Dick Schaffhausen, financial advisor for
Raymond James and member of FFBT’s brokerage department in Peru, was
recently inducted into the Ole Olsen Hall of Fame. Peru has an Ole
Olsen Memorial Theatre, which is in honor of the famous John Siguard
Olsen. Ole Olsen was known for making people laugh with his famous
Broadway shows. He was born in Peru in 1892 and died in 1963, after
much success. Dick has appeared in 20 productions, directed 5 shows,
and helped to design and build 36 sets in the 14 years of involvement
with the memorial theatre.
He originally volunteered to help with building sets or working backstage. Dick states, “I thought, ‘Well, I’ve gone to some Ole Olsen plays and I’ve enjoyed them, maybe I would be able to do something backstage since I didn’t have any stage experience.”
Eventually, after some hesitation, they talked him into reading some lines for a part, and he got it! Since then, Dick has not only been involved in performing, but also joined the Board in 1995, later becoming President. He joined the Board because he really loved the organization and wanted to be more involved. “I’ve been in a lot of plays, mostly because with community theatre, there always seems to be a hard time getting men on stage. I’ve been on the Ole Board and feel I have an obligation to help out by being in a cast...Apparently, I must be doing something right because the audience doesn’t throw tomatoes when I’m on stage!”
One of the reasons for Schaffhausen’s years with Ole Olsen is camaraderie and family-type atmosphere within the organization.
“The nice thing with Ole is that we welcome new people to come in, and even when they’re gone for a while, when they come back, they’re still part of that family,” continued Shaffhausen. “I hope that never changes. Even if someone doesn’t want to be on stage, there’s so much more they can do backstage like props, costumes, sets, sounds, and lights. It’s a good organization. That’s why I’ve stayed.”
Some of the upcoming shows are as follows: “See How They Run”, “Crimes of the Heart”, and “Suitehearts”. If you are interested in purchasing tickets, call (765) 472-3680.
