Smile

What makes Kelly Keller smile? “So many things make me smile. In the world of theater, it makes me smile when audiences are impacted by a production we put on. I love taking them away for a short time,” said the Fishers man, who’s currently directing his ninth show, Carmel Community Players’ fast-paced comedy, “aMUSEd,” which opened Friday and continues through Oct. 22 at The Switch Theatre in Fishers. “I also smile when directing actors and helping them ‘find’ something in themselves they didn’t realize they could do. I smile when a group of individuals with different backgrounds get together and create something. The intense bonding that occurs over a six-to-eight-week period creates long-term friendships that make me smile when I see them again.” What else makes him smile? “My wife (Tanya) and daughter (Erin) make me smile. I smile when hanging out with them, listening to my wife’s terrible ‘jokes’ or hearing the most recent ‘tea’ from my daughter.  Keller, who hails from South Bend, performed on stage in his first community theater production nine years ago in nine small roles. Theater has been a hobby ever since. “I’ve been involved in every aspect of theater from being on stage acting, to tech, to producing to directing and everything in between.” What else? “I also enjoy playing frisbee golf with my wife and my friend, Mason Odle. I like to ride my bicycles (road and trail). I also like to travel. I love amusement parks and roller coasters as well as water parks … I recently discovered the joy of camping and was able to combine my love for astronomy with camping when visiting a dark sky park. I love a good movie, particularly science fiction. I love music and have even sung in a few musicals.” To learn more about his current show, visit carmelplayers.org or read the Betsy Reason column in last Thursday’s edition of The Times.