Auditions for Missoula Children’s Theatre will be Feb. 2; original adaptation of Hercules will be this year’s play
BY BECKY UEHLING
GRANT TRIBUNE
It’s that time of year for area youth to be thinking about taking part in Perkins County’s Missoula Children’s Theatre (MCT), locally coordinated by the Perkins County Youth Arts Program. This year’s play will be an original adaptation of Hercules, with the plays production taking place on Saturday, Feb. 7 at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. at the Perkins County Elementary school gym.
According to one of Missoula’s local coordinators Tonia Wyatt, auditions will take place Monday, Feb. 2 at the Perkins County Elementary School from 3:45 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. Those auditioning should arrive at 3:30 p.m. and plan to stay for the full two hours. Some of the cast members will be asked to stay for a rehearsal immediately following the audition. All students, kindergarten through 12th grade, are encouraged to audition. No advance preparation is necessary. Assistant directors will also be cast to aid in rehearsals throughout the week and to take on essential backstage responsibilities.
Among the roles to be cast are the mighty Hercules, the philosophers Androcles, Socrates, Aristotle, Zeus, Hera, and Helen of Troy, the announcers Homer and Archimedes, Pegasus, Lion, the hilarious cyclops, the savvy Influencers, the competitive Olympians, and the mighty Titans. The Missoula Children’s Theatre touring productions are complete with costumes, scenery, and props. MCT Tour Actor/Directors will conduct rehearsals throughout the week from 3:45 to 8 p.m. each day.
Again this year the Perkins County Community Foundation Fund will provide considerable monetary support for the production as it has for several years. However, more funds are needed as expenses for the production continue to rise, Wyatt said. She asks citizens and organizations to highly consider supporting the theatre so it can remain a part of Perkins County, and continue providing area youth with ways to explore their talents and experience the arts. For more information or to make a donation, call Wyatt at 308-289-5624 or any of the coordinators for the Perkins County production, which are Mary Dodson, Alyson Carlson and Robin Quinn. Also providing vital support is the Perkins County School and Judy Kurkowski, who accompanies the event.
According to its website, the Missoula Children’s Theatre (MCT), based in Missoula, Montana, has been bringing communities together for over 50 years by providing theatre opportunities to children, offering drama camps, workshops, and live performances. MCT tours across the United States and internationally, sending teams to create local one-off theater productions involving children. MCT has been coming to Perkins County since 2019.