Theatre

In August 2024, the article below appeared in AMV’s campus magazine, Village Life. It is about two residents of Park View, Katherine Jay-Carrol and Roger Morden, who both enjoyed successful careers in theatre.

Katherine Jay-Carroll and Roger Morden, residents of Park View since the fall of 2021, met on a stage in Florida, playing husband and wife. Roger was the leading man, the show was a hit, and they were married some years later in East Hampton.

Roger had arrived in New York in the 60s, invited by the Neighborhood Playhouse to be trained there. The Vietnam War interrupted, and he moved around Germany frequently because of his assignment in the army. During this time, he managed to put together an acting company to do The Fantastics.”

As the 60s turned into the 70s, Katherine arrived in New York with an MFA in classical theatre performance and immediately got a job in an advertising agency. She studied voice, because her first experience in the theatre was in musicals, and like Roger she loves singing. Later, she started her own costume design shop in a working space that was provided by a well-known teacher of Puccini and Verdi opera roles. It was provided in exchange for her providing costumes for his students’ performances.

By the time Roger and Katherine met they had overcome many challenges, made theatre appearances, and worked as union actors. They had agent representation, a bank account, and community – a family of creative people, some rivals, but mostly colleagues, even best friends that lasted a lifetime.

As time passed, Roger developed a lucrative career making commercials and soap operas. Then Katherine answered a New York Times ad that changed their lives. They were blessed to find niche jobs with a philanthropic family that took them both on as assistants. They worked for this family for many years, much longer than they thought would be possible. But they were blessed with enjoyment, trust, and responsibilities that drew upon their creative background of collaboration with a diverse group of employees. Projects focused on art and making the world a better place.

As Roger and Katherine moved into and past mid-life, they went back to university to study the very subject of capital, as the lure of travel, real estate, and retirement, and the realities of “civilian” life in Manhattan compelled them to understand their situation and plan their future. They finally retired and enjoyed world travel for six years before COVID-19. After that, New York was not the same, and they came to Asbury because liked the beautiful grounds, with a wonderful city nearby that offers the entire spectrum of the arts.

With Katherine’s background in theatre, it was an easy decision for her to join the newly formed performing arts committee, ON STAGE at Asbury. ON STAGE’s first season, the collaboration with the IRIS music project, has been a resounding success and has laid the foundation for the future success of dance and theatere projects. As chair of ON STAGE’s theatre sub-committee, Katherine will be working to bring more theatrical events to AMV. She will focus on finding fun and exciting theatre, musicals, and intergenerational productions for AMV residents to enjoy.