Fleetwood-Pyle took winding road to local stage success

The name Naomi Fleetwood-Pyle is synonymous with community theater in Hope.

However, Pyle’s journey to acting, the WILLow LeaVes’ stage and Hope theatre scene as an actress, co-founder of Actors’ Studio of Hope and well-known producer isn’t quite what one would imagine.

Sporting a personality as big as the crowds who flock to her shows, the 73-year-old Columbus resident’s journey started with numbers… literally. From her early days as a staff accountant with Arvin Industries in Columbus to a nearly decade-long run as host of the ‘Columbus Today Show’ and flower shop owner, Pyle has had quite the repertoire of varied experiences. However, talking to her you find a balanced mix of confidence tempered with humbleness.

In a recent conversation, Pyle offered a glimpse of her past, present and where she sees herself and Hope’s flourishing community theatre scene going in the future.

First off, who is Naomi Fleetwood-Pyle?
She is a loving wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother with a little bit of a wild child living inside of her.

If you would, please tell us a bit about your career. You own Flowers from the Woods, located at 1550 Central Avenue in Columbus, yes?
Yes, the flower shop came as a result of me doing the TV show.

Wait, the TV show? Tell us more.
The ‘Columbus Today Show’ had contacted me and came to one of my line dancing classes to do a show. Later, they were looking for a host for the show, so they called me. I was working at Arvin at the time as a staffing accountant. They said they would like to offer me the job as host. I said, ‘I’ve never done TV.’ They said, ‘Well, we will train you. That girl who taught dancing, she was pretty comfortable with a microphone in her hand.’ Now, I’ve been teaching clogging for years, so when you put a microphone in my hand, it’s like a pacifier to me. I flew to New York to teach a workshop, came back on Monday and went in to Arvin and put in my two weeks’ notice.

What was the experience like? Hosting a TV show?
When I first started, the producer never allowed us to use cue cards. At the time there was a delegation I had to interview and remember every one of their names. I was nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. I did the show for nine years from 1991 to 2000.

And, that is when you purchased Flowers from the Woods, correct?
Yes. We always did a Christmas show and I would sell business spotlights to businesses in town. One of them was Flowers from the Woods, which was then owned by the late Clyde and Virginia Woods. They would call me to stop by and talk about advertising. One day, they just looked at me and said, “Would you like to buy the flower shop?” I said, “I don’t know.” I called up my husband, David, and said, “Do you want to buy a flower shop?” He asked me if I knew anything about flowers and I said, “Nope, but I can learn.”

When did you take over the shop?
In 2000. It was located just off State Street.

Not many people could take such a leap of faith, how were you able to do so so easily?
I am of the mindset – and it’s how I’ve lived my life – you can do anything you want if you set your mind to it. Dreaming does matter if you accomplish the things you want to accomplish.

When did your love affair with dancing start? And was it always clogging?
Dancing is one of my loves, and it hasn’t always been clogging. Even in high school I would be the first one on the dance floor. I lived in Bloomington for nine years and took up belly dancing. I belly danced with a dance troupe and our leader was Dinara and she would book gigs for us. It was different.

So when were you introduced to clogging?
My niece, Rita, called me up one day and asked if I would like to take a clogging class. I said, ‘Sure.’ That first night I literally fell in love with it. I was 35 years old. I took lessons and lessons and joined their performance group. And then I went to a clogging workshop and learned a lot of routines and later started the Columbus Clogging Company.

How did you get started offering clogging workshops?
I started my own group and then the National Clogging and Hoedown Council (NCHC) held a workshop in Indianapolis and asked me to be a local coordinator and in exchange they gave me two teaching spots at the convention. As a result, I got booked to travel for five other workshops. I have been traveling and teaching clogging now for 35 years.

What has been a unique place your teaching has taken you?
I was the first American clogging instructor to ever teach clogging in Europe and that was in 1989 in Austria and I did it for 12 years in a row. I was there when the Berlin Wall came down.

