About Us

Darel Glaser was a child star on the Broadway stage and in Hollywood who would go on to mold a generation of budding actors through the Riverside Theater Guild, Born in 1956, Glaser was the only child of George and Susanne Glaser. His father was Riverside Township supervisor for 29 years and had operated a funeral home on Harlem Avenue since 1936. 

As a child, Darel was an actor of some reputation, getting his first big break at the age of 10 when he was cast in a national touring company of “Oliver!” He was initially cast as a member of the chorus but was thrust into the title role after the original Oliver’s voice changed. As Oliver, Glaser first appeared opposite veteran Hollywood character actor Walter Slezak in the role of Fagin. The Citizen newspaper reported in August 1966 that Slezak had left the cast to pursue a television job and was replaced by John Astin, whose TV show “The Addams Family’ had just ended after two seasons. 

Glaser would go on to play Oliver in Japan and London and he and his mother would move to New York City so he could pursue jobs on Broadway. In 1969 and 1970, Glaser was cast as Young Patrick in two separate touring companies of “Mame,” one of which starred Broadway legend Elaine Stritch. In 1970, Glaser was in the cast of “Cry for Us All,” which ran for nine performances on Broadway. In 1976, he appeared alongside Yul Brynner in “Home Sweet Homer,” a show that started out in San Francisco and made it to the Palace Theater on Broadway only to close after just one performance.

In 1971, he was cast in the Stanley Kramer film “Bless the Beasts and Children” and in 1978 was cast in the film “An Enemy of the People” starring Steve McQueen and Charles Durning. He also appeared on TV in episodes of “Shazam!” and “Marcus Welby M.D.”  Despite his success as a child actor, Glaser found the transition to adult roles a challenge. Before leaving Hollywood, however, Glaser got a taste of directing for the stage, and when he returned to Riverside in 1980, he directed the Riverside Theater Guild production of “Mame." He never went back and stayed in Riverside for the next 40 years. 

Over the next decade, Glaser would transform the auditorium of the Riverside Township Hall into a theater, presenting a number of high-quality productions. After George Glaser’s death in 1994 at the age of 80, Riverside Township reclaimed the auditorium and the Riverside Theater Guild made the switch to children’s productions.

Darel battled a series of health issues for many years. Darel had left Riverside in 1999 for Westchester, where his mother lived. She died in 2012 and Glaser moved to a south Berwyn apartment. He passed on December 7, 2022 after battling a series of health issues. He was 66 years old.

The Glaser Players are a division of the Brookfield Theater Corporation which is nonprofit corporation registered with the State of Illinois and holds a 501(c)(3) designation with the United States Internal Revenue Service.