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Somewhere over the rainbow...
It seemed that a legendary kingdom located "somewhere over the rainbow" had landed in Mountain Home last week.
Stepping onto the stage, a group of children from Mountain Home told the tale of how an ordinary group of individuals defeated a sinister villain to save the day. During their perilous journey, they discovered their own greatness and realized that there's no better place than home.
On Saturday afternoon, the Missoula Children's Theatre brought the kingdom to life as it presented the Wizard of Oz at Mountain Home High School.
The shows followed just five days of rehearsals after an open casting call April 1. Of those who auditioned, the theater group recruited more than 60 students to tell the story of a young girl who joins forces with a scarecrow, a man made of tin and a cowardly lion.
Facing a tight production deadline to meet the first curtain call, the cast spent more than four hours each evening memorizing their lines and cues.
Jessica Rigsby from the theater company credited these children and teens for tacking the challenges associated with the compressed production schedule.
As they prepared for their first dress rehearsal Saturday morning, children like Olivia Overfield were starting to feel some butterflies in their stomach.
"I'm nervous... just a little," said Overfield, who played one of the 12 Munchkins. "I've just never been around so many people and performing on stage, but I am excited."
While memorizing the script was pretty tough, the youngster admitted that her greatest challenge was learning how to project her voice so everyone in the audience could hear her, especially those seated in the back row.
Overfield auditioned for the play at the urging of her sister, who was also hoping to join the cast.
"She convinced me to try out. She was scared to do it alone," Overfield said.
For others like Zoraida Perkins, joining the Wizard of Oz was a dream come true. She and her brother, Skyler, were among the younger cast members that played the Ferocious Flowers that inhabited the magical kingdom.
"She's been watching the Wizard of Oz since she was 18 months old, so this is her show," said Zoraida's mother, Rae Perkins.
The classic 1939 movie is also a personal favorite of Tucker Holland, who landed the role of the Tin Man. Each time he watches the film -- he admits that he's seen it at least 20 times -- he enjoys listening to the music and watching the actors bring their characters to life.
When he auditioned, Holland wasn't sure if he had what it took to join the cast.
"I was hoping for any part," said Holland, who got his start in acting by participating in church plays. He's currently taking acting classes at Mountain Home High School.
Landing one of the lead roles "felt pretty great," he said. However, it meant having to invest a considerable amount of work not only learning the extra dialogue but also the songs and stage cues.
While many of the children and teens participating in Saturday's play had a couple of years of acting experience, Katheryn Lohmeier was a relative newcomer. She started acting in seventh grade when she auctioned for a school musical. That experience had her immediately hooked.
"I like to put on shows; I like to entertain," said Lohmeier, who played the Green Guard that protected the Emerald City that was home to the Wizard of Oz.
The teen admitted that learning her lines wasn't too tough. What was hard was bringing out the Green Guard's personality.
"Anyone can memorize lines," Lohmeier said. "It's a lot harder to give your role some character."
Unlike traditional school musicals, being involved with the Missoula Children's Theater had some unique differences, the teen said. Among them was dealing with people of different ages, most of whom she didn't know prior to the auditions last week.
"We started off as strangers and ended up as friends," she said.
Sponsored by the Mountain Home Arts Council, the Missoula Children's Theatre company travels to communities once every two years to produce plays like this. Arriving in Mountain Home near the middle of their yearly performance schedule, their stop here marked their seventh show in just seven weeks.