Loss of CAST Co-Founder
Michael Poehlman directs a Julian student in 1994.
Michael Poehlman—co-founder of CAST along with his wife, Jill Poehlman—died on June 6, 2021, at the age of 60. His beloved wife, Jill, had passed away in 2015.
Michael graduated with a degree in theater from Florida State University and was doing productions for the River Forest Community Center when Julian Principal Benjamin Williams approached him to do an after-school production in 1985. It was a huge hit and out of that grew the CAST program.
Productions were originally mounted outside in the field behind Mann School. The stage for his production of Peter Pan was built by middle school students and was 120 feet wide, 70 feet deep and 4 stories tall. Eventually, the productions moved to the Auditorium Theater at Dominican College and then to D97 school auditoriums.
He created a supportive and welcoming atmosphere where children could discover talents they didn’t know they had.
Wednesday Journal’s Dan Haley wrote in his June 22 column: “While the performances were strong and the Poehlmans worked so hard to draw the talent out, it never seemed to be the point of all the work. The point was to reveal these kids to themselves.”
Michael and Jill left CAST in 1997 to lead Dominican University’s Performing Arts Center.
He will be remembered for changing the lives of thousands of children.