Sandra Schaeffer (Bergeson; born in 1946) is an American singer, author and game inventor.

Early career

Schaeffer graduated from North Central College in Naperville, Illinois, in 1968. In 1969 she replaced

Madeline Kahn Madeline Gail Kahn (''née'' Wolfson; September 29, 1942 – December 3, 1999) was an American actress, comedian and singer, known for comedic roles in films directed by Peter Bogdanovich and Mel Brooks, including '' What's Up, Doc?'' (1972), '' ...

in the off-Broadway musical production of ''

Promenade An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide cle ...

''. She was one of the first college students ever to be hired into the chorus of the Lyric Opera of Chicago (as an alto), and later sang for the New York City Opera as a soprano, and sang a Spanish "

zarzuela () is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular songs, as well as dance. The etymology of the name is uncertain, but some propose it may derive from the name of ...

" directed by Tito Copobianco at City Center. She was a finalist for the lead in Broadway's ''

Man of La Mancha ''Man of La Mancha'' is a 1965 musical with a book by Dale Wasserman, music by Mitch Leigh, and lyrics by Joe Darion. It is adapted from Wasserman's non-musical 1959 teleplay ''I, Don Quixote'', which was in turn inspired by Miguel de Cervantes ...

'' and ''Two by Two'' by Richard Rogers.

Comedy

After leaving New York, Schaeffer became a teacher and a mother, and resumed her career in the late 1970s as a singing telegram messenger for the "Hey!Wires" Singing Telegram Company in Chicago. She sang a telegram to President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

on national TV, a performance which included playing "Hail to the Chief" on the kazoo. During the 1970s, she sang the National Anthem for the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

on two occasions. She helped Hey!Wires owner co-write humorous lyrics for singing telegrams. They also co-wrote "The Preppy Comedy Album". Schaeffer wrote a Christmas song, ''Mrs. Santa'', that spoofed being a wife and mother in the late 1970s.

Films

Schaeffer played a lesbian partner in ''Nothing to Declare'', an independent film by Julie Glass, and appeared in ''

Chicago Story ''Chicago Story'' is an American crime drama television series that aired for 13 episodes on NBC from March 6 to June 11, 1982, following a 2-hour television film pilot that was broadcast earlier on March 15, 1981. Synopsis The series followed ...

'' and the 2013 Superman, '' Man of Steel''.

Books and games

In 1984, she wrote her first book, ''The I Hate to Diet Dictionary'', excerpts from which appeared in several magazines, including ''

Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Food and drink * Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo" History * Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953 Hotels and resorts * Cosmopoli ...

'' and was excerpted in "Like Mother, Like Daughter" from Hyperion Books.. Schaeffer and Balsamo have co-authored two books: ''Everything You Never Wanted to Know About Sex'' and ''The Book of Indecent Proposals''. In 1984, Schaeffer and Balsamo formed TDC Games, a board game company, and produced their first game, entitled "Adultrivia." They have since co-authored hundreds of games and puzzles which are sold worldwide, the most well-known of which is "

Dirty Minds ''Dirty Minds'' is a board game made by TDC Games in Itasca, Illinois. Created in 1988 by Larry Balsamo and Sandra Schaeffer, it was originally sold only in novelty and adult stores such as Spencer Gifts. Over its history, however, it has penet ...

." Their games have won awards, have been played on radio and TV (by such personalities as

Johnny Carson John William Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He is best known as the host of ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (1962–1992). Carson received six Pr ...

) and have been on the cover of magazines and newspapers such as ''The London Times'' June 20, 1992...front page and "The Washington Post" October 15, 1992 in "Home FronT" with the "Harassment Game." TDC Games, Inc. 1992. In 2000, Schaeffer won first prize in the Blue Mountain Arts Poetry Contest for a poem dedicated to her late mother. As of 2011 Schaeffer continues to co-create some of the world's most popular board games and jigsaw puzzles. In 2015, Schaeffer Bergeson's digital art was published in the Somerset magazine, "Digital Studio" as a spotlight on pages 84–86.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schaeffer, Sandra 1946 births Living people American musical theatre actresses North Central College alumni American women writers American game designers 21st-century American women