Art Smarts

Montana has a lot of live theatres

By Dennis Anderson

Mission Valley Friends of the Arts

There's a lot to love about summer in Montana, like the rich diversity of summer theatre.

According to a statement from the South Carolina Council For The Arts, "Montana has one of the highest per capita ratios of live theatre in the nation."

Neal Lewing's 2002 Montana article highlighted nearly 20 Montana theatres, some of which have been in operation for upwards of four decades. (Port Polson Players turns 32 this season!)

A hundred years ago, theatre was defined by Broadway, virtually the only place the public could experience live plays. Consequently, the theatre took on an elitist persona much akin to the popular view of opera as the haunt of the rich, famous and snooty.

But somewhere along the line, somebody decided that if "regular" people were to develop an appreciation for the artform, it must become available to the masses. Small theatres sprang up around the country, first as regional Broadway affiliates, then as community theatres. Today, there are thousands of local performance groups and over 800 professional regional theatres.

Closest to our area is Seattle's Intiman Theatre, winner of the 2006 regional Tony Award. Intiman developed "Light in the Piazza," and "Hairspray," both of which moved to Broadway to great acclaim. It also launched "Nickel and Dimed," a dramatization about low-wage workers, which has been produced across the country.

"We're not just a venue to produce commercial theater," says artistic director Bartlett Sher. "We see our function as telling stories that people don't get to hear, giving local people experiences that they're not going to find in 'Pirates of the Caribbean.'"

Launched in Minneapolis in 1963, the Guthrie (1982 regional Tony winner) became a model for resident theaters dedicated to a mix of classics and new works. "It was meant as the antidote to Broadway," says Star Tribune theater critic Rohan Preston. "Regional theatre has become a place for lovers to hang out, a hip, happening place."

Port Polson Players directors Karen and Neal Lewing can attest. They met at the Fort Peck Summer Theatre in 1979. This year, the Lewings celebrate 25 years at the Players helm.

"We're proud to be a part of Montana's theatre family," says Karen. "There's no real competition, as we all have our own styles. If we can get people in the front door of any theatre in Montana, we all win."

Barry Weissler has produced two dozen Broadway shows in the last quarter-century. Yet even such a quintessential Broadway producer takes note of the rise over the past 40 years of solid regional theaters all over the country, with their own enthusiastic audiences.

"The world is filled with theater," Weissler says. "Some of the shows in regional theater are better than Broadway."

June Fun Fact: At 50 seasons, The Virginia City Players is Montana's summer theatre patriarch. Larry Barsness started the company in 1948 and ran it for 25 years before teaming up with Polson's John Dowdall to form the Port Polson Players in 1976.