Theatre performances coming to Mineral County

Two performances are coming to Mineral County this week. On Thursday, August 19, behind the high school, Julius Caesar will be performed as part of Montana's Shakespeare in the Parks 38th Season. Then, on August 21, in the St. Regis Community Park, get ready for some Adventures on the Western Stage. Both performances are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. and are free to audiences.

In June, Montana Shakespeare in the Parks will began its 38th season of providing exceptional entertainment throughout the region with two of Shakespeare's most popular plays, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Julius Caesar. The ten-week tour, which began on June 23rd with eight initial performances in Bozeman, hit the road on July 5th and will include 75 performances in 60 communities this summer.

One of the summer's most anticipated attractions, Montana Shakespeare in the Parks brings professional productions at no cost to the public to communities throughout Montana, northern Wyoming, eastern Idaho and western North Dakota. Remarkably self-sufficient, the company features 10 professional actors who tour without technical assistance to bring theatre to communities primarily in rural areas that may not otherwise have access to it. This summer, the anticipated audience of over 30,000 will be treated to two wonderful performances that cover the broad perspective of Shakespeare's genius as a playwright.

MSIP veteran Will Dickerson has chosen to direct Julius Caesar, Shakespeare's classic tale of betrayal, to complement the 2010 summer season. Julius Caesar is an exciting ride which includes espionage, secret alliances, murderous plots, political intrigue and lots of action. It serves as a cautionary tale for those who crave power and whose ambitions place personal gain above the public good.

"I think the engine that drives the main players of this story is competition," says director Dickerson, "and there are a lot of by-products of this competition both good and bad: pride, jealousy, courage, ambition, fanaticism and loyalty to name a few."

This summer's production of Julius Caesar will be set in Rome in 44 B.C.

"The idea is to get out of the bleached white togas and try to make these people real and accessible," Dickerson said.

For more information on the plays and a complete tour schedule visit the company's website at www.montana.edu/Shakespeare.

Montana Shakespeare in the Parks is an outreach program of Montana State University's College of Arts and Architecture. Performances this summer are supported by and hundreds of individual donors who give what they can to keep the performances free and available to everyone in the touring area. Major Sponsors include the National Endowment for the Arts, Northwestern Energy, Stillwater Mining Company, Pacific Steel & Recycling, Gapwest Broadcasting, Montana Cultural Trust and the Montana Arts Council.

Theatre in the park in St. Regis will utilize the newly constructed pavilion and Jessica Connolly believes that Adventures on the Western Stage will be greatly enjoyed by families, noting that the pavilion gives families a great way to enjoy the park.

"This is a great opportunity for kids and families to enjoy the park while listening to music or watching a theatre group perform," Connolly said.

Adventures on the Western Stage is being brought to the park by the Vigilante Theatre Company. The performance is a fast-paced comedy set on the western vaudeville stage in the early days of the 20th century. The brother-sister act of Winston and Vidalia Grumble find themselves in a heap of trouble one night when all the other acts on the bill suddenly turn up missing or, for various reasons, are unable to go on. Winston and Vidalia rely on their quick wits, instincts, and years of stage experience to perform all the acts themselves. The Grumbles sing, they dance, tell jokes, juggle, do ventriloquism and even read minds as they go to heroic lengths to ensure that the show goes on.

The Vigilante Theatre Company is composed of two co-founders, Johns Hosking and Rhonda Smith, and varying performing arts professionals who deliver original musical theatre productions to communities large and small, all across the Northwest. Equally beloved by folks from the farm to the Fortune 500, they're portable, they're affordable, and they never fail to leave an audience smiling.

If anyone has any questions about either performance, call Carol Sullivan at 822-4937 to inquire about Julius Caesar, and call Jessica Connolly at 649-7206 to inquire about Adventures on the Western Stage.

The sponsors for the performance in Superior are the Superior High School Drama Department, Superior Education Association, Lion's Club, Town of Superior, Chamber of Commerce, Mineral Community Hospital, KC Sullivan Management Services, Kelley Insurance Agency, Mineral Pharmacy, Sullivan's Rock n' Rodeo, S & S Foods, Lincoln Development, Big Sky Motel, Mineral County Performing Arts Council, Carol and Roger Billadeau, Mullan Trail Bank, Wells Fargo Bank, Superior Antiques and Sporting Goods, Jim Goss and Cathy Reich.