Bigfork's hidden theatrical community

By JACOB DORAN / Bigfork Eagle

For many who live in Bigfork or who visit, thesummer months mean another season of Bigfork Summer Playhouse.

Every summer, Bigfork Summer Playhouse brings in around 30 actors and actresses from all over the country, the privileged elite chosen to perform the five musicals selected for that particular season. Considering that the BSP has built a reputation internationally as something most serious thespians would love to have on their resume, being chosen is something of an honor. In fact, some talented performers who have gone on to make a name for themselves actually credit the Playhouse for launching their Broadway careers.

What most people are not aware of, however, is that over the years BSP has created a miniature community for its thespians, right here in Bigfork, where sets are built, costumes are designed and actors are housed through the summer season.

Founded in 1960 by Dr. Firman Brown and his wife Margery Hunter Brown, the Playhouse provided a stage for theatre students from the University of Montana and and in-state theater program to perform with during the summer, entertaining almost exclusively local crowds. Today, BSP's talent pool hails from every part of the United States and performs for crowds as diverse as the cast, which often fill the 432-seat auditorium.

In the early days of the Playhouse, the theatre company performed in the old Rebekah-Legion Hall, making its move to the present location in 1964, which has since undergone renovation and expansion to include dressing rooms, decent-sized restrooms and even a lobby and concession area for which yet another expansion is planned in the near future.

However, there has been much more expansion than what is seen by the typical theatre-goer. Over the years, the company has gone from having no facilities in which to build scenery or other essential components of the plays to having a full-sized (40' x 100') scene shop, a 40' x 100' paint shop and a costume shop with a 40' x 40' work area and a 40' x 60' storage area, as well as other areas for prop and scenery storage and an additional 40' x 60' private theater for rehearsing.

In addition, the company has gone from having no area to house the actors and actresses who perform during the summer to boasting a 24-room dormitory—affectionately referred to as "The Waldorf"—with a shared kitchen and recreation area, as well as separate buildings for the directors and technicians.

The three-bedroom directors' home, referred to by the cast and company as "The Plastic Palace", has its own ammenities, as do both of the homes used for the technicians' quarters—a five-bedroom house known as "The Plaza" and a six-bedroom house known as "The Ritz". Each of the living facilities feature their own kitchen, multiple bathrooms, a deck area with a barbeque and a common area for relaxing when time permits.

While the buildings are far from being comparable to their luxurious namesakes, they provide BSP actors and actresses with comforts and accomodations considered in many theatre communities to be something of a luxury.

Returning to BSP for his second season, actor Tim Joyce said Bigfork offers thespians much that other theater companies do not.

"I like having my own room," Joyce said. "That's something I haven't had in other places I've been to. Even in college, you have to share a room with someone else. Here, you have the privacy of your own room and you're just a three minute walk from the rehearsal hall and eight minutes from the threatre. There's a comfortable place to hang out and read or watch movies.

"It really is a nice place. I liked it so much here that I came back for another season without a second thought."

While most years, BSP boasts relatively few Montanans—let alone Bigfork natives—this year the company brought onboard several thespians and technicians from Montana. Four of them are from Missoula and three are from Bigfork.

Returning to Bigfork to take part in the Summer Playhouse this year are children's threatre veterans Quinn Butterfield, Brittany Brooke and Jerry Gaiser, who have each come to appreciate what the theatre company has to offer.

"I've lived in Missoula for the last two years, and I couldn't wait to come back to Bigfork," Butterfield said. "It's a good place to spend your summer, and this is a great company to be part of.

"Coming from the children's theatre, you really look up to the summer people a lot, because they get paid to do this and the shows they put on are fantastic. I knew that I wanted to be in the company, and I wanted to be a part of that whole experience. It's definitely worth the seven weeks of intense, painful, labor-intensive music and dance rehearsals, set-building and everything else you have to do before you get a day off."

Like Joyce, Butterfield said he thought highly of the BSP facilities and atmosphere, adding that living and working with so many great people is like making 27-30 new friends every year, whom you (usually) enjoy being around.

"I'm from Bigfork, and I have the option to go home and have a home-cooked dinner, but I choose to stay here. That ought to be an indication of how nice of a place this is.

"As far as the other actors and what we do every day, it's really a group effort. Everybody is in rehearsals all the time, and when you're not in rehearsals you're building sets. It's kind of like summer camp for big kids."

Joyce referred to the first seven weeks as a kind of theatre boot camp that begins with a half-hour company meeting every morning. From there, the actors participate in 20 minute group warmups, stretches and vocal warm-ups. Then, everyone rehearses and works on getting the next show ready until noon.

After a one hour lunch, it's back to work on sets, rehearsing and performing other essential duties until dinner, which takes place from 5-7 p.m. during rehearsals and from 4-6 p.m. on show nights. On show nights, dinner is followed by a 6 p.m. company meeting prior to the show. And, since the company performs a different show every night, rotating through all five musicals, the cast and crew are responsible for both putting the set together prior to each night's show and taking it down again when the show is over.

"We put on six shows a week, which means that we have to do six changeovers. You get confused about what day it is, because you're so busy," Joyce said. "The only important day is Monday because that's when you get paid, and Friday is cleaning day.

"It's such a good thing to have on your resume', because if you can do Bigfork you can do anything. People like to have Bigfork on their resume because it earns you a lot of respect."

For many of the actors and actresses who take part in BSP, the time spent in Bigfork becomes a crucial component in their development as professionals and cements relationships they will look back on for years to come with fond memories of their experience together.

"There's no way that you can do this and not become close," Butterfield said. "It's like a big family. For the first seven weeks, it's kind of a sweaty, angry family. Then, you get some time off and it becomes a good, nice family again. There's definitely a whole different dynamic, when everybody get's together as a group and does something off of the stage."

Actor Chris Ferris added that the community itself becomes a part of the experience.

"I love working here," Ferris said. "I love the people. I love the atmosphere. The people here seem to really love us and appreciate what we do. I'm really proud of the work we do here, and the people love having us here. They seem to take a lot of pride in the theatre, as well. All we ever get are compliments."

Joyce agreed.

"The people are really good to us, around here," Joyce said. "The community really likes the Bigfork Playhouse, and they're willing to show that by inviting us into their houses on our days off or showing us around."