Touring theater company for seniors eyes expansion

By Jaclyn Turner

After a decade of bringing theater to seniors, the Atlanta Theatre-To-Go traveling company is making a big move of its own, expanding from its base in a Sandy Springs house and hiring its first executive director.

“I’m looking forward to having more creative time and to seeing my “baby” blossom into its full potential,” said founder Sondra Ilgenfritz, who has stepped down as president to serve on the company’s board and devote more time to playwriting.

Lois Keopke, the new executive director, has a resume that includes forming a troupe of senior dancers to perform at the Milwaukee Bucks basketball team’s halftime shows.

“I’m really jazzed up about what I’m doing and joining this organization,” Keopke said.

“Seeing what they’re doing and bringing this joy to seniors, it’s really cool.”

Founded in 2007 in Ilgenfritz’s Sandy Springs home and regularly rehearsing there, Theatre-To-Go’s professional company travels to senior living communities, senior centers, churches and synagogues, bringing a theatrical experience to seniors, some of whom may not be able to go to a traditional theater.

“We’re ready for our next stage of growth,” said Ilgenfritz. “For 10 years, we’ve been a largely volunteer-driven organization fueled by an entrepreneur with a passion and a mission. Thanks to generous sponsors and donors, we’re now able to move into a professional business model with the funds to hire expert help.”

Koepke spent 22 years choreographing and creating halftime shows for the National Basketball Association’s Milwaukee Bucks. She formed the SeniorGee! dance team in 2006, a group of dancers ranging in age from 60 to 85 who auditioned and performed during halftime, and calls it a highlight of her career. “They’d start with a classic routine, and then switch into hip hop. They brought the house down,” said Koepke. Koepke has expansion and upgrades in mind for the theater company, such as bringing more technology to the organization as well as creating a unifying brand. “It’s time to reach a broader audience, and my role is going to be funding. I want to bring more performances to more places,” she said.

Theatre-To-Go rehearses and operates out of Ilgenfritz’s home, something that has worked smoothly for the last 10 years, but Koepke would love to have access to a rehearsal space or office space, perhaps in a community center.

“My goal is to partner with an organization that would like to serve as a home for Atlanta Theatre-To-Go. And I say that very loosely, but it could be a place where we rehearse and partner with them to give their residents free theater,” she said.

Read more about Atlanta Theatre-to-Go in the June 2017 Atlanta Senior Life digital issue at atlantaseniorlife.com.

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