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Casting Call: Arlee stages first full production play

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ARLEE — Two days ago Linda Grinde and Victor Charlo did not know if they would have any actors to stage Charlo’s play. Earlier that week the lead actor called Grinde to tell her he had a prior obligation he forgot about before he accepted the part.

“Oh no, he was really good, too,” Grinde said after the phone call. Grinde and Charlo exchanged knowing glances, sometimes that is the way it goes in theater.

Grinde has directed theater productions in Bigfork, Whitefish, Kalispell and at the University of Montana. She is directing well-known poet Victor Charlo’s play “Moon Over Mission Dam,” which was written in 1993. The play has never been staged as a full production, until now.

Days ago they were without actors, but today they went from worrying to holding their first read through with three community members.

The play is part of a community effort that involves many entities in the community including the Arlee Community Development Corporation, Salish Kootenai College’s HeartLines project and Npustin, an indigenous arts institute in the Jocko Valley. The dream is to bring theater to Arlee.

First time actors Stormy Morigeau will play the lead part of Woody, Virgil Brave Rock plays the part of the father and Patty Stevens will play the mother. There are 11 parts in the show and Grinde said about five of them are cast. She is still looking to fill the other six characters.

Brave Rock was already in character when he showed up to his first rehearsal.

“Hello, son,” Brave Rock said to Morigeau as he walked into the Hangin Art Gallery.

The three spent an evening reading the lines of the script and becoming familiar with their characters.

“I don’t feel so scared because these guys haven’t done it before either,” Patty Stevens confessed to Grinde.

“I don’t expect them to be trained, that’s the whole point, it’s an opportunity,” Grinde said. “We want to train actors and anyone who wants to become involved whether that’s on stage or back stage.”

In addition to actors, Grinde said she is also looking for costume designers, a sound person, props person and a stage manager.

Grinde said she used Facebook and word of mouth to cast the parts.

“That’s how it starts,” Grinde said. “This is the first blossom after two years of growing roots.”

According to Grinde, for the past two years all the involved entities have been working to stage Victor Charlo’s play in Arlee with the hopes it will continue to grow.

Grinde said they hope their efforts will create a theater program at SKC and bring an Indigenous Film Festival to the area.

“That’s our clever plan,” she said.

“Moon Over Mission Dam” is about the building of the Mission Dam and its affect on Native people in the Jocko Valley.

The play will debut in Arlee at the powwow grounds on Sept. 8 and again Sept. 10 at SKC.

The play will also make an appearance at the EWAM Peace Festival.

“Our hope is that it will also start a conversation,” Grinde said of the play’s content. “This is more than entertainment.”

“It has been more than 12 years since I looked at this play,” Charlo said. “We are taking a big chance. We don’t know if people will come or even like it. (But) we are trying to do something for the community.”

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