Missoula Children's Theatre presents "Snow White"

The Missoula Children’s Theatre rolled into Plains last week, and with in seven days had 60 students putting on a “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” production.

A tour team from the 40 year old theatre company is made are pairs of actors who provide the training, sets, costumes and guidance to put on a play.  In one week, they audition the kids for about two hours, pick their actors and start rehearsals the next day.  They practice almost every day in that week, for a total of 20 hours and put on two shows in one day at the end. 

Two productions of “Snow White,” were held at the Plains High School gym on Saturday afternoon and evening.  Students in grades Kindergarten to seniors made up the cast.  Younger children took the parts of the forest animals, for example and the older students were cast as the leads such as Snow White, the King “Backwords,” and the evil Queen.

Calida Davis and Erik Heuchert are one of the 35, two person teams the company sends on the road for about five months.  The teams cover every state in America and 17 countries.

“The kids are doing an amazing job,” said Davis at a Friday afternoon rehearsal at the Plains High School gym.  “There is quite a bit of talent in this town.  We weren’t sure what to expect from a small town such as Plains, but it’s been great,” said Davis.

During the rehearsal last Friday afternoon, Davis and Heuchert gave tips and directions to the student actors.  They also went over the “rules” of backstage: quiet on the set and don’t touch the props were some of the rules.

“There is a different angle to the plays, but they are based on fairytales.  Some of the characters are slightly changed with an unexpected twist,” said Davis.

For example, King “Backwords,” says everything he means in the opposite way, and the dwarfs have different names than in the original story.

“The play went very well.  I was so impressed by the great job they did in such a small amount of time,” said Synde Connolly, a volunteer who played the piano for the play.

About 300 people attended the play between the two showings on Saturday, said Louise Lulack, a member of the Plains Woman’s Club, which  organized the event.

“It costs about $2,000 to get the Children’s Theatre to come, but it’s very nice for the kids and community,” said Lulack.

The Woman’s Club has brought 18 shows to Plains over the years, and usually rotates bringing the company to town about every other year.

The next stop for the their tour is Fairbanks, Alaska and then on to international stops in Europe.  Davis and Heuchert have been on the road touring since January and go until May with a few weeks off in between.  They will have put on 15 “Snow White” plays, packing up their truck with sets and costumes and moving from town to town around the nation.

“It’s a great job,” said Davis.  “We get to perform, act and direct, but most of all work with talented kids.  We also take turns acting and directing each week.  One of us is one stage with the kids, and the other is back stage.”