Spotlight on Volunteers
The Volunteer Guild Program is the lifeblood of The Ogunquit Playhouse. We appreciate each and every one of our volunteers! We could not do it without them! Meet some of the stars!
Blanche and Yale Feinberg
Yale Feinberg - Stitched Forever into the Hearts at the Ogunquit Playhouse
A quilt stitched with love was recently dedicated to the late Yale Feinberg, a former volunteer at the Ogunquit Playhouse. Yale was a volunteer usher for many years alongside his wife Blanche. It has been a year since his death, but his legacy has continued to live on at the Playhouse. His kindness and passion for the theatre echoed through his constant dedication to his work. The quilt was sewn by his granddaughter, Marlow Rahn, after he passed away.
“It’s made of the flannel material of his pants he wore during the final months of his life,” says his wife, Blanche Feinberg.
Blanche shared the quilt with members of the Ogunquit Playhouse community during her time volunteering at Wednesday’s performance of Summer of Love. Right in the center of the quilt is the Ogunquit Playhouse logo cut from the polo shirt uniform that he wore when volunteering at the Ogunquit. The materials are simple, but the stitches are full of meaning to his whole family and to those he touched at the Playhouse. Blanche’s passionate words about her husband and the care with which she handled the quilt spoke to Yale’s outstanding character that was recognized by all who knew him.
“We were soul mates. No matter what I did he was always there for me,” says Blanche. When they met he had never been married and Blanche had five children. They were the perfect balance for one another. Blanche’s children became his own. The five children later gave them fourteen grandchildren and two great grand children between them! “Now all the grandkids will fight over who gets to snuggle up with grandpa,” says Blanche.
The quilt wraps the family with Yale’s warmth. He will never be forgotten, but the quilt is certainly a genuine reminder of his love. Yale will be missed by his family, but also by his family here at the Ogunquit Playhouse.
“We always loved theatre, and it was and remains an important part of our lives,” said Blanche. He and Blanche were married for over 31 years, and she considers herself truly blessed to have had such a beautiful relationship with such a wonderful man. Although she is lonely without him, she continues to volunteer and support the Playhouse. “He was crazy about this place. He loved the children’s shows and helping out with everything he could get involved in,” Blanche says. Yale touched the Playhouse with his dedication. The patch stitched into the heart of his quilt is a small testament to his devotion.