Missoula Children’s Theatre

Missoula Children’s Theatre
Name	Missoula Children’s Theatre
Formation	1970
Headquarters	Missoula, Montana
Founders	Jim and Kitty Mayer
Type	Nonprofit theatre company
Services	Touring children's theatre, residency programs, theatre education

Missoula Children’s Theatre is a touring youth theatre company founded in Missoula, Montana in 1970 by Jim Mayer and Kitty Mayer. The company is known for producing short-run musical and dramatic productions involving local students in each tour stop, and for providing theatre education through residency programs in schools across the United States and internationally. Over decades the organization has intersected with institutions such as AmeriCorps, regional arts councils, and national arts festivals while influencing community theatre, youth arts education, and performing arts outreach.

History

The company was established in Missoula, Montana during a period of expansion in regional arts organizations alongside entities like the National Endowment for the Arts, Smithsonian Institution, Kennedy Center, Montana Historical Society, and University of Montana. Early tours paralleled outreach models used by the Barn Theatre and the Guthrie Theater while collaborating with local school districts and municipal arts programs. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s the company grew amid developments at the National Governors Association arts initiatives, exchanges with the Americans for the Arts, and partnerships reflecting trends set by the Community Arts Network and the League of American Theatres and Producers.

Mission and Programs

The organization's mission emphasizes youth participation, theatrical literacy, and community engagement, aligning it with missions of the Carnegie Foundation, Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and regional foundations such as the Montana Arts Council. Programmatically, it offers residencies, touring productions, and teacher-training workshops similar to programs at the Young People’s Theatre, Children’s Theatre Company (Minneapolis), Old Globe Theatre, and the Public Theater. Its programming philosophy has affinities with curriculum models employed by the National Guild for Community Arts Education, Educational Theatre Association, Arts Education Partnership, and arts integration initiatives at the National Association for Music Education.

Touring and Residency Model

The touring model combines elements of itinerant theatre companies like the Bread and Puppet Theater, the touring seasons of the Royal Shakespeare Company, and mobile outreach used by the Metropolitan Opera's HD in Schools efforts. Residencies typically partner with local entities such as public schools, Catholic schools, city parks departments, library systems, and regional arts organizations like the South Arts and Mid-America Arts Alliance. Residency logistics have engaged municipal offices similar to those in Seattle, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, and international stops including Tokyo, London, and Sydney when undertaking global exchanges.

Productions and Curriculum

Productions are condensed adaptations of classic and contemporary titles, produced within a week with casts drawn from local students; comparable short-form educational productions have been staged by Shakespeare in the Park affiliates, Theatre for a New Audience, Roundabout Theatre Company education programs, and the Royal National Theatre youth initiatives. The curriculum integrates acting, singing, choreography, stagecraft, and technical theatre—skills also emphasized by conservatories such as the Juilliard School, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, and university theatre departments at the University of California, Los Angeles, New York University, and Carnegie Mellon University.

Impact and Outreach

The company’s outreach influenced community arts ecosystems and youth workforce development initiatives similar to outcomes reported by Teach For America alumni arts programs, AmeriCorps VISTA, Peace Corps cultural projects, and local civic arts plans. Its model has been cited in discussions held at forums like the Aspen Ideas Festival, panels at the Association of Performing Arts Professionals, and case studies used by the National Endowment for the Arts and state arts agencies. The residency approach has contributed to civic cultural events such as state fairs, county festivals, community centers, and collaborations with museums including the Smithsonian Institution and regional history museums.

Organizational Structure and Funding

Governance typically includes a board of directors, executive leadership, touring artistic staff, and education coordinators, mirroring nonprofit models at the Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation-funded institutions, and regional performing arts centers like the Denver Center for the Performing Arts and the Tisch School of the Arts administrative frameworks. Funding sources have included individual philanthropy, earned income from ticket sales, grants from entities such as the National Endowment for the Arts, state arts councils, corporate sponsors comparable to Bank of America and Wells Fargo arts programs, and support from community foundations and school district contracts.

Notable Alumni and Partnerships

Alumni and collaborators span theatre professionals, educators, and community leaders who later engaged with organizations like Broadway, National Theatre, Circle in the Square Theatre School, Second Stage Theater, Lincoln Center, and educational institutions including Harvard University, Columbia University, Stanford University, and Yale School of Drama. Partnerships have included national arts service organizations such as Americans for the Arts, Arts Midwest, South Arts, and collaborations with festivals like the Spoleto Festival USA and Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Category:Theatre companies in Montana Category:Children's theatre companies Category:Non-profit organizations based in Montana