Administrative Director 

Amy Sharer is our Administrative Director.  She is an Inventory Control Manager for Medline Industries and lives in Vernon Hills.  Amy had her first on-stage role at the age of 4 in Midsummer Night’s Dream and has performed in some way ever since.  She did take an 18 year hiatus to raise her football player son Mitch and serve as team Mom and football announcer for MJFL.

Amy joined Kirk Players in 2015 after a year of helping out behind the scenes as SM of Velveteen Rabbit and Sherlock Holmes and the Jersey Lily.  Since then, she has house managed, stage managed, costumed and appeared on Stage in I Remember Mama, RedHerring,  Black Comedy and as Susan B. Anthony in the Votes for Women Celebration.  Her favorite KP memory was performing in Sounds and Sweet Aires – KP’s Shakespeare montage – as Mistress Page, Lanthorn and one on the sonnet readers.

Amy is also a member of the Picard Players Improv group and performed in Shakespeare Shorts for the Mundelein Arts Committee. ( The woman of a “few hundred” voices is using two of them tonight as the Cab Driver in Love Honor and Murder and the Doctor in The Horla.) This last is if we get Bios for “ An Evening of Mystery”

Artistic Director

Gretchen Grassl has performed in many plays and musicals beginning at a young age.  Since joining the Kirk Players, Gretchen has performed in The Glass Slipper, Enchanted April, David & Lisa, The Hollow, Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Jersey Lily and I Remember Mama. Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike marked Gretchen’s KP Directorial debut. She has assistant directed The Happiest Millionaire, Velveteen Rabbit, Jack and the Magic Beans, The Mousetrap and Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up? and has co-directed Velveteen Rabbit and Becky’s New Car.

Communications Director 

Peter Grassl has been involved with theatre off and on since high school. He met his wife (Kirk Player Gretchen Grassl) in a community production of Tartuffe and is proud that their son, Dylan, has been in theatre since he was four. Peter has been involved with the Kirk Players since 2010 and is a Master Player. Over the years he has performed in several productions including The Kirk Players productions of Becky’s New Car and Enchanted April. Outside of KP, Peter has been seen in productions of Woody Allen's Don't Drink the Water and The God Committee. Backstage credits include Assistant Director and Stage Manager.

Financial Director and President

Susie Hill was born and raised in central Pennsylvania. During her high school years she worked backstage and in the house for several shows. She continued her work in the theatre at Susquehanna University where she studied voice, movement and diction with Pamela Chabora.  While living in a small Illinois town she found herself cast in The Sound of Music with Forreston High School. Susie found Kirk Players during the Mundelein Arts Festival in 2012 and since then she has worked stage crew for Mousetrap and as the female understudy and Production Assistant for Do Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?

Membership Director

Patrick Blake a graduate of the United States Naval Academy, was also active in their theatre group. He started with the Kirk Players as a guest performer in But Why Bump Off Barnaby?, which earned him a “Leslie” Best Supporting Actor award. Patrick has appeared in shows for over 20 years now! He received our “Leslie” Best Actor award for his performance in The Nerd and a “Leslie” Best Actor nomination for his role as Inspector Rough in Angel Street. He also worked backstage for many of our shows as well as assisted with our children's summer workshop. He would like to thank his wife, Kathy, for her love and support throughout the years.​

Public Relations Director

Meghan Lane is honored to be a member of Kirk Players, an organization working diligently both on and offstage to give back to our community by sharing its members' passion for the arts.  Meghan has played many roles over the years with Kirk Players, such as Louise Parradine in Postmortem, Katherine, Helena and "Wall" in Sounds and Sweet Aires, part of the Shakespeare First Folio tour, God and Violet Bick in It's a Wonderful Life: a Live Radio Play, as well as in the role of Stage Manager and House Manager for several productions. Meghan looks forward to many more years with Kirk Players.

Sales Director and Vice President

Marilee C.C. Rusiniak has appeared on stage in many Kirk Player productions. Her portrayal of Pamela Fitzgerald in The Uninvited earned her the Best Actress “Leslie”. She has been seen on stage as The March Hare in Alice in Wonderland, Mrs. Harper in Tom Sawyer, Velveteen Rabbit in The Velveteen Rabbit, Lady Caroline Bramble in Enchanted April and Fox in The Little Prince. Her performance as Stacy in A Nice Family Gathering earned her The Best Supporting Actress “Leslie”. Best Actress nominations include: Mary Hatch-Baily in It’s A Wonderful Life, Mother in David and Lisa and Honey Raye Futrell in Christmas Belles. Best Supporting Actress Nominations include: Midge in The Hollow and Frances Egan in Up the Down Staircase. Backstage credits include Sound Design, Assistant Stage Manager, and Makeup Design. Marilee Holds a BA in Communications with an emphasis in Professional Writing from Southern New Hampshire University.