Theater Opportunities Coming to Chinook
Share
Tweet
Montana Actor’s Theater is back, and the crew have been busy. Earlier this month, they held auditions, announced theater camp schedules, and hired interns.
On June 9 and 10, Montana Actor’s Theater (MAT) hosted auditions for their upcoming theatrical production of The Wizard of Oz. Auditions were conducted from 6:30-8:00 p.m. at the Creative Leisure Building located at 417 First Street in Havre.
Roles were available for middle and high school youth in this classic show in which Dorothy is swept to Oz on a cyclone. There, she joins the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion as she searches for home and family. Faithful to the original book by L. Frank Baum, Virginia Koste's adaptation for the theater creates a fresh framework for Oz.
Chinook resident Ben Hall will serve as the narrator and will also act the part of Frank Baum, as well as the Wizard. These additional characters will star in the show:
Frank Baum/Captive - Aden Shandorf
The Stagehand - Katelyn Maloughney
Dorothy - Kate Hemmer
Uncle Henry/Guardian - Dever Everingham
Aunt Em/Witch of the West - Elaine Atkinson
Toto - Koby Preputin
Glinda/Good Witch - Tyley Hemmer
Scarecrow - Jordan Rader
Tin Woodman - Tehya Vauthier
Cowardly Lion - Carsyn Vogel
Munchkins - Cody Birdtail, Eric Messinger, and William Ratliff
Winkies/Munchkin - Maddy Hagen, Marlee Thivierge, and Chloe Hodges
Backstage - Navelle Ramales, Izzy Hagen, Treasure Squires, and Trinity Olsen
The production, which will run August 6-8 and 13-15, celebrates various timeless themes: the importance of mind and heart; courage in facing what is feared; the need to dream, to dare, and to ride out storms; as well as the joys of loving, laughing, crying, and being lost and found.
MAT’s Youth Production gives young people the opportunity to participate in every aspect of a theatrical production and to develop the discipline required to create a polished, fully-staged, professional show.
In other MAT news, KidsMAT will begin in Chinook on June 29 and run through July 2. Registration is now open for this unique performing arts summer camp experience for children ages 5-15. Interested individuals can register online by visiting mtactors.com/kidsmat/.
Youth will attend camp on Monday—Thursday from 9:00 a.m. through 3:00 p.m. During the week, campers will learn all aspects of theatre production, including story and script development, acting, costuming, and technical aspects of drama. The experience will culminate in a short production on Thursday evening.
All KidsMAT camps will take place outdoors and will be strictly limited to 25 participants. Camp registration fees include a t-shirt and a water bottle. For those wishing to apply, scholarships are also available. Children must bring a sack lunch each day, but other snacks will be provided.
To request a scholarship or to receive additional information, interested individuals are encouraged to contact Youth Activities Director, Angela Pratt via email: angela@mtactors.com or by phone: 406-390-2729.
According to MAT’s Executive Director, Jay Pyette, all MAT interns, who run the camps, are local students. “In light of the current circumstances of the world, we decided it was in the best interest of everyone to hire interns locally this year instead of bringing in some from other areas of the country,” Pyette stated.
So as to eliminate the risk of exposure to COVID-19 from outside communities, the three interns hired for this summer are Hannah Bricker, Aria Pratt, and Marcee Murphy.
