Meet the women who love and lead the Little Theatre, Opera and Symphony Guilds

Shreveport Little Theatre Guild Sue Wyche, president The more than 200 members of the Shreveport Little Theatre Guild support the mission and activities of the Shreveport Little Theatre, the longest-running community theater in the country.

The Shreveport Little Theatre was founded in 1922, according to its Web site, shreveportlittletheater. com, and produced without interruption throughout the Great Depression, World War II and after two fires. The theater is a non-profit corporation, which exists for charitable, artistic, scientific and educational purposes, including the production of a broad variety of quality live theater with predominantly volunteer participation from the community. The Shreveport Little Theatre Guild provides support for the theater’s performances, actors, programs and the theater’s place in the community.

“In its 96th season, the Shreveport Little Theatre is a gem of the Shreveport/Bossier area,” said Sue Wyche, who is serving the second year of a two-year term as president of the guild board.

“I became involved with the guild after being asked to help with our biennial Night of the Stars Gala several years ago,” said Wyche. The gala is the largest fund-raising activity of the guild to support the theater.

The 2017 gala will be held on Friday, March 17, at the Woman’s Department Club.

Wyche, with a Bachelor of Business Administration from Texas Tech University, a Master of Education from Stephen F. Austin, and more than 30 hours toward a doctorate from Centenary College, has a varied work background. She has owned a party-planning company, taught high school business and marketing, served as an educational grant coordinator, and as assistant principal of the alternative high school.

She retired from education and now sells a ladies’ clothing line, Etcetera, with a partner.

“I spend my time with my husband, Al, our four children and seven grandchildren, my business, and serving as a community volunteer,”she said. “I think the gift of grandchildren is a pivotal point in my and many other women’s lives as we move from caregiver and responsible party to a place where we can give unconditional love with less responsibility. Grandchildren are the payoff for getting old!”

Shreveport Symphony Guild Sherry Pendley, president Since its founding in 1948, the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra (SSO), according to its Web site, www.shreveportsymphony.com, has become Louisiana’s oldest continually operating professional orchestra and one of the most respected regional orchestras in the United States.

The Symphony Guild exists to provide support, promotion and development of the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra and the Centenary Youth Orchestra; to support the Nena Plant Wideman International Piano Competition; and to maintain the care and upkeep of Symphony House. Some members have been actively serving in the guild since it formed shortly after the orchestra in 1948. The guild provides support through a multitude of services, including its most popular fund-raiser, the Symphony Shopper’s Card, and by coordinating, among many other things, the Discovery Concerts in January at RiverView Theater for fourth- and fifth-grade students in Caddo and Bossier parishes.

“When the guild works closely with the symphony, so much more is accomplished to the benefit of our community,” said Sherry Pendley, who is currently serving as president of the guild for the next two years.

Pendley, a lover of music herself and also the founder of Pendley Piano Gallery, the premier piano retailer in the Ark-La-Tex, is uniquely suited to the position.

“I haver never lived without a piano,” she said. “Growing up, there was always music. My dad, a geologist, had his own orchestra while at Mississippi State and was most proud of having played for more than one Governor’s Inaugural Ball.”

Her middle son, James, seems to have also inherited his grandfather’s musical abilities. In fact, music seems to run in the genes. For the most part.

Her oldest son, Christian, sang in Boy Choir at St. Mark’s, though under duress, she jokes.

“Our daughter, Paula, lives in Santa Monica, has a Juris Doctorate from Pepperdine and is a practicing attorney in Los Angeles. Much to her Dad’s and my chagrin, she plays only the radio,” said Pendley.

Pendley lived in London for seven years before returning home to Shreveport.

“I saw so much potential to expand musically and culturally,” she said. “I met my wonderful husband and have raised three beautiful children here.” With her third child on the cusp of marriage, she said she is looking forward to tackling projects that have been on the back burner.

“Wouldn’t it be grand for Northwest Louisiana to be known for its music and have that distinction throughout the U.S. and the world?” she said.

Pendley said the guild is always looking for more people to help in its mission. Forms are available at the Pendley Piano Gallery.

Shreveport-Bossier Opera Guild Susannah Poljak, president “Like many, my first exposure to opera was Bugs Bunny, so my image was people in very formal dress watching a matronly blonde lady with a Viking helmet striding across stage,” said Shreveport Opera Guild President Susannah Poljak.

But, Poljak said, opera has the power to give so much more to people. And the Shreveport Opera Guild provides the support necessary for the Shreveport Opera to reach the community and foster interest in the art. One of the oldest opera companies in the country, the Shreveport Opera has as its mission to produce professional opera and musical productions of the highest artistic quality and to provide educational programming and outreach to children, youth and adults in the Ark-La-Tex region, according to its Web site, www. shreveportopera.org. And that is a mission well worth supporting, said Poljak.

Unfortunately, the image of the matronly blonde woman in the Viking helmet has endured, even for her, she said, despite her more adult pursuit of opera over the years.

“This past spring, though, I finally experienced the real power that is opera,” she said. “My husband and I and some of our friends decided to have a potluck and have the Shreveport Opera Express (SOX) singers come sing at our house. What a night!” Poljak said the four singers (two women, a soprano and a mezzo soprano, and two men, a tenor and a baritone) were anything but her Bugs Bunny stereotype.

“They were all well under 30 and had the most interesting life stories, having lived all over the country,” she said. “And to hear their voices in such a small setting was moving beyond belief.”

Without props or costumes, the four singers gave just a short explanation of the song they would be singing, said Poljak.

“But it was so easy to understand what was being sung,” she added. “Our children crept down the stairs to hear the music, and they were absolutely entranced.”

The experience helped her to see why, with all the many ways there are to experience music, people still go to the opera, she said. “Because opera, even when stripped down to its essence (four voices and a piano), gives us the chance to experience great emotion through beautiful, powerful music.”

Poljak, who is serving her second year as president of the Opera Guild, said her involvement began when a long-time family friend and very involved member asked her to join.

A 1994 graduate of Vanderbilt University, with a Bachelor of Arts in history, Poljak received her Juris Doctorate from Fordham University in 1997.

She is a civil litigator, having practiced in California, New York and Louisiana. She also serves on the Caddo Parish School Board, representing District 4.

She and her husband, Denis, have two children, Thomas, 8, a thirdgrader, and Laura Charlotte, 6, a firstgrader. Both are students at South Highlands.

– Tammy Sharpe