‘Life, love and loss’: St. Charles native David Jahn returns home for intimate one-man show
From his spot in the orchestra pit playing the oboe during his high school musicals, David Jahn looked up and felt he’d have a lot more fun being on the stage.
But, as a sophomore at St. Charles High School, he was up against some of the most formidable competition in the history of the school’s storied theater and music departments.
“All of the Hunts — David, Steven and Jeff — were in theater and music and they were just amazing in those shows, so I figured I didn’t have a chance,” said Jahn, now a 63-year-old actor and dancer who has put together a living by being on stage.
He started by mustering up the courage to approach director Ron Koeppl, himself a legend in St. Charles performing arts, and audition for “Fiddler on the Roof,” the school’s 1978 musical.
“It was one of those life-changing moments when Ron said ‘Where have you been?’ and I got the part of Motel the tailor, which was a good role for the first time doing it,” Jahn said. Later that year, he landed the role of Bellomy in “The Fantasticks.”
From there, Jahn took a career path that kept him out of the orchestra pit and on the stage. It was fueled through numerous high school and college theater roles, earning an Illinois State University degree in music, theater and dance, and performing at Opryland in Nashville.
Jahn, a 1979 graduate of St. Charles High School, is returning to his hometown to do a one-man show, “Fill Your Hole,” at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15, at the Steel Beam Theatre in downtown St. Charles.
He performed “Fill Your Hole” in the intimate 81-seat Steel Beam last November to a sold-out show, described by reviewers as “one man’s journey to bring light to a dark hole … a moving and humorous look at life, love and loss.” The performance is directed by John Sgueglia.
Jahn has plenty of memories of his time in St. Charles, not the least of which was being part of that “Fiddler” cast, which he said was the first production at a new venue called the Dellora A. Norris Cultural Arts Center.
“Still, to this day, with all of the theaters I have been in, Norris is still among the top ones,” he said.
In addition to playing in the Country Music USA show in Nashville during and shortly after his collegiate years, Jahn moved to Los Angeles, where he took classes at the Groundlings Theater, an improv and sketch comedy theater similar to Chicago’s Second City.
“I was in the program with Will Ferrell, Jennifer Coolidge, Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy; there were a lot of big names in there,” Jahn noted. “I got into the main company at the Groundlings, which was very competitive.”
He began teaching there as well, noting a couple of his students were Stephanie Courtney, who portrays “Flo” in the Progressive Insurance ads, and Eric Stonestreet of “Modern Family.”
“That transitioned me into more work for TV commercials, TV series and film roles,” Jahn said.
Having a role in a series that was filmed in Chicago in 2004 brought back a desire to eventually return to the Midwest. Jahn made that move a year ago when finding a place in Milwaukee near some friends. He returns to Los Angeles for several months of work, then returns to Milwaukee to relax.
Jahn worries about friends, former students and business connections in Los Angeles in the wake of the devastating fires this month in the city.
“I have many friends who evacuated or had a bag at the ready to evacuate,” he said. “A few have told me how odd, scary and uncomfortable it all feels. The smoke can make the city turn dark and gloomy during the day, ironically turning Hollywood into what feels like an end-of-the-world film set.”
He'll be back in Los Angeles in late February to assess his situation but is currently taking advantage of a key benefit of his relocation to the Midwest. It brought him closer to St. Charles, and a chance to return to perform in his favorite format — the one-man show.
“I love that St. Charles has these small theaters because when I did the show last year, the audience really took to it,” Jahn explained.
Jahn has a levelheaded approach to his performances, saying he would hope to someday move them into a larger venue. But he knows he’s not a “known” name at the moment. Rather, he’s just a talented guy with impressive credentials and a former St. Charles resident who happens to be quite good at what he does.
“People in the business are telling me this show should be Chicago or New York,” he said. “I have to find a producer who believes in it, but until that point, it is hard to fill big spaces or make it financially viable to do so.”
He dreams about how cool it would be to complete the full circle and return to the Norris Cultural Arts Center, but Steel Beam currently is the perfect venue. And St. Charles always welcomes back its favorite sons who have succeeded in show business or other arts.
Information about tickets to “Fill Your Hole” is available at steelbeamtheatre.com.
Winter festival for families
Regardless of how cold it gets, it’s generally a good idea to try to get out and enjoy the winter with your family.
Still, it can get too cold. In hopes that we’re not in the middle of a polar vortex on Saturday, Jan. 18, the Polar Palooza winter festival for families from noon to 3 p.m. at Creek Bend Nature Center in St. Charles sounds like a great place to get out.
The center, located on Dean Street in the LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve, is the site of the Kane County Forest Preserve District’s festival that celebrates nature and the district’s 100th anniversary.
Games, prizes, interactive exhibits, hot treats and other indoor and outdoor activities will unfold at this free event open to the public. No registration is required, so this is the place for winter fun.
A busy council
When thinking of the St. Charles Arts Council, the term “information overload” comes to mind.
But, hey, what is an active and busy organization supposed to do when sending out press releases or posting things on its website? Members create and deliver a lot of information.
So, in short order, here’s the latest goings-on at the arts council.
First, the council is moving its operations to a new location, setting up shop at 21 N. Second St., Suite H, starting Saturday, Feb. 1. They’ll celebrate the move with an open house from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23.
Of course, what’s an arts council without showing off the work of artists? The council will do that at the grand opening, with an exhibit featuring the work of artist members of the council.
Next, the council will stage its second annual Trivia Night Fundraiser at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 3, at Pollyanna Brewing in St. Charles. Cost is $20 per person, which includes a personal size pizza from Aurelio’s Pizza.
Finally, there is a reminder that the council is accepting entries for the 2025 Student Art Show to be held April 12 through May 3. Entries, for all K-to-12 students, must be turned into the council by Friday, March 14.
Oh, and there’s always this: The council seeks volunteers to help at all events, so check in on these opportunities at stcharlesartscouncil.org.
That got noisy fast
You could say it was about time, but better late than never. We made our first visit to the Duke’s Northwoods restaurant/bar in downtown St. Charles last week.
It was a makeup New Year’s Eve outing with friends, as our reservations for that festive night at Duke’s were derailed when I came down with that nagging cough and cold overwhelming just about everyone.
So, we figured on a Thursday night we could dine, catch up on things and have a relatively quiet night out at a typical senior citizen time like 5:30 p.m.
We overlooked something that was both good and bad news. The “quiet” part blew up quickly because Notre Dame was playing in a college football playoff game that night. You can call Duke’s a “Wisconsin bar” or a “wine bar,” but for all intents and purposes, it’s a great sports bar.
The place was crowded and noisy by 7 p.m., which is the good news. It was great to see Duke’s doing well, but also to see the importance of “favorite” teams getting deep into postseason tournaments. It always helps a local economy.
Plus, Notre Dame fans were having a lot fun that night. And all we really had to do was eat good food, enjoy the company and talk louder.
dheun@sbcglobal.net