Local students audition for roles in the Missoula Children’s Theatre production of “Robin Hood” in 2024. The traveling theater company, which returns from June 9 to 14 to the Historic Artcraft Theatre, is inviting local kids to audition for this year’s show, “The Jungle Book.” SUBMITTED PHOTO
“The Jungle Book”
What: A production by the Missoula Children’s Theatre, in which the theater company will cast local students for the show and, in one wee,k put on the play.
Auditions: 10 a.m. Monday at the Johnson County Museum of History, 135 N. Main St., Franklin. Rehearsals will start immediately after the show is cast at the Historic Artcraft Theatre, 57 N. Main St.
Who can try out: Open to all students entering grades 1-12
Cost: The weeklong program is $50, though a limited number of scholarships are available.
Performances: 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. June 14, at the Artcraft Theatre
Information: historicartcrafttheatre.org/mct2025
On Monday morning, the clock starts ticking.
Dozens of local youth will come to the Johnson County Museum of History with hopes of taking the stage with the Missoula Children's Theatre. The theatre troupe is coming to town to put on the musical “The Jungle Book,” and the experience is open to all students who are entering first through 12th grade in the fall.
Over five days, auditions will unfold, roles will be cast, lines will be learned and backstage responsibilities will be passed out. Costumes have to be adjusted, scenery and lighting have to be figured out, and cues must be perfected.
Every minute is going to count until the show debuts on June 14 at the Historic Artcraft Theatre.
“The idea is to get kids fully immersed in the performing arts, getting them to experience something that’s fun for them and creates memories, and they have for the rest of their lives,” said Courtney Marks, one of the professional actor/directors coming to Franklin with Missoula Children’s Theatre.
In what has become a summertime tradition in Johnson County, the Missoula Children’s Theatre is once again bringing the magic of live performance and the fun of staging a show to the Artcraft. “The Jungle Book” will essentially be built from the ground up over a week, an experience that can be hectic, but always proves satisfying for organizers and performers alike.
“When the kids come in for auditions, some of the kids might be a little bit shy, not too sure what to do. Then by the time that Friday rolls around, they’re the ones belting their lines out as loud as they can, being dramatic with their movements, they have their lines nailed. They’re a completely different kid when they leave,” said Dave Windisch, marketing director for Franklin Heritage, which operates the Artcraft. “You watch them build that confidence over a week.”
The Missoula Children’s Theatre is a nonprofit organization based in Missoula, Montana. Though the group operates a home theater in Montana, its Red Truck Tour brings the shows to communities around the United States. The troupe has been staging shows since the 1970s, experimenting with the practice of casting children in the communities where they were performing.
Organizers come to town in their signature red trucks loaded with a set, lights, costumes and props. All they need is a cast.
“We send in teams of two professional actors/directors and they audition with the kids in that town,” Marks said. “They run the show in a week, and put it on at the end of the week.”
Each year, the theater company visits more than 1,200 communities around the world, including all 50 states. More than 65,000 young people serve as cast members each year, and 750,000 audience members come to see the shows.
The theater troupe has come to Franklin every summer since 2015, only missing the 2020 pandemic year. Artcraft organizers had seen other community theaters hosting something similar and felt it would be a good fit in Johnson County, Windisch said.
“It sounded like a really nice way to fill some time in the summer, not only for the kids but for the theater. There are so many options for people to do in the summer, we wanted to have something that was a little bit different than what everyone was doing,” he said.
The experience is made possible by youth programming sponsors Harold and Cathy Sisson. For those in and around the Artcraft during the week, it’s an electric week.
“The energy of the kids is really good. They’re taking their creative energy, following instructions, and doing something with it. It’s really a great thing to see,” Windisch said.
This year’s musical performance tells the familiar story of “The Jungle Book,” following Mowgli as he escapes from the Bander-log, outwits a tiger, enlists the help of a rock-python, explores what it means to be human and learns a lesson from the brave mongoose Rikki-Tikki-Tavi.
The entire experience starts with auditions on Monday.
“It’s amazing to see the community come together for something special like Missoula Children’s Theatre,” Marks said. “Working with the kids and being part of that week is very rewarding.”
Seeing the kids tap into their talents and their potential is a feeling that never gets old, Marks said.
“There are times when a kid who has maybe never been on stage before, seeing them really come into their own, is so rewarding,” she said. “They are so excited because they have their costumes, and they’ve been working hard all week. Finally, they get to put it in front of an audience.”
In addition to the rehearsals, theater staff will present free workshops for the students — helping further their skills in case they want to continue exploring theater.
Students in fourth through sixth grades can learn the precise isolations, physical illusions and deliberate body language of mimes in a workshop on Tuesday. Those in seventh through 12th grades will absorb the basic tools of the stage, from observation to memorization to imagination, in an acting workshop on Wednesday.
Another acting seminar, aimed at students in first to third grades, will be held on Thursday.
Students wishing to audition must arrive by the scheduled starting time and stay for the entire two-hour session. The first rehearsal at the Artcraft Theatre is after the auditions are complete.
Rehearsals will be conducted every day at the Artcraft Theatre from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.. Although not all cast members will be needed at every session, those auditioning must have a clear schedule for the entire week and, if selected, be able to attend all rehearsals required for their role and be available for all scheduled performances.
A detailed rehearsal schedule will be distributed after the audition. Cast members scheduled for the full 4-1/2 hours of rehearsal will be asked to bring a sack lunch to be eaten at noon each day. Snacks will also be provided.
Though the organization aims to include as many students as possible in the show, there is no guarantee that everyone who auditions will be cast in the play.
Still, Marks hopes kids of all experience levels and interests come out to give it a try.
“If you like it, great. If not, that’s okay. It’s more than the performance; it’s more about the experience, what these kids do throughout the week. Maybe they’re making new friends, or they’re learning to work as a team. They’re learning so many life skills through this experience,” she said. ”Come out for auditions, and see what you think.”
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