After a four-year hiatus, the Missoula Children’s Theatre is returning to 100 Mile House next month.
This free theatre program, open to young actors between the ages of six to 18, is set to run from Sept. 18 to 23 at Martin Exeter Hall. The 100 Mile Performing Arts Society is excited to be bringing Missoula back to the South Cariboo, board member Melissa Hermiston said.
“We’ve known all along this was something we wanted to bring back to the community,” Hermiston remarked. “Every time we’ve brought it to 100 Mile House it’s been very well received so we’re looking forward to having a lot of fun with it in September.”
All props, costumes and scripts will be provided by Missoula, with 100 Mile House only needing to provide a venue and an audience to watch the final product. All actors who sign up will need to commit to a week of rehearsals after school. Due to the tight turnaround, missing a rehearsal is not an option.
No experience in acting is required, Hermiston explained, noting that the Missoula directors are really good at “casting according to the kid’s personalities and finding a spot for everyone.” Typically there are 50 to 60 roles that need to be filled and if they have a large turnout, backstage roles will be found for those who don’t make the cut. Auditions are held after school on Monday, Sept. 18 with the show set for Saturday, Sept. 23. The price of tickets for the show is still being finalized as of Tuesday, Aug. 22.
“It makes it really easy for families to take part and get their kids exposed to this kind of experience,” Hermiston said. “It’s also just a lot of fun because the productions are always very lighthearted. There are lots of funny songs, characters and costumes.”
Hermiston said this is the perfect opportunity for families to introduce their children to the theatre world. Both her children took part in Missoula’s Snow Queen in 2019 and absolutely loved it.
“I’m looking forward to seeing the unknown talent from kids in our community. There will be kids who my children go to school or play sports with who you would never know have a love of theatre inside of them,” Hermiston remarked. “To see that come out and blossom throughout the week these awesome Missoula directors are working with them is really cool to see.”
This year, Hermiston said the directors plan to do an adaption of Rapunzel. A synopsis provided by the company is as follows.
“It’s out of the tower and on the run as a zany cast of friends and foes help Rapunzel’s harrowing escape from the towering imprisonment of Madame Gothel. Add a dash of French flair and a pinch of personal triumph and friendship and you have a story you won’t forget!”
In the past Hermiston observed that children who took part in Missoula went on to join the society’s larger production. The society is still selecting the script for its next play in 2024 but hopes to see plenty of actors come out and audition.
Anyone with questions is asked to message the 100 Mile Performing Arts Society on Faceboook or email 100MilePerformingArts@gmail.com.
patrick.davies@100milefreepress.net
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