ROBIN HOOD -- Missoula Children's Theatre

Saint Mary's University of Minnesota, Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts at the Valencia Arts Center
director: Melissa Carroll
tour actor: Renee Roberts
cast: Austin Lubinski, Madeleine Bryant, Alli Wildenborg, Elisabeth Frederickson, Audrey O'Keefe, Amanda Anderson, Christopher Bernard, Raizl Campbell, Sydney Dean, Hannah Dunsmoor, Mitchell Essar, Orion McCullough-Smith, Katie Prinsen, Haleigh Riggall, Emily Smith, Michael Todd, Nick Arnold, Christian Deranek, Becca Geisler, Samantha Johnson, Rebecca Munson, Adrianna Rackow, Cora Arnold, Ceci Bernard, Sophia Piano, Sofie Underdahl, Rosemary Flanagan, Cross Korder, Kailey Kronebusch, Jeremiah Munson, Mac Whaley, Libby Crigler, Hannah Essar, Anthony Henderson, Summer Lawson, Carl Rackow, Melanie Anderson, Mary Arnold, Aidan Beckman, Andrew Behling, Myles Dean, Olivia Flanagan, Nathan Graff, Samuel Graff, Aaron Munson, Chloe Paino, Wil Prinsen
accompanist: Aleah Zuccarelli
conceived, written, and composed by: Michael McGill

A new look at the Robind Hood tale.

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The Missoula Children's Theatre program is a relatively new program to me (although I'm now familiar with at least two companies working this way). Basically, the company sends two "professional" actor/directors to a city, auditions are held and the show is cast with anywhere from 50-80+ children, and the show is rehearsed and then performed all within one week's time.

No one attends a performance like this in order to see theatre. Attendance is generally only family of the children in the show. The "purpose" of this kind of theatre is to give children a chance to "be in a play." Opportunities for children to participate in theatre are rare, as states cut more and more arts from schools. The question I ask, though, is: Is this theatre? I've auditioned and cast students in 9th grade who are completely surprised by a "real" rehearsal schedule and demands because they've never known anything but this kind of theatre. They've also never had to take it seriously -- it's just for fun.

For some, this is, sadly, the only theatre they will ever experience, and for that there is a purpose. I happen to not think too highly of this kind of program. Yes, my children did participate, but I also know that my children have an understanding of "real" theatre, having seen me at work.

This show lacked a story and music, even more than most of this sort. What it did have going for it, was a better than usualy "look." The costumes were nicer than I've seen with other, similar, companies, and the set actually had some kind of set, rather than just a few drapes.

I've posted this here because I did attend the performances, but it's certainly not worth watching if you don't have family participating (and even then it's questionable).

CYMBELINE -- Great River Shakespeare Festival

director: Doug Scholz-Carlson
cast: Jacob Bell, Jennice Butler, Andrew Carlson, Dane Clark, Kylie Edmonds, Adam Habben, Rachael Jenison, Amy Malcom, Marianne Miller, Eva Nelson, Lucinda Rogers, Michael Rubke, Christopher Thompson, Max Wojtanowicz

Shakespeare's rarely performed fairy tale.

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This was performed by GRSF's Acting Apprentice company (generally college students) and, while generally fairly good, certainly had the feel of a good college production.

There were aspects of the direction that made me wonder just what the heck was going on (the marching upstage of the action was distracting and out of place).

The script has problems (how can you not laugh when, in Act V, Scene V, as all the confessions are being made and identities being revealed, Cornelius says, "I left out one thing...") -- a lack of focus and a too convenient wrapping up of revelations. Sometimes it's nice to see that even the greatest playwright who ever lived managed to write some less than stellar work.

Even so, there manages to be some kind of a power that Shakespeare has and it is a joy to listen to his words (when done well).

I did find it curious that it was billed as a "tragedy." There really are no tragic elements in this, and when I asked the director, he said they did so because it was titled as a tragedy in the folio from which they took this work. Curious. I appreciate their deire to be as authentic as possible, but it actually seemed to add to some confusion (on my part, at least).