FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Stacy P. Sherman
Marketing Specialist
Ph: (262) 472-5705
Fx: (262) 472-4400
Email: ShermanS@uww.edu
Date: March 10, 2014
Local Youth Performed Missoula Children’s Theatre’s The Wizard of Oz
This Past Weekend at Young Auditorium
WHITEWATER – Audiences skipped down the Yellow Brick Road with Dorothy and her friends this
past Saturday, March 8, 2014 when the Missoula Children’s Theatre (MCT) and more than 50 local
students performed an original musical adaptation of the timeless favorite, The Wizard of Oz. The
MCT held auditions and rehearsals during the week of March 3 at Young Auditorium in Whitewater,
Wis. which led up to the final performance on Saturday. The MCT residency in Whitewater was
brought to audiences by Young Auditorium’s Horizons Family Series with support from Fort
HealthCare.
The local cast featured Eve Fitzsimmons as Dorothy, Gracie Campbell as Toto, Jordan Keller as the
Lion, Josh Vincent as the Tinman, Gloria Heiss as the Wicked Witch, Gabbi Anderson as Glinda,
Sam Hoffland as Oz, and Austin Hegle as the Green Guard. Additionally, there were several talented
Magicians, Munchkins, Winkies and Flowers. Hailey Moore, Lindsey Gaertig, Emily Erman, and Alicia
Jacobsen served as the Assistant Directors to the MCT team of CJ Bonde and Elizabeth Behnke.
Magicians included Arielle Henkel, Ana Burch, Mary Vincent, Courtney Vincent, Sophie Mayer, Emma
Campbell, Elise Texidor, Gracia Boley, Abrianna Hegle, and Aly Meacham.
Munchkins included Vanessa Yenor (Farmer), Marshall Griffin (Mayor), Nolan Limones, Abigail
Weeden, Abby Wildenberg, Tessa Fitzsimmons, Jenna Caldwell, Evan Schepp, Victoria Kindschi,
Zoe Dignan, Lindsey Haight, Elizabeth Katzman, Ella Smith, and Kiarra Henkel.
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Winkies included Love Fisher, Francesca Vincent, Ella Liberto, Andrew Hegle, Olivia Guertin, Claudia
Lasiowski, Lily Campbell, Emily Radaj, and Tristan Kaebisch.
Flowers included Malcolm Baker, Joseph Kienbaum, Charlotte Hajewski, Jack Klug, Alexa
Wildenberg, Milan Ready, Aubrey Schwent, Elora Wildermuth, Abigail Troia, Aubrey Meacham,
Emerson Ellenwood, Zoe Kohl, Molly Donner, and Cosette Wildermuth.
MCT, based in Missoula, Montana, is the nation’s largest touring children’s theatre, and has been
touring extensively for 41 years from Montana to Japan, and will visit nearly 1,200 communities each
year with up to 47 teams of Tour Actor/Directors. A tour team arrives in a given town with a set, lights,
costumes, props and make-up, everything it takes to put on a play...except the cast. The team holds
an open audition and casts 50-60 local students to perform in the production. The show is rehearsed
throughout the week and two public performances are presented on a Saturday.
All MCT shows are original adaptations of classic children’s stories and fairytales with a twist. Also
included in the residency are three enrichment workshops presented by the Tour Actor/Directors.
Creativity, social skills, goal achievement, communication skills and self-esteem are all characteristics
that are attained through the participation in this unique, educational project. MCT's mission is the
development of lifeskills in children through participation in the performing arts. Through the theatrical
process, MCT has opened both the hearts and minds of many children to the possibility of
achievement through creativity and teamwork. Follow MCT on Facebook at
www.Facebook.com/MissoulaChildrensTheatre.
The Young Auditorium serves as a presenting organization for the performing arts and as an
educational and cultural center enriching the lives of regional communities, offering a full season of
world-class performing arts presentations. The theater is a state-of-the-art venue, with 1,300 seats
and a 400 square foot stage that hosts dozens of dance, music, theater, comedy and University of
Wisconsin-Whitewater events each year. In addition to the main theater, the Young Auditorium also
houses the Fern Young Terrace and Kachel Center, where special events and celebrations are never
in short supply. To learn more, visit www.uww.edu/YoungAuditorium or follow us at
www.Facebook.com/Young.Aud.
CAST PHOTO FROM DAY OF PERFORMANCE INCLUDED WITH THIS RELEASE
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