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The mission statement of the Missoula Children’s Theater tells us
what is truly important to this local non-profit organization, “The
development of life skills in children through participation in the
performing arts.” MCT, as the organization is commonly known, exists
primarily to help kids discover the talents and strengths they have
inside themselves. What most of us in the three rivers area don’t
realize is just how extensive MCT’s reach truly is.
 In
an interview, Don Collins reveals the scope of MCT’s traveling
troupes. “35 touring teams will be on the road this year, they will
reach all 50 states, 16 countries worldwide, and four Canadian
provinces,” says Collins. Touring teams consist of two talented
performing artists carrying with them all the costumes and props
needed to create a performance in any locale. In this way, MCT is
not limited to helping a few local children realize the talents they
have within. Any group around the world willing to organize the
production by agreeing to have a MCT team come to them can get their
children onstage. “It takes a tremendous amount of work to put a
performance together, we can help a school that doesn’t have the
resources to do this themselves with all the logistics of scripts,
costumes, props and talented artists to lead the way,” emphasizes
Collins.
Collins’s connection to MCT dates back to the organizations
humble beginnings. He was co-founder of MCT along with Jim Caron who
has built MCT into a Missoula icon. Collins left Missoula to pursue
his professional singing career and has been on a long stint in
Seattle where he also ran an interior design company with his
brother. “I already knew I needed to make a change when Jim called
and planted the seed to have me return to MCT’s fold,” Collins
stated. The position Collins fills with MCT is one created just for
him. His official title is senior development officer and his goal
will be to generate long term donors for the MCT program, which will
help better secure its financial future. MCT relies on the goodwill
of the local community to help with its funding, but larger donors
from outside the region can help alleviate the need to continually
rely on the individual supporters.
The idea of taking this type of theater on the road was due in large
part to the location of rehearsals and performances during the early
years. The building currently known as the Calvary Church in
Missoula housed the World Theater back in the early 70’s. “We were
allowed to rehearse and perform onstage at the theater as long as we
had our props put away before the movie started,” Collins adds, “we
needed everything to fold up and pack away under the stage in the
small storage area there.” It was Caron’s vision that used the
nuisance of constant packing as the catalyst for taking the show on
the road.
 Alongside
the constant challenge of funding an organization like MCT is the
difficult task of finding talented artists who can meet the demands
of creating a wonderful performance utilizing a novice cast of 50 or
more schoolchildren. Traveling to some of the large national talent
tryouts is one element of finding the 50 or so individuals who can
handle the rigors of a MCT traveling production. Collins states, “it
isn’t necessarily the top talent at an audition that we look for,
it’s important that an individual is well rounded and passionate
about what they’re doing on stage.” Traveling from one location to
another, auditioning all the youngsters who hope to be in the play,
running rehearsals, setting up props and dealing with the many
challenges that creep in surely takes a special talent.
MCT doesn’t stop at the traveling shows they perform. In the
beautiful new theater they call home MCT produces a number of local
community theater events such as the upcoming shows Inspecting
Carol, running December 1-4 and 7-11, and The Wiz, January 19-22 and
25-29, 2006. The children of Missoula don’t lack for opportunities
to participate with MCT. Camps are offered throughout the year for
the young aspiring actor or actress. The Little Mermaid ran in
October, and the Pied Piper will be performed in February. It’s
remarkable that a small local group of talented individuals have
created the largest touring children’s theater program in the United
States. The traveling teams are on pace to perform in close to 1000
productions this year. The simple logistics of coordinating such an
effort would likely stop most groups from achieving such tremendous
success. What a testament to the vision and hard work of all the
staff at MCT that this small town theater is reaching its goal of
helping kids realize their potential around the world. For more
information about the Missoula Children’s Theater please call (406)
728-1911. For ticket information and upcoming shows call the box
office at (406) 728-7529. MCT has a website with additional
information as well, www.mctinc.org.
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