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Summer On Stage

The stages heat up with budding talent and Broadway stars in Whitefish and Bigfork

By Molly Priddy
Beacon file photo

It’s theater season in the Flathead, when the stages heat up with talent but the theaters stay cool with air conditioning.

Stage performances are a great way to round out your summer experience in the valley, and the local companies have decades of history and plenty of singing, dancing, and acting, from amateur to Broadway-level skill.

Remember to check in with www.FlatheadEvents.net to get more events and activities, updated daily.

Whitefish

The Whitefish Theatre Co. kicks off the season with its performances of “I Hate Hamlet,” running from June 7-9. The play follows Andrew Rally, an actor with the chance to play Hamlet in Central Park and a whole series of challenges to overcome.

WTC then hosts two, theater summer camps from July 8-12 and July 29 – Aug. 2 before picking it back up on stage with “Boeing, Boeing,” a riotous farce about a swinging bachelor facing the consequences after a new, faster Boeing jet throws all his careful scheduling of lovers out of whack. It runs from Aug. 14-17 and Aug. 21-24.

For more information on the Whitefish Theatre Co., including about summer camp, visit www.whitefishtheatreco.org or call 406-862-5371.

The folks at Alpine Theatre Project are known for their summer stage shows, bringing in Broadway performers each year. This year’s productions start on June 20 with “The Hound of the Baskervilles,” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and starring Timothy Williams, Nick Spear, and Luke Walrath.

The play centers on the murder of Sir Charles Baskerville, who is found dead with a look of terror on his face, and the paw prints of a gigantic hound beside his body. Enter the great detective Sherlock Holmes, with Dr. Watson in tow to investigate. The show runs from June 20 – June 29.

The following month, ATP hosts “Dare to Dream: The Road to Broadway,” held in conjunction with ATP’s Broadway Summer Training Camp, where Broadway performers will share personal stories, song, and dance on July 20. They will hold a second performance July 26 and 27 with the students.

Performers include Dustin Brayley from “Rocktopia” on Broadway; Eric Michael Krop from “Godspell” on Broadway; N’Kenge from “Mowtown the Musical” on Broadway; Alet Oury from “Freaky Friday,” on pre-Broadway; Meredith Patterson from “42nd Street” on Broadway; Andy Taylor from “Sunset Boulevard” on Broadway; and Walrath of ATP, who performed in “42nd Street” on Broadway.

And any kids interested in performing in “Frozen Jr.” can audition at the Whitefish Performing Arts Center on Sept. 3 at 4 p.m., no preparation needed, open to students grades one through eight.

For more information on Alpine Theatre Project, visit www.atpwhitefish.org or call 406-862-7469.

Bigfork

It’s the 60th season for the Bigfork Summer Playhouse, a popular theater company that brings in acting talent from schools across the country with a history of being the launching pad to stardom.

The BSP runs shows in a repertory schedule, meaning they perform a different show each day of the week on a rotating schedule, so visitors can catch more than just one.

The season started in May with “The Totally 80’s Radical Revue” which runs until June 15. The classic Midwestern tale of love and dancing, “Oklahoma!” begins its run on June 8 and continues through August. “Seussical,” the whacky musical based on the work of Dr. Seuss, starts June 11 and runs all summer. “Catch Me If You Can,” the tale of con artist Frank Abagnale Jr., starts on June 25 and continues through August. “The Wedding Singer,” a show popularized by the Adam Sandler movie of the same name that follows a down-on-his-luck wedding singer who falls for a bride, begins July 9 and runs through August.

The playhouse rounds out its season with six performances of the revue show “The Hits of the 50s, 60s, and 70s,” on Aug. 29-31 and Sept. 5-7.

For more information on the Bigfork Summer Playhouse, including ticketing and show schedules, visit www.bigforksummerplayhouse.com or call 406-837-4886.