Meanwhile, a decade later….

A bomb's about to go off in this episode of "MacGyver"....I believe it's the only show Merritt's been connected with that "bombed."

If the minister in the scene above from a 1987 episode of MacGyver looks familiar, good – you’ve met Merritt Olsen (you can see the whole show here – Merritt shows up around the 44th minute or so).

Well, as far as the island is concerned, he’s having a great run as the Community Theatre boss as he celebrates ten years at the helm – we’re sure glad he’s here! Here’s more from Jan Bollwinkel-Smith at SJCT:

Merritt & Janet (she directs the FHHS & FHMS bands, and teaches music) have brought a lot to the community in the last ten years....

SJCT’s executive director-extraordinaire, Merritt Olsen, is celebrating 10 years as the leader of this very special Theatre that COULD…!

Merritt’s first day was June 1, 2000, arriving straight from the Midwest where his most recent post was directing South Dakota’s Black Hills Community Theatre.  Also a veteran actor and director (he appeared in over 35 films and TV shows), Merritt brought with him a variety of skills to lead the Theatre through a decade of growth and change.

David Bayley, a trustee at the time of the search and board president when Merritt arrived, considers being part of the group that hired Merritt his greatest contribution to the Theatre.  “Merritt combines artistic credibility and arts management and is a pretty solid financial guy,” said David.  “His long range vision and people skills, plus a good balance of his left and right brain have made him a great fit for the community.” (Plus, David shares, he’s extremely fond of Merritt as a person).

Veteran director Andrew V. McLaglen, who was also part of the search committee back in 2000, calls Merritt a hard worker (“I see him walking to work early in the morning… and he doesn’t leave anything unturned,” said Andrew).

Andrew says one of the keys to Merritt’s success is his being a good planner and communicator:  “He has to satisfy lots of people–the public, the board, actors and volunteers–he has been very successful and it’s been to the Theatre’s advantage.”

Congratulations, Merritt!  If you’d like to share your anniversary thoughts with Merritt, shoot him an email at [email protected]

You can support the San Juan Update by doing business with our loyal advertisers, and by making a one-time contribution or a recurring donation.