Alumni Interview: Ellie Unger

Who: Ellie Unger
Years at Weathervane: 1978-2014
Position: Actor

My journey in acting on the Weathervane stage was motivated by a move to Licking County   from Mason, Ohio.  My husband Rich accepted the superintendency of Northridge Schools, and I was to become the first female guidance counselor at Granville High School.  It was 1978.  Somehow the artistic director of Weathervane at that time herd that I was also an actress.  He actually came to our residence in Granville to ask me if I would consider being in the chorus of  Stop the World.  I accepted my first role for Weathervane Playhouse.

During the ensuing years, I have appeared in 64 productions, 32 of which have been at Weathervane Playhouse.  I appeared in shows for Granville Players, OSU/Newark Campus, Gallery Players Columbus, Licking County Players and Theater Lancaster.  My greatest joy was having the privilege of appearing with my husband in many shows.  How many couples are that privileged?  When he passed away in 2007, the adage “joined at the hip” took a whole new meaning for me.  A month later, I was diagnosed with cancer.  That was an acting hiatus for me because struggling with chemo and grieving for Rich were almost more than I could bear.  Then after chemo in 2008, Matthew Trombetta, one of my favorite directors whom we met when he appeared at Weathervane in Forever Plaid, asked me to audition for The Cemetery Club.  I had performed the role of Lucille before, but I was not sure I had the energy to do the role yet.   He inspired me to try.  He was my cheerleader throughout the play, and t became one of my favorite roles along with Eulalie Shin in The Music Man, Driving Miss Daisy, Ethel in On Golden Pond, Yente in Fiddler on the Roof, and Fraulein Schneider in Cabaret.

Some of my memories of my acting career at Weathervane were: The terrible fire in 1987; when the female cast of West Side Story got locked in the dressing room for one of the performance’s last scenes; and when air-conditioning was installed!

I have had the privilege of working with many fine directors at Weathervane: Tim Jebson, Adam Karsten, Bill Kincaid, Scott Keys, Dale Shields and Matthew Trombetta.  They always left lovely notes of appreciation at the closing of a show/musical.  Matthew’s note at the end of The Cemetery Club was particularly meaningful for me.  He said: “Elie, you are one of the most directable actresses I have ever worked with.  Your grace onstage and your talent were a joy to watch.”  I cherish that note in Matthew’s memory.