How Bigfork Playhouse’s Brach Thomson makes it all come together

Brach Thomson, Founder and Producer of the Bigfork Playhouse Children’s Theatre, Director of Music for the Summer Playhouse, and wearer of many hats, won Best of Bigfork’s “Favorite Local (More Than 5 Years)” for the second year in a row.

Thomson knew he would always return to Bigfork after moving away for college and his first job. After things got serious with his wife (then girlfriend) Lisa, he told her it was Bigfork or bust— there was a theater up there that he would eventually run.

“I always knew I would (come back) because I felt like what my folks had started was important. They'd worked very hard, my dad scrounged four or five jobs at a time just to be able to make that theater work. In the old days— we didn't notice because we were kids—but he used to have to take out a loan so we could have Christmas presents, you know, so it was one of those things, we put lots of time and effort into it,” Thomson said.

Thomson’s parents, Don and Jude, have made the Bigfork Summer Playhouse a draw for locals and tourists alike since the 1960s. Don joined the theater in 1964 to design and build scenery, also appearing on stage — eventually going on to rebuild the performing arts center and helping to establish the Bigfork Community Players. Since 1965, Jude has been involved in the selection and auditioning of the company, was rehearsal accompanist and directed the orchestra for the musicals. The two have won several awards, including the Governor’s Award for the Performing Arts, and can boast producing a number of impressive alumni, such as actor J.K. Simmons — who returns on occasion to join the theater’s annual softball game against “the townies.”

Thomson has increasingly taken on more of his parent’s duties for the Summer Playhouse, becoming Music Director, arranging pieces and running rehearsals during their busy season in the summer. After a childhood growing up and performing in the theater, Thomson took to music. He played trumpet and went to the University of Nevada, Reno on a scholarship for it, but quickly realized that piano should be his instrument of choice.

“I dove into keyboards, it was the beginning of keyboards in the 80s, you know, so I was not afraid to push buttons and try sounds. I grew up with pop music in the 80s, so there were a ton of keyboard things that happened there. Then I hooked in with a really good recording guy at the university and started learning about sequencing and recording and how computers and keyboards work together, and I was just so fascinated by it,” Thomson said.

Getting a degree in Music Education, he graduated and began teaching classes through Yamaha, running their music programs for schools in the Reno area, going on to become president of the Nevada Music Teachers Association. He said he fell in love with teaching children how to play and perform.

“I mean, it's just such a great feeling when they accomplish it … When I was teaching piano, to be able to watch them play that song that you know darn well they worked hard to play, as an audience, they go ‘oh, that kid so gifted,’ You go, ‘He worked so hard to get that! Yeah, he's great, but if you only knew how hard that kid worked,” Thomson said.

Thomson returned to Bigfork around 2000 and started the Bigfork Playhouse Children’s Theatre, which reaches over 5,000 children a year through performance participation, workshops, dance and audience opportunities. He said it served as a way to keep him and the theater busy year-round, but also as a much needed opportunity for children to participate in theater locally. At the time, he said the only thing happening was the Missoula Children’s Theatre, who traveled to nearby rural areas to put on a show within a week. Thomson went on to start other programs to accompany the BPCT, such as their choirs and jazz band.

“I have a kids choir right now, with fourth through eighth graders— it's got 42 kids in it right now. And my high school choir’s got 35 kids who all come in after school to sing. So it's just grown., you just keep plugging and trying to put good shows together and get kids into workshops and give them as many opportunities as you can,” Thomson said.

There are no kids who leave the BPCT saying, “I played a tree” or “I played a rock,” says Thomson. If a child is performing in the show, they have a real role, so there’s a balance to strike when it comes to picking what their next production will be. He said they have to find a show that will fill seats, be fun for the kids and help build their performing skills. They typically have 30 to 60 children participating in each production, and Thomson said they have no trouble getting them to come to rehearsals. He believes the program has high participation because kids and teens enjoy taking on the responsibility of putting on a good show.

Romy Spencer, who played Annie in the BCPT’s most recent production “Annie Jr.” said working with Brach means you work hard.

“Brach has a way of pushing us to become better actors, singers and just better people all around. He always finds a way to make everything fun even when it's crunch time,” Spencer said. “Being around Brach means that you are supportive and kind to everyone. Everyone at the Bigfork Children's Theatre is very thankful for Brach,”

Thomson’s hard work carries through to all sorts of projects he oversees in the theater year-round. Though Christmastime can be at times be little stressful between the BPCT’s annual production and his “Touch of Christmas” performance, he said by-and-large he doesn’t feel too overwhelmed by what he does at the theater.

“When people talk about, ‘I'm so stressed. I'm so stressed,’ And I always think, ‘I don't think I've ever felt that way,’” he said.

For him, watching children grow in his program is the most rewarding part of it all.

“Just watching their pride when they walk off, when they know they had a good show,” Thomson said. “I think that's my favorite part, is watching them grow. When you start a kid in second or third grade and you cut them from two of those shows, but they keep coming back, and then around seventh grade, they get it and they're getting a lead role … watching them grow is exciting,”

The BPCT returns this Christmas with their production of “Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer” starting on Dec. 9. Thomson will continue his tradition of performing “A Touch of Christmas” on Dec. 3. To learn more about the BPCT or the Bigfork Summer Playhouse, email bpct@bigforksummerplayhouse.com.