Actor emeritus, she was principal actor for her roles in 27 shows for Mystery Theatre Unlimited. She also understudied and revived several shows. She no longer appears regularly in Mystery Theatre productions, but she will always be a part of our family.
Arlene Merryman
Since retiring from teaching, Arlene lives in Pittsburgh. In 2011 she appeared locally in "Harry Quits the Rat Race" at Towngate Theatre, and "Postcards from a Dead Dog" for ITC. 2011 Pittsburgh appearances were in "Broadway Bound" for Old Schoolhouse Players, "The Full Monty" at Stage 62, "A New Brain" at the Grey Box Theatre and a one-woman one act for the New Works Festival. Her one-woman one-act was selected by the Manhattan Theatre Source as part of its Estrogenius Festival and she performed it in New York at the MTS Theatre in Washington Square.
Arlene appeared in "Matches" at Towngate Theatre and in "The Strap" at ITC, both opposite Butch Maxwell and both in 2009. She also appeared in The History Boys at Little Lake Theater in 2008, Long Day's Journey Into the Night at Towngate in February 2007 and The Marriage-Go-Round in March of 2004, both along with Mystery Theatre's Gino Angelo. Other Towngate appearances include On Borrowed Time In April 2005 and Hay Fever in November of 2004.In 2003, she toured Ireland where she performed in the Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre production of Major Barbara at the Galway Arts Festival and in Dublin.
Other Pittsburgh appearances include Threepenny Opera and Playboy of the Western World at the Acting Company, Juno and the Paycock with the Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre, Steel Magnolias with Veronica Veil Players and two years in the New Works Festival.
She was in the comedy neo-classic La Ronde and the classic Lillian Hellman drama The Children's Hour, and a four-week run in the June Pohl production of the musical Secrets Every Smart Traveller Should Know in Pittsburgh.
She appeared in Towngate's productions of You Can't Take It with You, Aresenic and Old Lace and directed The Sunshine Boys. Other Towngate appearances include Morning's at Seven, The Beauty Queen of Leanne, The Last Night of Ballyhoo, The Nerd and Philadelphia Here I Come, leading roles in The Gingerbread Lady, Molly Sweeney, Private Lives, The Dresser and Dancing at Lughnasa. She also directed the Towngate's The Fantastics and Godspell.
For the Music Hall Players, she portrayed leading roles in
The King and I, Mame, Hello Dolly, Annie and a couple of versions of
Nunsense.