Children's Theatre at Crossroads for 'Wonderland'

By Jacob Doran / Bigfork Eagle

The Bigfork Playhouse Children's Theatre opened its first show of the season, last weekend—a musical adaptation of Lewis Caroll's "Through the Looking Glass," aptly named "Wonderland"—in a very different location.

With renovation now underway on the playhouse itself, everything from the casting to the actual show took place at Crossroads Christian Fellowship, just north of town. The playhouse is undergoing a redesign and expansion of the theater lobby, as well as the relocation of the concession area and upgrades to the fire protection, heating, ventilation and air conditioning.

With limited space for a stage at Crossroads, the cast and crew was definitely feeling the challenge of being at the new location. However, director Timothy Joyce said the children rose to the occasion and managed to pull off a good show in a difficult situation.

"We spent two rehearsals getting acclimated to the space," Joyce said. "It involved respacing almost all of the scenes and introducing props and costumes to the mix. Believe it or not, the new, donated lighting instruments were malfunctioning up until opening night."

Joyce said the limitations did pose a dilema, but no more than adapting any show for a smaller space would have. Figuring out how to make everything work with only a fraction of the space was the primary difficulty, which the cast and crew had to hurdle together during "tech week".

Joyce, who also directed the children's theatre in its first show of last season, Once Upon A Mattress, said it is also nice to direct individuals who can soak up information as quickly as kids. In fact, their adaptability was one of the factors, that allowed them to do so well in the new location.

Without the playhouse, Joyce felt the children were forced to draw on some skills they would not have otherwise had occasion to use, adding that the Crossroad's production was not unlike other children's theatre productions performed without the benefit of a playhouse.

"This show, in particular is like many children's theatre shows I've participated in as an actor," Joyce said. "I think the community as a whole is really spoiled by the high production value of the children's theatre shows performed at the playhouse."

With all the experience he has gained working with and acting in the summer playhouse for the past couple of years, Joyce added to the responsibilities of directing children's theatre the tasks of casting for Wonderland, as well as choreography and prop design.

"I got a lot of satisfaction by choreographing the whole show," he said. "It gives a whole different kind of ownership to the production. Brach usually does everything, so I'm sure he was pleased to have a break on some of those duties."

Although a handful of seasoned children's theatre performers were back on stage for the production, many of the faces that dotted the stage were either new this year or have gotten limited exposure in the past.

Among the familiar talents, which children's theatre fans have come to know and love, were those of Olivia Witt, Kristi Persinger, Jacob Sefcak, Travis Gee and Jerry Gaiser, who added a significant amount of color to an already colorful show. Witt, always a delight to watch perform, was appropriately cast in the loveable role of the White Queen, while the prim and ladylike Persinger made for a well-played counterpart in her role as the Red Queen, and Sefcak had ample opportunity to bumble across the stage in his rendition of the aging and absent minded White King.

The part of Alice was played by the less known Tori Quirk. Quirk has gained gradual exposure in previous seasons, taking on the role of Zaneeta Shin in The Music Man and Baloo in The Jungle Book, as well as minor roles in Oliver and Once Upon a Mattress. This was also the case with Camas Garnett, who was cast in the role of the Red King, and Natalie Christensen, who was cast as Hatta—an adaptation of the Mad Hatter. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum were played by the previously unknown Ben and Adam Habel.

"It was great to see many familiar faces and exciting to see the new ones," Joyce said. "The hardest part is always learning the names quickly, so everyone feels like part of the family from day one, which is something I've always loved about theater. It's very interesting to learn how to direct differently for different ages.

"The rehearsal process is always quick. I'm amazed anyone can learn anything at all. They learned their parts well, considering that we only ran through things about six times total."

Joyce said he was also intrigued by how differently a show that is intended for young actors is written in comparison to a show that was written for adult performers.

"This script is so mad-cap that at times it was a struggle to keep a through line in the show," he said with a hint of amusement. "But the kids definitely rose to the occasion and made the show great."

Despite the challenges that come with job, coming back to Bigfork for a second year was not a difficult decision. In fact, according to Joyce, it may have been the easiest part of the whole year.

"I think what says the most is that I came back without thinking twice for a second summer season, stayed late to direct for my second time this calendar year and am planning my next year of auditions around coming back to the playhouse for it's 50th season. I love the area and I love the people."

While you won't see Joyce for BPCT's second show of the season, you can see the performers for both one more weekend of Wonderland and upcoming shows during the fall and winter, but you'll have to come visit them at Crossroads Christian Fellowship, where they will likely remain through the 2008-2009 season, until renovations on the playhouse are complete.