MCT plays show staying power

By HEIDI DESCH - Hungry Horse News

Students at Canyon Elementary last Saturday took part in a bit of tradition as they transformed into all forms of sea creatures.

The tradition has gone on for around 15 years. Each year the Missoula Children's Theater's little red truck comes to Canyon and each year the students show up with the talent.

On Saturday students staged "The Little Mermaid."

Teachers are thrilled to have yearly performances and say it benefits students.

"It's a wonderful self-esteem booster," teacher Jean Fischer said. "It's an intense week with professional actors. It's a huge accomplishment that makes the students feel really good about themselves."

MCT's actor/directors visit over 1,000 communities every year in all 50 states with the goal of developing performers life skills through the performing arts. They start with auditions on Monday, choose a cast and then after a week of intensive rehearsal stage a performance.

The actual time Canyon has been hosting the plays is a point of discussion. A wall in the school's entryway showcases posters from the performances starting in 1990. School staff knows the school held them consecutively for about 14 years before taking a few years off to return last year.

Guesses last week were that this year's play was either the 15th or 16th for the school.

But no matter how long Canyon's actually been holding the performances, the teachers seem to agree that it's an experience like no other.

"It gives students the opportunity to not only perform the play, but to also see the play," teacher Lori Grilley said. "A lot of our kids have never seen a play before."

It can also be an opportunity for some who might not find their niche in sports.

"Athletes are often recognized and this is a chance for students with other talents to get recognized," said Grilley.

For these students the opportunity is even bigger at Canyon. Just under 60 students participated in the play, roughly half the school. Not only that, but every student participated in workshops held during school.

Former Canyon student and now second-grade teacher, Nicolette Bales, is proof that the performances have an impact on students.

Bales performed in three MCT plays during her time as a student.

"It was awesome," Bales said. "It was my most memorable experience while at school here. It was a huge thing to be working with professional actors."

In the fourth grade Bales played a "fireeater" in "Jack and the Beanstalk," then in fifth grade she played a "winkie" in the "Wizard of Oz" and finally in sixth grade she was Gretle in "Hansel and Gretle."

Bales said while she didn't continue acting later in school, the experience did inspire her to participate in choir while in high school.

To this day, she said, she still has her T-shirts from each play and still remembers some of the songs from the plays.

Watching the plays today, she has even greater insight into what an accomplishment it must have been to pull together the performances in just a week.

"It's amazing the level of performance (the directors) get out of the kids," she said. "I remember as a kid I didn't really know how the whole thing would all come together until afterwards."

MCT's Alexis Jacobson said it was neat to see all the posters of past plays on the walls at Canyon. Jacobson, along with Sarah Schanzenbach, directed Saturday's play.

Jacobson said when a school has held a play before it's a little more prepared for what to expect, but no matter what the goal is the same.

"It's neat to bring the theater experience to a place that might not have had the opportunity otherwise," she said.