BY LIVI WELCH
FOR THE OBSERVER
OPELIKA —
The week of June 5 through 9 was an exciting one for Opelika Community Theatre’s Summer Camp program that partnered with the Missoula Children’s Theatre Company from Missoula, Montana.
Opelika Community Theatre was selected by the Missoula Children’s Theatre Company to premiere its new show, “Hercules,” for the summer camp production.
The Missoula Children’s Theatre Company is a nonprofit 501(3)(c) organization that has been producing children’s theater for approximately 49 years. Each year, it sends a team of two professional actors/directors to take up a week’s residency with a local community theater and/or school to present two full hour musical theater performances of adaptations from recognizable shows. It has traveled to all 50 states, 15 countries, and hundreds of military bases establishing these residencies.
Missoula rolled out a new production, “Hercules,” and chose Opelika Community Theatre to be the first summer camp group to perform the show.
Directors Morgan McCane and Evan Rumler arrived on Sunday, June 4, with costumes, lighting, full set and sound equipment. Monday, the first day of camp, they held auditions among the 64 campers. Missoula limits the number of attendees to 64 so that all campers have the opportunity to participate in the production.
Four campers were chosen to be assistant directors to McCane and Rumler.
After auditions concluded, rehearsals started immediately that afternoon. Campers endured 22 hours of rehearsals during the week. Additionally, they were treated to three workshops in Acting, Improv and Mime.
On Friday, June 9, the show was presented to two sold-out audiences of parents and friends and was a huge success.
“I was like, ‘Wow! That is amazing!’ We’ve never been the first to do anything,” said Marty Moore, the executive director of the Opelika Community Theatre. “The kids were fantastic. They took to it like ducks to the water.”
OCT boasts a powerful motto: “We don’t care who you are, why you are, what you are or how you are. We are all inclusive and accept everyone of all ages.”
“This opens the door to so many kids who are pushed aside because of their disabilities,” Moore said. “This will give them the opportunity to experience that.”
OCT was founded in August 2015. Since then, they have produced over 20 different shows and showcases. Furthermore, they are partnered with NAACP/ACT-SO & R.E.A.C.H. Ministries to produce a Black History Month showcase.
OCT has an established program for those aged 50 years and up called C.A.S.T, or Creative Aging for Senior Theatre. C.A.S.T. stimulates mental acuity, physical, emotional, psychological and social health among the adult population. No one is ever too old to act.
Later this summer, OCT will be launching The Penguin Project for individuals with neurological and developmental disabilities, which will allow them to participate in a modified version of a Broadway musical, assisted by an on-stage mentor. It is looking for volunteers to help assist in the program.
“Anyone that wants to have a meaningful, rewarding experience, I encourage them to reach out to us and become a part of it,” Moore said.
Get your tickets soon, because Aug. 1 through 6, they will be producing and performing “High School Musical.”
Single tickets can be purchased for $15 or a bundle of four costs $54.
Visit the website opelikatheatrecompany.com or email opelikatheatrecompany1@gmail.com for further information about OCT’s programs.
