As with so many of us, Jack Deuel credits his choice of a lifelong career to the influence of a special member of the faculty at Sidney High School. Although his first experience acting took place in the fourth grade, he was encouraged to attend Ithaca College and major in Theatre by Miss Elsworth, an English teacher at Sidney High School.
Many Ithaca graduates went on to "do theatre" on and Jack was no exception. After early experiences with summer theatre Jack served in the military during World War II. He used his theatre skills in the Special Services and after the War he toured the US in the Strawbridge Children's Theatre, apprenticed in Equity productions in Bridgehampton, NY and acted and directed throughout NY State in Stamford, Lake George, Averill Park and Hampton before directing an off-Broadway play. He joined the Hollywood Stage Society in 1956 and acted in numerous productions, directed Lotte Leyna in an award-winning documentary, stage-managed several productions for John Houseman's Theatre Group and earned a credit as Associate Producer for "Crime and Punishment, USA with George Hamilton, Frank Silvera, Mary Myurphy and Marian Seldes".
In 1963 Jack returned to Sidney work in the family real estate business. At that same time the Chamber of Commerce of Bainbridge, Sidney and Unadilla united in an effort to encourage cultural activity in the area. They sought out Jack and he agreed to be the director of the newly formed Tri Town Theatre. Drawing on his knowledge of theatre and his fascination with the mechanics of production, he soon became the heart and soul of the group.
Since then he has worked tirelessly to recruit talented, enthusiastic thespians and the numerous crews needed for each of the over 150 plus Tri Town Theatre productions. The key to their success has been Jack Deuel. According to Marlene Wilcklow, "He was the power and enthusiasm behind every production. He was the person who found the house manager, the costume director, the props people and the stage manager. He was the person who found professional actors when local talent could not be found for a particular role."
As reported in the June 11, 2009 Tri-Town News, Jack Deuel was honored recently as the Sidney Chamber of Commerce 2009 Citzen of the Years. In nominating Jack to be honored by the Sidney Chamber of Commerce, Marge Suriano wrote "We are blessed to have a person of vision, knowledge and ability to organize such a treasure for our community." In presenting the honor, Chamber of Commerce President John Marano credited Jack with bringing community theatre to the tri-town area, saying "Forty six years and 151 productions later Jack is still very much the guiding force behind the Tri-Town Theatre, the theatre group he was instrumental in founding." Jack Deuel's leadership has made theatre possible and successful and encouraged cultural activity in the Tri-Town area for nearly five decades."