Elizabeth’s first production with Park Players was in 2005 in “The Wiz.” She made such an impression in her first play with the Park Players, several regular play goers have to think twice before they remember that her name is not Addaperle. Since her debut on the stage at the North Rosedale Park Community House, Elizabeth has been in every play since. “Smokey Joe’s Café,” “Ragtime,” “Beauty and the Beast” – whatever the role, Elizabeth puts her heart into it, and heart is the main reason why Elizabeth continues to act with the Park Players and the main reason why she ran for president of the Park Players. “There’s a family feel here with the Park Players. It feels like everyone is related. These are my friends. Even when we’re not in a show, we get together.”
Elizabeth has her father, Rosedale Park resident Cornel Dickson, to thank for inspiring Elizabeth’s years of involvement. “My dad saw an ad for auditions for ‘The Wiz’ and thought I should audition for the role of the Mean Witch because he thought she had the best songs.” Even though Elizabeth landed the role of Addaperle not the Mean Witch, she did manage to convince her dad to audition. Cornel has been in “Ragtime” and “Dreamgirls.” Elizabeth sees her dad’s involvement with the Park Players as a great way for the two of them to spend time together.
As a corporate trainer for Green Path Debt Solutions, Elizabeth keeps pretty busy when she’s in a play. The bigger the role, the bigger the commitment. She has had big role in five different plays, and admits that it can be tiring, but the friendships she develops during production are worth the effort. She admits too, that after a final performance, when the actors and crew tear down the set, there is some sadness. The sadness doesn’t last long, however, for once the actors and crew have a couple of months off, they know that the call for auditions for the next Park Players production is coming soon.
Elizabeth is really looking forward to the Park Players production of “The Addams Family.” She is especially looking forward to the audience’s reaction: “It’s a funny, quirky show with great music, strong leads and a terrific chorus.” If you drive by the North Rosedale Community House in the evening, you’ll see the lights are on. There are actors, stage crew, directors and even the president of Park Players herself, Elizabeth Dickson, working hard to make “The Addams Family” another excellent production by Park Players – another in a long, long, 60 year run of great community theater by a theater company that knows that maintaining the “community” part of community theater is just as important as putting on a good show.
Opening night of “The Addams Family” is Friday, March 13. The play runs through Sunday, March 29. For tickets to see “The Addams Family” contact Marcia Closson at 313-835-1103 or mlclosson@aol.com.