We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
Actors portraying the Cave of Wonders stand behind Cassim, Ali Baba and the donkey and goat who talked, just some of the helpers and conspirators Aladdin encounters as he tries to get a date with a princess. "Aladdin" was this year's performance staged through the Missoula Children's Theatre.
After the final performance of Missoula Children's Theatre's "Aladdin" in Chinook, members of the lost penguin flock check in their costumes. There were 60+ local children who portrayed roles in the recent production.
After casting the 60+ roles for actors, filling positions for behind the scenes technical assistants, recruiting a pianist and a full week of after school practices, the Missoula Children's Theatre's (MCT) production of "Aladdin" was staged, in two performances, last Saturday. Rhea Miller, the local coordinator for the annual event, said, "Things went very well, we had good audience turnout and the kids did a great performance." This was the 37th appearance in Chinook of the traveling theatre company based in Missoula.
Auditions were completed on Monday with a rehearsal immediately following. Each weekday, after school, actors practiced the music, dance and speaking routines for the show. A dress rehearsal on Saturday morning brought the show together, followed by two live performances that afternoon.
Based on an adaption of several Arabian tales, the story in the production follows Aladdin as he tries to get a date with the princess. He's aided, and foiled, by a whole host of characters from talking palm trees to a flock of little, lost penguins who somehow end up in the desert.
Missoula Children's Theatre started 40 years ago. Through the years they've included more than a million kids in live productions in all 50 states and 17 foreign countries. The MCT's recent appearance was one in a long series of performances in Blaine County communities throughout the years.
The touring show was directed by two employees of MCT, Maria Norris, from Boston, and Martine Fleurisma, from New York City. Most directors are actors or musical performers themselves. For Fleurisma, it was her first time doing a production with school kids. She seemed to be learning the process quickly. Packing their "little red pickup" with all the scenery and costumes for the traveling production, the two directors were headed to Jackson Hole, Wyoming to start a new week with a new set of performers. While in the area, the two directors also did several workshops in local schools in addition to overseeing the daily practices that started after school.
At the end of a week of rehearsals and two full blown performances, the kids, especially the little ones, were showing some signs of an exhausting week. One of the penguins, the lost flock made up of the youngest performers, said, "You don't want to wear that penguin hat, it's really hot."
The cost to bring MCT to Chinook is paid for by a combination of sales of admission tickets to the performances and generous underwriters. This year's underwriters included the Chinook Lions Club, The Chinook Community Chest, the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation, Delta Kappa Gamma and Kamut International. The "Journal" thanks the underwriters, the performers, performers' parents and all the other volunteers who helped bring this artistic experience to our community.
