65 years of show tunes and hard work at the Bigfork Summer Playhouse
Jude, Brach and Don Thomson at the Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, April 26. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Bigfork Summer Playhouse founders Margery & Firman “Bo” Brown in 1960. (Courtesy photo)
A promotional photo of the Playhouse's 1972 production of "Cabaret." (Courtesy photo)
The Playhouse's 2020 cast performs "Sister Act." (photo provided)
Under the reins of Don and Jude Thomson, and their son Brach, the Bigfork Summer Playhouse has become one of the most notable small-town professional theater companies in the country, not missing a single season in its 65 years.
The Playhouse performs four musicals and a variety show about once a week during its annual run in the summertime. A college-aged cast is hired — roughly 3,000 apply every season for the 20 spots available. The program has churned out performers and crew members who go on to have successful careers in the arts like that of Oscar-winning actor J.K. Simmons.
The Playhouse is a past recipient of the Montana Governor’s Award for the Arts and boasts several Emmy and Oscar winners as part of its alumni. This year’s summer season begins on June 1.
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