Beanstalk at the New Theatre in Cardiff.

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