Missoula Children's Theater's "The Snow Queen" in Chinook on Saturday the 20th
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Amanda Belscamper, an actor/director with a prior Missoula Children's Theatre production staged in Chinook, checks in costumes after the final performance of "The Little Mermaid" in 2015. This year's actor/directors both are Midwesterners both having completed college in Illinois.
When the curtain goes up this Saturday afternoon for two live performances of the "The Snow Queen" performed by local youngsters, it will mark another milestone for the Danish fairy tale first published in 1844. For nearly two centuries artists have used the tale written by Hans Christian Andersen to present the struggle between good and evil as experienced by Gerda and Kay, the two main characters in the Missoula Children's Theatre's (MCT) adaptation of the original story.
The version of the fairy tale that local audiences will see was written by a senior staff member at MCT. Before a show "goes on the road" it is premiered in Missoula at MCT's performance facility. For "The Snow Queen" that premier happened in February of 2016. Children in Missoula audition for the roles and after the initial performance, and some tweaking to make the play workable for the traveling programs, the show is tested again in school settings around Missoula. Then the play is ready for the hundreds of performances that follow around the country and world.
History of MCT in Chinook
Tammy Edwards is the new coordinator for this year's performance. The coordinator is the go-between that assures MCT's actor/directors, the artists who conduct the auditions to select the kids for the show and prepare the actors for the final performances, are in sync with the needs and wishes of the local students and schools. Tammy was preceded for the last six years by Rhea Miller. Through the years there have been a number of coordinators who made certain the show took place each year. The first MCT production in Chinook was "The Pied Piper," staged in 1979.
The process to the final performance
Auditions for "The Snow Queen" were held Monday at the Chinook High auditorium after school. Students aged kindergarten through 12th grade were encouraged to audition. A typical production has about 60 students as actors, singers and dancers as well as a few older students chosen to work as student directors behind the scenes.
A pair of MCT actor/directors conduct the auditions and subsequent rehearsals. They teach the performers the music, the lines and the movement that culminates in the final two performances. MCT has about 70 actor/directors traveling at any one time. The actor/directors are selected by MCT from among young adults interested in some aspect of theatrical production.
The two actor/directors responsible for "The Snow Queen" both come from the Midwest. Courtney Brooke Marks is a graduate of Eastern Illinois University (Charleston) with a BA in theatre performance. She performed in a variety of roles during college. Jacob Hawk earned a music degree from Northwestern University (Evanston/Chicago). He writes songs, has played roles in several musicals and sings with vocal ensembles in the Chicago area.
Rehearsals for some performers chosen for "The Snow Queen" began immediately after auditions on Monday evening. The actor/directors conduct rehearsals from 3:30 to 7:45 pm each day. Several "workshops" related to performing will be held during the week at Meadowlark and Zurich schools. A final dress rehearsal will occur Saturday morning with two complete performances on Saturday afternoon at Chinook High.
The story of
"The Snow Queen"
In "The Snow Queen" Gerda, the main character, must overcome many obstacles to find her lost friend, Kay. Terri Elander, the public relations director for MCT, said in an earlier story in the "Missoulian" that the people who write the script for MCT productions "...stick with well-known plays for the most part, but all of our shows are original adaptations of these stories. Our adaptation of "Aladdin," for example, is not Disney's." Elander added, "All of our shows have a basic moral without it being preachy."
Michael McGill, the Executive Director of MCT, wrote the adaptation for this year's presentation. He had to devise ways the fairy tale could be tweaked to be presented in the typical residency programs that MCT's actor/directors must stage in communities. Characters are often revised and scenes have to be scripted so that a successful performance can come together after only a week of practice. Of "The Snow Queen" McGill said despite modifications he kept the fairy tale's message of resilience and perseverance.
Audiences may recognize themes from "The Snow Queen" in many modern theatrical and musical productions. "Frozen," a popular animated film released by Walt Disney Animation Studios in 2013, was inspired by the original fairy tale. In the late 1990's "The Snow Queen" was choreographed and produced as a full length ballet. More recently there's been a rock musical and a few years ago a video game, both with themes taken from the nearly 200 year old fairy tale. The theme of "never give up" endures for both dramatic and musical expression.
Show times, tickets and
other information
Performances of "The Snow Queen" will be staged in the auditorium at Chinook High on Saturday, January 20. The show times are 1 pm and 3:30 pm. Tickets will be sold at the door prior to both performances.
The financial support required to bring the MCT to town goes beyond the revenue raised from ticket sales for the performances. Additional financial support comes from the Chinook Lions Club, the Chinook Community Chest as well as the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation. This year Ben and Patty Hall are housing the actor/directors, a significant savings on housing costs. Julie Finley volunteers as the piano accompanist for "The Snow Queen."
The "Journal" thanks all the donors, volunteers, parents and students who help make this a great annual event for the community.
