Suburban church drama director converts to Chicago stage
Rod Armentrout studied theater in college, but for much of the last two decades his stage work was limited to Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington.
"They incorporated little sketches as part of their services," Armentrout says. "They would do these scenes that connected with the message of the day. Or would in some way thematically relate to what is going on."
Now, the Schaumburg resident is taking on very different material - and entertaining a very different crowd. Armentrout is currently appearing as the confused main character in Larry Shue's farce "The Foreigner" at Provision Theater in Chicago.
"I play Charlie Baker, the shy proofreader who pretends to be a foreigner who doesn't know any English so he doesn't have to talk to people," Armentrout says.
Baker has been taken to a vacation getaway by a friend so he can deal with the emotional trauma of discovering his wife has had multiple affairs. Of course, a quiet weekend is the last thing Baker encounters in this witty, fast-paced comedy, involving romance, political corruption and the Ku Klux Klan.
It's a long way from church work. But in some ways, the actor owes his current gig to his time at Willow Creek.
Armentrout was part of a team of people who created dramatic scenes - or short videos - every week. He began as a volunteer in 1991, but eventually he rose to the full-time position of associate drama director at the church.
Then the economic downturn happened, and the church had to save money. "Suddenly our program was not a priority anymore," Armentrout says.
He and the church's drama director were laid off. And for the first time in years, Armentrout was faced with the question of what to do with his life.
That was when his theatrical training paid off. Apprentice actors have two things drilled into their heads in theater school: You have to be flexible and there is no shame in taking a day job to pay for your artistic life.
Armentrout put himself out into the acting world, auditioning every chance he got. He also looked around for a regular job, preferably something part time.
"I was fortunate enough to have a guy call me to do building and maintenance work," Armentrout says. "That is how I support myself now between gigs."
Last fall, he appeared in his first non-church-related acting gig in almost 20 years, Provision Theater's production of "Bonhoeffer's Cost."
"It was terrifying to step back into the theater world," Armentrout says. But he found his years working on church sketches had helped him develop his craft. "Parts of the process were very familiar. And I had been acting all along, of course. But suddenly I was working with people I didn't know. And of course the rehearsal time was much longer."
So were the performance times. Armentrout had been used to doing short pieces he and his ensemble performed only a few times. Suddenly he was performing in pieces that were a couple hours long - and ran for weeks.
Armentrout admits it was a challenge, but adds, "Once we got into the run, it all felt very familiar."
Now he's back at Provision in "The Foreigner."
"I like playing Charlie Baker," Armentrout says. "There is a certain innocence. He is an introvert. And this story is his first opportunity to really break out of this person who he is."
And like Baker, Armentrout has found reinventing yourself can open doors you didn't even know were there.
“The Foreigner”
Location: Provision Theater, 1001 W. Roosevelt Road, Chicago, (866) 811-4111 or
Showtimes: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday through March 18
Tickets: $27-$30, with discounted tickets available for children and students