“King Arthur’s Court”
Sponsored by U.S. Bancorp Foundation and Leonette Foundation.
Nightingale Concert Hall, Church Fine Arts Building, UNR Campus, 7.24, 7PM, $10 Purchase tickets at the door or in advance by calling Artown at 775.322.1538
Back by popular demand, The Missoula Children’s Theatre visits Artown to introduce local children to the world of theater with a production of “King Arthur's Court.”
The Missoula Children's Theatre (MCT), the nation’s largest touring children’s theatre, has been touring extensively for 35 years from Montana to Japan, and will visit nearly 1,300 communities this year with 47 teams of Tour Actor/Directors. A tour team arrives in a given town with a set, lights, costumes, props and make-up, everything it takes to put on a play...except the cast. The team holds an open audition and casts 50-60 local youth to perform in the production. The show is rehearsed throughout the week and a public performance is presented on Saturday. All MCT shows are original adaptations of classic children’s stories and fairytales . . . a twist on the classic stories that you know and love. Also included in the residency are three enrichment workshops presented by the Tour Actor/Directors. Creativity, social skills, goal achievement, communication skills and self-esteem are all characteristics that are attained through the participation in this unique, educational project. MCT's mission is the development of life skills in children through participation in the performing arts.
The Performance
Local kids perform the magical musical, "King Arthur's Quest." Merging its way through a story bursting with surprises, the enchanted tale finds King Arthur, Guinevere, Merlin, The Raven, Lancelot and the rest of the gang dealing with the challenges faced by their people. Will the troubles of King Arthur's kingdom threaten to overwhelm him? Audiences can only hope for the best and watch as the beloved characters of Camelot take an original twist on the familiar story. Sponsored by U.S. Bancorp Foundation, Leonette Foundation and Wells Fargo Foundation.
Auditions
Auditions for the performance are July 19 at 2p.m. at the Grand Sierra Resort’s Grand Theatre All children ages 6 – 18 are encouraged to audition. No advance preparation is necessary. For kids who are cast in the play there is a $40 registration fee which includes four tickets to the final performance for friends and family. Rehearsal dates are July 20, 21 and 22 at the Grand Sierra and Friday at Nightingale Concert Hall.
More about Missoula Children’s Theatre
The Missoula Children's Theatre is based in Missoula, Montana, and also runs many local programs. These include musical theatre day camps and performing arts classes for local children, a summer residency Performing Arts Camp for students from around the world and the MCT Community Theatre which creates an arena for local talent of all ages to participate in large-scale productions and attracts audiences from western Montana. For students interested in a career in the performing arts, MCT has developed Next Step Prep—The Academy for Musical Theatre—providing high school students an affordable opportunity to train and study with well-known professionals in the field of music, dance and acting to prepare for college.