A Magnificent Director,Producer,and Actress

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When I first met Eileen O’Leary we were both involved in what was the first adult English speaking theatre to be presented in Puerto Vallarta.  The play was “Everybody Loves Opal”, and it was being presented in the IFC clubhouse.  I was a member of the cast, and she was the assistant stage manager.  At that time I had no idea what a talented lady she really was.  I found out very quickly after working with her for three weeks in that first play.<br>
 
The actors who were in that first play and Eileen decided that they wanted to do more plays, so we formed Theatre Vallarta, and with Eileen as our director, we soon began working on another play. This play, a comedy farce was “Opening night”; and after much hard work both in finding a venue to perform in as well as on the play itself, they did open “Opening Night” at a art gallery downtown. Unfortunately, I had to bow out of that one because of illness.<br>
  After a brief time away in Canada, Eileen returned to Puerto Vallarta to produce and direct many other plays, this time as Dinner Theatre.  To name just a few, “Arsenic and Old Lace”, “Play On”, “The Melville Boys”, “Two and Two Make Sex”, “The Mouse Trap”, and more. <br>
    Before finding this new venue, Eileen O’Leary tried several different restaurants here, some of which were very good, but not quite as well suited for dinner theatre as is the NHKrystal Hotel. The room is large, as is the stage, and the food is excellent.  She opened here with a new name for this new location.  Theatre Vallarta has become Theatre On the Bay.  Her first play “BedFull Of Foreigners”, which she not only produced and directed, but acted in as well, got off to a slow start during the two weeks before Christmas, but came back with a “Big Bang” in January, with over 400 people attending the performances.<br>
   
Eileen is now hard at work, putting together both “Love Letters”, which opens next Wednesday with that special preview performance for Pasitos de Luz, as well as “Deathtrap”, scheduled to open the first of March.  This week, she is having both plays rehearsing one after the other.  Since she is directing both, as well as gathering the necessary props, I don’t think she has much time left for sleep.  But after next week, when “Love Letters” opens, she only will need to concentrate on “Deathtrap.”  As I stated at the beginning of this article, Eileen O’Leary is not only one magnificent Director, but she is also an excellent actress as well.