By Pam Powell
Main Street Theater
Main Street Theater has announced that the author of “Sorry! Wrong Chimney!,” Leo W. Sears, will attend a performance of his play on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 7:30 pm.
Sears was raised in Leavenworth, Kan., and graduated from Leavenworth High School in 1966. It was at LHS where his interest in theater began, having acted in two plays.
After high school and a job in Topeka, Sears enlisted in the Marines and was sent to Vietnam where he earned two Purple Hearts.
He graduated from Arizona State University in 1975 with a B.A. Ed. degree in Communication Arts (with most of his hours in Theater). Following graduation, he taught Theater, Speech and English in Glendale Union High School District near Phoenix from 1976-2001, after which he retired and moved to Hawaii until 2017, when his wife of 44 years passed away.
Sears’ theater and film experience has been varied and extensive. Besides his high school theater productions, he has produced and directed plays in community theater and dinner theater.
He has directed 65 plays and produced 90. He founded and ran Metro Playhouse dinner theater from 1983 to 1991. He has acted on stage and in films.
Sears has also written, directed and produced several short films and commercials. While in Hawaii he created, owned and ran Big Island Film Festival from 2006 to 2016.
He has published four plays, “Borderline Crazies,” “100 Lunches,” “Star on the Door,” and “Sorry! Wrong Chimney!” which have been produced extensively across the U.S. and Canada. Additionally, “Sorry! Wrong Chimney!” has been translated into Dutch and produced in London, The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Australia.
Sears lives in Iowa with his current wife, and close to his son and 4-year-old grandson. He is in the process of rebooting his writing career.
He will visit with the audience and cast immediately following the Dec. 7 performance. It’s a great opportunity for theater lovers to learn more about the art of the playwright.
Main Street Theater is located at 510 Main Street, in the building housing the Museum. It is suggested that patrons call 816-406-9422 to reserve seats in advance. There is limited seating in the auditorium.