Children’s theater to perform Alice in Wonderland Saturday

Somewhere between 40-60 of our community’s kindergarten through high school senior students will perform Alice in Wonderland with help from the Missoula Children’s Theatre March 5.

Auditions took place Monday, with nightly, four-hour-long rehearsals taking place all this week after school, in preparation for the musical event on Saturday. 

Alice in Wonderland is based on upon two stories, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, both written by Lewis Carroll. Lyrics were comprised by Carroll as well as from William Shakespeare and David W. Simmons, who also composed the music. Staging is by Don Kukla.

The Missoula Children’s Theatre (MCT) brings musical performances to various communities and is traveling around Wyoming this spring. MCT began touring in 1973 and has visited all 50 states, 15 different countries, and five Canadian provinces.

This is not the first time MCT has visited Glenrock – in fact, they’ve been doing this annually for so long, Glenrock Schools Community Education Coordinator Tasha White said “it’s certainly been going on for many, many years.”

““I’ve been doing it for five years, since I’ve been in this position, but it’s been much longer than that,” she said.

Two professional actors/directors from MCT host the week-long residency, developing artistic talent in young people with whom they work. The performance, held at the end of the week, features local children who receive an education in theater in order to perform a full-scale musical for the community. 

The program is both educational and enjoyable for the young actors, helping them learn the craft of theater arts as well as instilling confidence and encouraging teamwork and personal responsibility. The community benefits by enjoying the end-result, a full-scale musical performance, sharing laughter and smiles, and experiencing a sense of pride in the youngsters who work hard to share community children’s theater with their peers, families, and friends. The community also receives 100 percent of ticket sales. 

Two performances are scheduled for Saturday, the first one at 1 p.m. and the final performance is set for 3:30 p.m.

Ticket prices are: four and under, free; kids ages five and up are $5; adults are $10 and senior citizens are $7.

“MCT brings something different to do to Glenrock. It’s something different for the kids to learn and do. It’s a whole new aspect for younger kids and introduces them to theater once a year. It also requires commitment for a week of rehearsals and then the performance on Saturday,” White said.

White encourages the community to attend the performance Saturday in the Glenrock Intermediate School auditorium

For more information on the upcoming production, contact White at 307-436-4705.