JOSIE MERKLE is blessed to wear many hats; that of wife, mother, grandmother, office helper to her realtor husband, Ned. After nearly a life time away from the stage, she is grateful to now once again put on her actor hat. Raising her four remarkable children has been her greatest accomplishment and being a grandmother her greatest reward, but the theatre is her passion. When young, she appeared in the professional repertory company, Playhouse on the Green, and was hooked. Years later she was able to do a few commercials and the occasional play, but couldn’t commit the time to her art. It wasn’t until Frank Barnhart of Actors’ Theatre asked her to appear in Dark of the Moon in 2010 that she was able to fulfill her dream. So the saying, “It’s never too late” must be true!
She has been fortunate to work in many different theatre companies in Columbus. Favorites include 33 Variations with Available Light, Steel Magnolias with CATCO, Death of A Salesman (awarded Best Actress by Columbus Theatre Roundtable) with SRO, and Cabaret with The Short North Stage.