Missoula Childrens Theatre

Can you imagine walking into a room with eighty children all waiting impatiently? Can you imagine getting this group of young people ages six to eighteen years old organized to audition for a play? Can you even begin to imagine selecting sixty of these children and having them ready in five days to give a full length musical? This is the magic of Missoula Children's Theater. Two actors/directors arrived in Eureka on October 6th, a Monday afternoon, in their red truck to hold auditions and to begin rehearsals. On October 11th, they gave two public performances of "The Wizard of Oz" with their cast of sixty young thespians singing, dancing, and taking us all along the yellow brick road. All of it from the first encouragement to "speak in a loud and clear voice," to costumes, staging, songs and the final applause on Saturday afternoon is a remarkable experience.

Missoula Children's Theater staff stress that “The performances reinforce the values and goals of local schools by teaching children that hard work, discipline, and listening skills lead to success. While children enjoy their week with the Missoula Children’s Theatre, they’re also developing critical life skills such as teamwork, communication and social skills, and self-discipline. Our mission is the development of life skills in children through participation in the performing arts."

If you haven't had the pleasure of seeing one of these productions, you should definitely come this year to experience it. Performances were Saturday (10/11) at 3pm and 5:30pm at the LCHS auditorium. Tickets are always available at the door. And next year (Sunburst Community Service Foundation has been bringing the Missoula Children's Theater to Eureka for 15 years), come the first day to watch the magic unfold during auditions. Here is additional information on MCT and what they give to communities like ours.