Dinner and a show

Every summer, the Bigfork Summer Playhouse brings in some of the country’s top collegiate theater students for a series of high-quality performances throughout the summer months. But this year’s season is off to an unusual start. Before the 50 playhouse members can hit the stage, they’ll have to finish quarantining in line with the state’s Phase 2 reopening guidelines which requires all out of state travelers to isolate themselves for a 14-day period.

To make them feel more at home in this strange time, local resident Shannon Barrett organized a meal drive to provide dinners for the company every other night during their quarantine.

Barrett, who has a long history with the playhouse as both an employee and volunteer, wanted to alleviate some of the grocery shopping needs for the summer playhouse members.

“We don’t want them shopping for their own food, sheets, towels, etc., but to just go straight to the dorm when they arrive in Bigfork. Providing dinners every other night during quarantine will help that process,” Barrett said. “I also thought it might provide a morale boost during quarantine.”

Actors, musicians and crew members began arriving as early as May 25, with the majority of them hailing from the southeastern United States, along with a few from Montana.

Among them was actress Ginny Swanson, 21, of St. Petersburg, Florida, who landed in Bigfork May 31 for her second summer at the playhouse. This year, she’ll be playing the role of Portia in the musical “Something Rotten.”

Swanson has been spending her quarantine preparing for the season ahead. Rehearsals won’t begin until the quarantine period is over, she noted.

“We’ll be doing a lot of dance and athletic activities because it’s been like two months now and for most of us, our school was canceled so we haven’t been able to keep up with everything,” Swanson said.

Each member of the company has their own room, Swanson said, and they have been staggering showers and time in the kitchen. She and the other playhouse members are limiting contact with the outside world, but thanks to the meal donations, she already feels “at home” in Bigfork and welcomed by the community.

“It’s really, really nice of the community to do this for us. We are all so thankful of the huge support network that Bigfork has,” Swanson said. “It’s the nicest thing that anyone has ever done for a group of people like us … It just goes to show how supportive the locals are of the playhouse and what we do here in the summer.”

The first dinner was held May 30 and the final meal will take place June 11 and as of June 2 all of the donation slots have been filled. Barrett divided each meal into parts and individuals could sign up for one or more groups of items, rather than be responsible for an entire meal. Donors left their contributions on the back porch of the dorm and returned after dinner had been served to pick up their dishes.

On Monday June 1, a dinner of sloppy joe’s, salad and cookies was provided by Sarah and Maya Hartig, Shannon Bagley, Bridget Martel and Tawnya Bell, with help from her children.

Bell, whose four children participate in the Bigfork Playhouse Children’s Theatre, learned about the dinner effort after receiving an email from associate producer and music director Brach Thomson.

“This is such an important part of the Bigfork community,” Bell said of the summer playhouse. “We just thought it was a neat way for our community to rally around them and let them know that they are welcome even though it’s an odd time.” ■