What are the overall benefits of clogging would you say?
First of all, it is a very clean, healthy form of dance. Kids from age 5 to 85 dance. It is aerobic, good for the heart and it is very family-oriented. For instance, I did a dance one time, it was me, my daughter, my granddaughter and great-granddaughter did a dance to Cotton Eyed Joe by Rednex and it was four generations dancing together.

When and how were you introduced to the theatre?
It was about 11 years ago. We went to see the play ‘Murder at the Howard Johnsons’ put on by the Jackson County Community Theatre at the Pines in Seymour. We were watching this play and my father-in-law looks at me and says, ‘You could do that.’ So on my way out I picked up an audition form and auditioned for their next play, ‘‘Til Death Do Us Part’ and I got the title role of Beth.

How and when did you come to be involved with the Actors’ Studio of Hope?
Pete Law is the one who got me into theatre at WILLow LeaVes of Hope. A gal had backed out on him at the last minute and he called me up and I said ‘Ok.’ And then he just brought me in and we started the Actors’ Studio of Hope. By the time we got to WILLow LeaVes it was the perfect setting. It was in 2014, ‘Letters of Forgiveness’ was the first play I performed in there.

How many plays have you directed/performed in since then?
About 25.

If you would, talk about the relationship and rapport you have developed not only with the ladies at WILLow LeaVes, but with the Hope community.
I think people know me from one of four places, theatre, clogging, the flower shop or the TV show. Being my age, I’ve been around for a long time. I don’t think I am the best actress around, but I think I am a good actress. I just enjoy it. The nice outlet about theatre is, first of all I’d clogged and been on stage for so long, I had no fear when I started.

Switching gears, with so many irons in the fire, what do you do with what free time you are able to find?
I have four grandchildren ranging in age from 22 to 33 years old. I have a great-granddaughter who is nine years old. So whatever free time I have it is usually I am doing stuff with the family, reading, researching plays or writing choreography.

So when do you sleep?
That would be my biggest issue. Turning my brain off is really hard for me, but I don’t require a whole lot of sleep. About six hours is good.

What has been the greatest challenge for you as an actress?
Because of my upbeat personality, if I am playing a role that isn’t comedic, the most challenging part is developing my character. I have such a big personality adapting my personality to the characters can be challenging.

Where do you see your role with theatre and clogging going in the coming years?
I figure I am good for about another 10 years. My thing is a body motion stays in motion. You have to keep doing things and moving. And there are some things I’ve slowed down on. I don’t teach advanced clogging routines anymore.

What about the future of community theatre in Hope?
I see it continuing. We have now established a database of people who come to every play we do. I think because they enjoy the dinner and show and people like that. We have built a huge following. When we started this I wasn’t sure anyone would drive to Hope, but let me tell you it is an amazing little town. And the nice thing about Hope is it is centrally located for Greensburg, Shelbyville, Columbus, etc… I’ve had cloggers come from Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan and West Virginia to see some of our plays.

What does that exposure mean for Hope, would you say?
I think Actors’ Studio of Hope has kind of put a shot of energy and excitement into Hope and WILLow LeaVes. Not only is Hope known not only for Heritage Days, but now, it has given Hope a boost up. I’ve had people come to the plays who say, “I’ve never been to Hope.” With everyone in Hope it gives them more foot traffic and more exposure.

If there is one genre that draws a crowd it is your Southern Fried comedies, why do you think that is?
They are just down-home humor. They’re funny. As an audience member, you don’t have to figure out the plot to have a good time. You don’t have to work for it. People like to laugh and enjoy themselves.

Lastly, how would you define your philosophy of life? How do you approach each day and keep going with the passion you do?
I just live each day like it might be my last. As I tell my husband, I just do the next thing. Sometimes you can get overwhelmed, but what I say to myself is, “Do the next thing.” That is all you have to do and you will be amazed at how much you accomplish.