MCT's "Rapunzel" a big hit with local audiences
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Missoula Children's Theatre was in Chinook last week. This is the cast of "Rapunzel" which was presented twice last Saturday afternoon. About 50+ local students had roles in the musical about the adventures of Rapunzel and her escape. In a typical year MCT actor/directors take their traveling performances to 1200 communities and work with 65,000 students.
The 38th annual local production by Missoula Children's Theatre (MCT) did not disappoint this past Saturday afternoon. The stars were 50+ students who auditioned on Monday, after school, began practices that evening and presented two performances just five days later at CHS auditorium. MCT actor/directors have been providing the opportunity for kids to perform before hometown audiences for 40+ years.
This year's actor/directors were both graduates of performance programs at Central Washington University and both grew up on the west coast. At each location the two MCT traveling staffers alternate between acting in the main role and running the technical side of the performance. This year Monica Domena, from Portland, Oregon, acted in the role of the narrator, explaining the action to the audience as Rapunzel's adventure unfolded. The MCT director for the Chinook performances was Seth Hollin of Hoquiam, Washington-a logging town on the Pacific Coast and west of Seattle.
Both Hollin and Domena had spent all of the fall touring with the same production to schools in Canada. Domena said, "I'm not just saying this, it's true. The students here were overall the most talented we've encountered so far. They were easy to direct, had the skills to do their parts and allowed us efficiently to get a production ready to perform." Hollin added, "With these great students we could have fun. I enjoyed the week."
During the week, at Meadowlark Elementary, the pair conducted several workshops for local schools. During closing comments the MCT staffers thanked the Chinook Lions Club and the Chinook Community Chest for the financial support of the MCT program. Hollin also said, "This brief break in the winter weather was nice. After Canada all fall and bitter cold in Montana at the start of our time here, this warm up felt pretty nice."
For Rhea Miller, this completed her sixth year coordinating the MCT visit and production. Each hosting locale has a coordinator who makes arrangements to house the visiting staffers, makes sure a performance venue is available, helps with promotion, finds the pianist to accompany the show, makes sure the funding is in place and is basically a cheerleader for the program and encourager for the kids and parents. Miller said of this year's MCT visit, "As usual we had an exceptional turnout, a large number of students auditioned, the staffers were really good and the families all supported the performers. It was a fun week."
Asked about challenges she had bringing Missoula Children's Theatre to the area she said, "Well, it does get more expensive every year, especially housing the staffers." Miller told about a new trend that the two actor/directors shared with her. She explained, "They told me people are now supporting the program by allowing the staffers to 'house sit.'" The staffers said many people in this part of the country spend time south in the winter, leaving a vacant house. People give permission for the staffers to house sit for the five or six days they are in town. Miller added, "These actor/directors are carefully selected with lots of background checks. People are comfortable with loaning the use of their house or living space. It's something we might consider trying here."
During the week the actor/directors conduct acting, improvisation and other types of workshops at the schools. This gives children who might not be able to audition for a production an opportunity to learn about and experience some aspects of acting. The actor/directors have one workshop that allows students to practice some of the activities an actor uses to 'get into the mind of a character.'
The "Journal" thanks the families who supported the young actors during the week, the actor/directors who shared their skills with our kids, the volunteers who helped make the production happen and the local groups and individuals who provided the financing to bring "Rapunzel" to the area. The actor/directors head to Helena for their next production.
