Residents Mike and Mary Lou Wager Help Keep the Arts Alive at Sedgebrook
The fine arts have always been important to Mike and Mary Lou Wager from Cary. In fact, they first met during a musical production of High Button Shoes. “Mary Lou was the star,” Mike says. “And I played about eight other parts. We’ve been in several musicals together since.”
Despite their love of the dramatic arts, the Wagers were tired of the drama of home maintenance and repairs. Mary Lou heard about Sedgebrook from a friend in her water aerobics class and convinced Mike to take a tour.
The Wagers moved to Sedgebrook in July—and they certainly haven’t been idle.
Never Just An Audience Member
Mary Lou, a retired speech and language therapist for the Elmwood Park School District, is choir director of the newly formed Sedgebrook Singers and a member of the book club. Mike, who worked 45 years as a computer programmer, now teaches two computer classes in the Sedgebrook computer lab. Both continue to be extremely active in local volunteer organizations.
Moving to Sedgebrook has also helped revive their love for the theater—seeing as the Marriott Resort and Theater is just down the road! “The first show we saw was Footloose over at the Marriott—which was wonderful,” says Mary Lou. “We took 24 people in a Sedgebrook shuttle.”
But with their strong arts background, neither of the Wagers are content to always be audience members. Mike has plans to start a dramatic reading group—and he’s received a lot of interest from other Sedgebrook community members.
“We’re going to set up a group to read plays out loud,” he explains. “All of us will be reading different parts.”
Keeping Busy
The opportunity to participate in a wide variety of activities is what drew Mike and Mary Lou to Sedgebrook.
“I lasted about six months after I retired,” says Mike. “I didn’t have enough to keep me busy, so I thought that a change would be good.”