Young Thespians Hit The Stage For "A Pied Piper"

For the second year in a row, The Fort Peck Fine Arts Council and the Missoula Children's Theatre teamed up to bring an opportunity for young thesipans to showcase their tallent. This year's show was the production of "The Pied Piper" at the Glasgow High School auditorium which was opne to the public on Oct. 5 with two showings, one at 1 p.m., and one at 6 p.m.

The show was open to all Valley County kids in kindergarten through eighth grade to audition at the beginning of last week and then the young actors had the whole week to practice after school and during the day on Friday to prepare for the big shows.

A total of 37 talented students, from all ages and grades, received parts in the production, led by tour actor/directors Patrick Dougherty and Amanda Halcott, who are both part of the Missoula Children's Theatre.

The synopsis of the play was what do you do when your town is overrun by ravenous rats? Sara (played by Arrow Henry), and the other Townspeople of Hamelin Town turn to the Mayor of Hamelin and the Council when their town is threatened. They call on the Pied Piper (played by Gwen Turner) to save them from the troublesome creatures. The Mayor's children (played by Devon Munroe, Bethany Bras and Holly Bell), staff, including the Hamelin Administrative Team (played by Oakleigh Bietz-Trott, Joel Guttenberg, Shirley Thompson, Journeigh Fercho, Emma Hopstad and Daylin Wayne) and Council Members (played by Tenley Knight, Lyla Marlenee, Autumn Pearson, Jace Lacock, Genova Pang and Lilly Tuttle), as well as the cooks (played by Lillian Baumgartner, Archer Henry, Kinley Overbey, Fallan Pinder, Hayven Fox, Kjel Bea Markle, John Pearson and Olivia Weber), also join in on the endeavor. The audience also found out what happens when the town chooses not to pay the Piper and the children (played by River Butterfield, Thomas Pearson, Jude Pang and Quinn Young),and the Mayor's children are led away from the town along with the rats (played by Larry Baumgartner, Remington George, Miles Henry, Thea Steele, Colt Butterfield, Cecil Griebel, Maddyson Kolpin and Bennett Young).

With the help of the Glasgow Drama Club and the Fort Peck Fine Arts Council, assisting with extra hands, eyes and ears with the students, the show came together in just five days.

Now in it's 51st year, the Missoula Children's Theatre International Tour has fostered developmental life skills in more than a million kids. Prior to COVID, they they have worked with 65,000 children in more than 1,100 communities in all 50 states and 17 countries each year. The reach is increasing once again. The Missoula Children's Theatre domestic tour is sponsored by Cosmic Crisp, a new apple grown exclusively in Washington State, and the Glasgow tour was sponsored by generous community supporters.