Legendary Monarch to visit Muskego

KING ARTHUR’S QUEST

King Arthur and his Round Table, fair Guinevere and scheming Morgan le Fay, will visit Muskego the week of August 8, all the way from Missoula, Montana. For the fifth time, players from the Missoula Children’s Theatre, sponsored by the Muskego Performing Arts Council, will audition on August 8 and direct local elementary students in a slightly different interpretation of the familiar story. Two performances will take place on Saturday, August 13, a 3:00 matinee and an evening show at 7:00.

The casting call on the 8th is for children entering first though 8th grade. No experience is necessary; no preregistration is required. Steve Krause, manager and tech director of Muskego High School’s Performing Arts Center, said, “It’s a group audition, for the full two hours from 10 a.m. to  noon. It’s good to arrive early. No parts, not even the leads, are precast, and participation does not guarantee a part. It’s a completely open audition.” 

Rici Weldon, whose son Matthew has appeared in several Missoula Children’s Theatre shows, described the audition. “All the kids are in a circle. The directors have them speak and move, maybe do a little acting. They’re divided into smaller groups and do a few more things.” Matthew, as a rising high school freshman, is too old for these plays, has been chosen to attend the theatre’s two-week camp in Montana this summer.

The two actor-directors, who arrive in their “little red truck,” will be casting 50-60 children in addition to four student assistant directors. The cast will rehearse every day Monday through Friday, Saturday as needed. Each child needs to bring his own bag lunch.

To help cover expenses, a $30 participation fee of each student actor (with a $60 cap for a family) is charged. Tickets for the Saturday, August 13, performances are $8 for adults and $6 for students and seniors.  These modest fees help, Mr. Krause said, but do not cover the costs the Muskego Performing Arts Council incurs in its sponsorship of King Arthur and other productions throughout the year. The Council’s mission is “to offer our community vibrant, on-going experiences dedicated to ensuring and nurturing participation in and an appreciation of the performing arts,” and keeps its ink black through donations and grants and raffles, in addition to ticket sales. “No tax dollars- iot’s a very, very non-profit organization!” he said.

The stated mission of Missoula Children’s Theatre mirrors that of MPAC: The development of life skills in children through participation in the performing arts.

Besides being a most enthusiastic spokesperson for the 501(c)3 organization, Mr. Krause is responsible for lights, sound, and sets. He’s been with MPAC for 6 years, and it's apparent he loves his job.

The Council also presents shows tied to the school curriculum.  Last year, Mrs. Weldon explained, a play about Laura Ingalls Wilder and Little House on the Prairie was performed in schools by a visiting company brought in by MPAC. This year, she said, it will be a show for older students about Martin Luther King, tying in with Black History Month.