Board of Directors

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 with the Kirk Players since 2009. He currently serves on the Kirk Players Board as Communications Director and recently headed up Kirk’s Strategic Planning Committee. Peter has directed or assistant directed several Kirk Player productions including Clue: The Stay-at-Home Version, Actor’s Nightmare and Vanya, Sonia, Masha and Spike (AD). He has enjoyed Stage Managing several shows and has performed in Becky’s New Car, Enchanted April and The God Committee. He met his wife Gretchen (Kirk’s Artistic Director) many years ago in a community college production of Tartuffe.

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.