Maureen Ulrich is paying homage to Saskatchewan’s contribution to the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) – the famed circuit that existed from 1943 to 1954.
Ulrich, a Lampman writer and the president of the Souris Valley Theatre, has penned Diamond Girls, a one-woman, one-hour play starring Malia Becker of Regina.
It will be performed at Estevan’s Souris Valley Theatre on June 20 and 21, kicking off what will be a very busy summer for the production.
“These were not only ball players, they were great ball players.” Maureen Ulrich.
Ulrich said in an interview with Lifestyles that she received inspiration for Diamond Girls through an article she read in the Regina Leader-Post last August, about a commemoration at Central Park in Regina for Mary “Bonnie” Baker, who passed away in 2003.
“I got curious about her history and started looking up information about her, and discovered she was a phenomenal catcher in the All-American Girls Baseball League,” said Ulrich.
“She was highly publicized, beautiful, elegant, very feisty in terms of negotiating her salary, and I thought that would make for an interesting show.”
Ulrich approached the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame, where Baker is enshrined, and expected to find out how to contact Baker’s family so she could get more information.
But the Hall of Fame thought Diamond Girls would be a good project for their 50th anniversary celebrations this year. The Hall of Fame provided the desired information, and finances to put on the show.
“From there, the project expanded to include two other ladies who played in the All-American Girls League: Arleene Noga-Johnson, who is … 91 years old and living in Regina, and Daisy Junor, who passed away in 2012 and also a Regina resident,” said Ulrich.
Baker, Noga-Johnson and Junor were outstanding baseball and softball players, and participated in other sports.
“The play is about them,” said Ulrich. “I try to touch on all of the women who played.”
Ulrich also mentions Estevan’s Elsie Earl, who played in the league and was a valuable source of information.
“I track through the history of the league from 1943 to 1954, and see it through the eyes of these women, and try to pick up the interesting settings,” said Ulrich. “There’s the charm school, spring training and a trip to Cuba for spring training in 1947.”
Diamond Girls also explores interactions between the players on the bench, the conflicts that occurred between teammates and the hardships associated with time away from family.
Ulrich had some knowledge of the AAGPBL before embarking on Diamond Girls. She had seen the movie A League of their Own, about the league, and she met Noga-Johnson about 16 years ago when Ulrich’s daughter, Robin, was on a peewee team coached by Noga-Johnson.
Saskatoon sportswriter Ned Powers was also a valuable resource, as he saw the women play in that city.
Ulrich’s research yielded a lot of interesting facts. The AAGPBL outdrew the Brooklyn Dodgers in Cuba during spring training tours in 1947, and at one time, the league considered expansion into Central and South America.
Saskatchewan had a big impact on the AAGPBL, too, as 25 women from the province played in the league. They accounted for nearly half of the 64 Canadians who played.
“These were not only ball players, they were great ball players,” said Ulrich.
Malia Becker will be tasked with capturing all of these elements and characters with her performance. She will also portray chaperones, charm school instructors, teammates and manager.
“It’s a very technical show, with lots of sound cues,” said Ulrich.
Becker will arrive in early June and start work on rehearsals.
SV Theatre artistic director Kenn McLeod connected Ulrich with Becker. They initially had another actress lined up for the show, but that actress decided the scope of the project was too much.
Becker had been booked for the Souris Valley Theatre’s production of The Volstead Blues in late July and early August, but when she committed to Diamond Girls, she had to back away from that show.
The performance in Estevan will kick off a busy schedule for Ulrich, Becker and Diamond Girls. It will be performed at Fringe Festivals in Regina, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Toronto, and it will be performed for the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame gala in October.
“It’s been a phenomenal response,” said Ulrich. “People are very interested in the project.”
Without the financial and emotional support of the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame, Ulrich believes Diamond Girls would not have been possible.
Tickets for Diamond Girls’ performances in Estevan will be available at Henders Drugs, or by contacting Ulrich at 306-487-7512.
