Dothan’s loss was Birmingham theater’s gain when Lori Mercer’s family moved to Alabaster when she was in high school. Graduating from Thompson High School, she went to the University of Montevallo on a theater scholarship but graduated with a degree in communications (and then a master’s degree in communication management at UAB). She has appeared in numerous productions on area stages, and, during the pandemic, started a YouTube baking series. After retiring as a higher education coordinator, she started a home-based baking company. That hasn’t slowed her down on stage, though. She’s about to appear in Homewood Theatre’s “Love, Loss and What I Wore.” She took some time to answer questions about all of that – and more.
Tell me a little about yourself.
I’m a retired higher education coordinator turned baker who dabbles in theater.
What’s your first memory of being on stage?
I fell off the stage during a tap dance recital when I was 5. I didn’t return to the stage until my junior year of high school when I took a theater elective. I had the great fortune of landing in a theater program led by Sharon Morgan and Pat Yates. We are all still close, and I’m working on projects with each of them right now.
What is your stage background?
Sharon Morgan reached out about 7 years ago and encouraged me to audition for “Love, Loss, and What I Wore” at South City Theatre. I hadn’t been on stage since college, but I was curious enough to give it a shot. I got a part in that show, and I was hooked. I’ve been in some production, either on stage or backstage, ever since.
What’s your favorite role you’ve played or show you’ve been in?
I played Florence Unger in “The Odd Couple: Female Version.” One of my closest friends, Julie Meadows, played Olive Madison. It was also my first show with my now husband, Paul Boyer, who played Jesus Constanzuela. Another favorite is Homewood Theatre’s original production, “Working Without Pants”. With the pandemic still raging, Kyle Bass managed to put together a socially distanced production that helped us all feel a little more connected.
Tell me about “Love, Loss and What I Wore.” What is the show about, and what is your history with it?
“Love, Loss, and What I Wore” is a collection of extremely relatable stories about women’s relationships woven together by the thread of the clothes they were wearing when those events happened. This is actually my fourth time doing this show! After the initial production, South City Theatre took the show to the Alabama Community Theatre Festival at Shelton State where Lisa Ponder and I each won “Outstanding Achievement in Acting” awards. This past spring, SCT revived the show for a dinner theater to benefit The Pelham Beat. Finally, Kyle Bass at Homewood Theatre assembled a new cast to go on the road with the production as part of a rural theater grant. We performed the show in Rogersville, and now we’re back at Homewood Theatre for a three-show run.
What is your role, and who comprises the rest of the cast?
I am part of an ensemble of women that includes Courtney Cook and Andrea Brown-Hubert. The three of us perform monologues and short scenes about the happy/sad/cringeworthy events in our lives. We are led by the wonderful Sharon Morgan, who plays Gingy, a sort of narrator who reminisces about the clothes she wore at various milestones in her life.
I understand you started a business during the pandemic. What is it, and how is it going?
During the pandemic I really missed my weekly pitstop at Continental Bakery for a croissant. I thought, how hard can it be? I tried a recipe I found online and posted a few photos of the process on social media. After that, I started recording my baking attempts and posting them to YouTube in a series I called “Trial by Fire Baking.” After 27 years in higher education, I decided to retire and enrolled in Jeff State’s Culinary Arts program. I now own a home-based micro-bakery called MatchCake. Themed cakes and cookies are my specialty, but I still love trying new things. I’m currently on a sourdough kick.
What’s a performance (on stage or screen) that sticks out to you as an audience member?
Not long after my first show at SCT, I saw a production of “The Big Meal” at Terrific New Theatre directed by David Strickland. The staging was so innovative, and the cast just blew me away. That show is still one of my favorite Birmingham productions.
Any great advice you’ve been given by a director or anyone else about being on stage?
I’ve stage managed for David McMahon several times at Virginia Samford Theatre. He is an actor’s dream as a director. His method is very collaborative. In early rehearsals, he encourages actors to experiment and go completely over the top. About two-three weeks from opening, he will give them a note to “take the highlighter off your character.” That little tweak helps ground the character. All the quirkiness is there, but it reads more authentically.
Do you have any pre-performance rituals?
My husband and I buy each other show themed socks as an opening night gift when either of us do a show.
Tell me something people might be surprised to know about you.
I was on “The Country Boy Eddie Show” in 1987. It’s still my Birmingham claim to fame.
What’s the last book you read?
I’m working my way through “The Artist’s Way” right now.
What podcasts do you listen to?
“Pod Save America” and “Just Buy Less Coffee” are two of my favorites. “Watch What Crappens” is a guilty pleasure when I need a break from political commentary.
What’s the last TV series you binged?
I’m rewatching “Veep” right now.
What’s next for you?
I’m playing Cleo Barton in Homewood Theatre’s production of “Why Bump off Barnaby?” It’s a murder mystery farce that opens Oct. 24. In February 2025 I’m doing “God of Carnage” at South City Theatre, directed by my friend and former theater teacher, Pat Yates.
“Love, Loss and What I Wore,” at Homewood Theatre Sept. 26-29.
