TWO YOUNG MISSOULA CHILDREN’S THEATER DIRECTORS STAGE A REMARKABLE ASHE COUNTY PRODUCTION IN ONE WEEK

By: John C. Nelson

The Missoula Children’s Theater (MCT) was founded in 1970 and currently stages performances in over 1,100 communities worldwide. The Ashe County Arts Council has been on MCT’s tour schedule since 1999.

This past weekend, thirty-four children, ranging in age from six to fourteen and representing schools throughout Ashe County, presented two hour-long performances of The Wizard of Oz on Saturday, November 9, at the Ashe County Civic Center. These two performances marked the culmination of a week of intense preparation under the direction of the Missoula Children’s Theater and the Ashe County Arts Council. Open auditions were held on Monday, November 4, with cast announcements following on Tuesday, November 5. Rehearsals took place on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday afternoons from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

Two MCT co-directors and producers orchestrated this remarkable production: Molly Carter of Ellensburg, WA, and Piper Sommer of Fargo, ND. Both young women bring extensive live theater production experience and demonstrate remarkable understanding and patience that far exceeds what one might expect from two twenty-somethings.

Molly was first introduced to MCT when she was cast in a local production at age ten in her hometown of Ellensburg, where she continued performing with MCT for another four years. She has been directing for MCT for three years since graduating with a degree in Sociology from Brigham Young University.

Piper graduated from the University of North Dakota with a major in Musical Theater and minors in Dance and Sustainability Studies. She has been an MCT touring director since January 2024.

Molly and Piper are one of twenty MCT director-producer teams touring and staging locally cast productions throughout the U.S. and internationally. Together, they will stage forty-six productions across the U.S. before the year’s end.

Interviewing Molly and Piper last week felt like speaking with two wizened and peaceful old souls captured in young, vibrant, and thoroughly engaging personas. Their minds seemed to work as one, often responding to questions in their own unique form of twin-talk—finishing each other’s thoughts with a nod, look, smile, or laugh. By the end of our hour-long discussion, it was both difficult and unnecessary to separate their individual responses.

When asked what stood out to them most about Ashe County, they were emphatic. “We found a very supportive community here,” they said. “More so than in many places we go. There was no sense of disgruntled parents or jealousy over roles. We saw many new friendships formed across different schools and between homeschoolers and public school students. For many homeschoolers, this was their first opportunity to engage with the larger community. It was wonderful to see all ages mix, play, and create together,” they added.

From Ashe County, Molly and Piper will move on to Virginia. “We never know ahead of time what we’ll encounter in the next location,” they agreed. “The ages and experience levels can vary greatly from one place to the next. It’s a challenge we look forward to.”

The Missoula Children’s Theater Mission Statement:

Empowering children and adults through theatre education and performance to develop lifelong skills while enriching communities worldwide through live productions.

200 North Adams Street
Missoula, MT 59802
Phone: 406-728-7529
Website: www.mtcinc.org