Montana Shakespeare in the Parks performed in Mission Valley
Grace Seivert photo
Actors for the shows come from all over the country. Montana Shakespeare in the Parks will return to the Mission Valley at the end of November.
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Montana State University has many outreach programs with an overall mission to serve communities in Montana with art, performances, and education. One of these programs, Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, recently brought visiting actors and a live performance to the Mission Valley. Dr. Bruce Jacobsen created the program in 1973 to bring theater to small Montana towns whose citizens wouldn’t usually have the opportunity to experience it. Since then, the program has had year-round tours of their performances, and has been noticed for their hard and unique work by media such as NBC, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times. Over the second weekend in August, the Montana Shakespeare in the Parks tour came to the Mission Valley. On Saturday, Aug. 12, the program performed Macbeth in Good Old Days Park for the community of St. Ignatius. The next day, on Sunday, Aug. 13, the program traveled to Palmer Park in Charlo to perform You Can Never Tell. The shows’ audience members ranged from young to old. Although there is a picnic dinner served before the play and some seating provided, audiences are encouraged to bring their own dinner, blankets, and chairs. One audience member, Charlene Krone, explained why she believes the program brings much more than just theater to the area. “Not many things would bring such a diverse audience together,” Krone said. “The play brings such a richness to the community.” Last year Krone enjoyed the show so much that she became one of the sponsors who gives donations to the tour each year. Actors for the shows come from all over the country. Many have majored in acting and worked for theatres in multiple states. Jesse Dornan, one of the actors who graduated with a Master of Fine Arts from Florida State University said, “We want to bring an aliveness to our audience. We want to make them feel emotions they haven’t before.” It seems Dornan and the rest of the cast achieved that goal based on the enthusiastic reactions audiences gave their performances. Montana Shakespeare in the Parks will continue its tour around the state and return to the Mission Valley at the end of November with a performance at Polson High School on Nov. 20 and a performance at Ronan High School on Nov. 30.
