Residents of Heritage Pointe of Warren Join All Senior Cast for New Production of Guys and Dolls 

Playing high-stakes gamblers and scene-stealing showgirls, a group of actors age 55 and older from the senior living community, Heritage Pointe of Warren, will take to the stage March 5-7, in partnership with Pulse Opera House, also located in Warren, Ind., to perform the musical Guys and Dolls.

One of the performers from Heritage Pointe, Ken Zuk, 70, plays the role of Benny Southstreet who sings the opening song “Fugue for Tinhorns,” in three-part harmony with other actors.

Zuk, a retired sales representative for a cable company, first started acting with the Pulse theater about a year ago. “It was the middle of winter,” he recalls. “I saw that the Pulse was putting on a Christmas show, It’s a Wonderful Life, and I walked in and auditioned and got the part of Mr. Potter.”

“I did well in the show and the children in the audience were scared of me,” he jokes about playing the role of the villain in that play.  

His interest in theater has only grown since and he’s glad to be part of the Guys and Dolls cast along with other Heritage Pointe residents including J.B. Allen, Karen Ottjes, Joe Haney, Louise Applegate, Connie Price, and Mary Sell who helped out with auditions for the play.  

Rehearsals are being held currently in the chapel at Heritage Pointe where other residents have been dropping in to see their friends rehearse, says Cynthia Smyth-Wartzok of the Pulse theater who’s directing the musical.  

She says the theater is pleased to tap into the talents that Heritage Pointe residents offer.  

“We work with kids all the time, and that’s wonderful but I suddenly realized we were overlooking a whole community of talented, capable seniors,” Smyth-Wartzok says. “There are so many retired people who still want to perform, stay active, and enjoy the camaraderie of theatre. This show gives them that chance, and the results have been inspiring.”  

The musical was adapted to suit the abilities of the older actors, which Zuk calls “perfectly designed for older performers.” 

“They’ve changed some of the staging and songs and we’re not doing a whole lot of scene changes  or costume changes,” he says.  

The performers also carry their scripts and can refer to them if needed. 

“Everybody is the audience is like ‘That’s ok. We get it,’” says Zuk who’s previously been in performance that use scripts.  

Zuk says being part of a group working together toward a common goal is fun and energizing. 

Staying active “is essential,” he says. “Living at Heritage Pointe of Warren provides many opportunities to enjoy activities and social events as well as pursue new hobbies.” 

Zuk has noticed that other performers have a twinkle in their eye and a liveliness in their step as they rehearse.  

“It just gives you a great deal of confidence that you can do something like this,” he says.  

He also appreciates that Heritage Pointe is letting the performers use their space for rehearsals and performances, which means that other residents will easily be able to attend.  

“This will be as easy for them to attend the performance as it is for them to go down to the coffee shop at Heritage Pointe,” he says.  

The show is part of a new program from Music Theatre International designed specifically for senior and residentialcommunity casts. Heritage Pointe, described by the director as “a wonderful place, almost like its own community,” proved the perfect partner. 

He predicts that these productions will become an annual event at Heritage Pointe.  

“The people, both the residents and the actors, are really going to appreciate it,” he says. “They are going to ask for it.”  

A performance for residents of Heritage Pointe will take place at 2 p.m. on Thursday, March 5. Performances for the public are at 7 p.m. Friday, March 6 and 2 p.m. Saturday, March 7 in the chapel at Heritage Pointe.  

For more information, go to the Pulse Opera House at Pulse Opera House – “Award Winning Theatre!”.