Children’s Theatre

I should have let you know earlier Graham. We are under construction until December hopefully! I am hoping to open for the holidays. I have a few rentals planned and Christmas on the Square. I am a little scared to post stuff until we are sure that the ceiling will be finished. We do have Missoula 11/18/-11/23, I had to move it to Harwell Auditorium, we really need to push this! Here is the article I sent to the paper:

Missoula Children’s Theatre Brings “The Wizard of Oz” to Harwell Auditorium, November 18-23, 2024

This November, the Missoula Children’s Theatre (MCT) returns to our community with an exciting production of The Wizard of Oz. Due to ongoing renovations at The Ritz Theatre, this year’s event will be held at Harwell Auditorium, where local students will have the opportunity to take part in this magical production.

Auditions for The Wizard of Oz will take place on Monday, November 18th, from 4:00 to 8:30 p.m., and rehearsals will run from Tuesday to Friday at the same time. The performances, showcasing the talents of our young local actors, are scheduled for Saturday, November 23rd, at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

Missoula Children’s Theatre is renowned for its dedication to fostering creativity and confidence in students across the nation. By bringing professional directors to guide the children, MCT offers participants a unique opportunity to develop their acting skills, teamwork, and self-discipline. The week-long process encourages students to work hard, think creatively, and explore their potential in a supportive, fun environment.

We look forward to seeing our local youth shine on stage in this year’s production of The Wizard of Oz, as Missoula Children’s Theatre continues to inspire and uplift our community’s future stars.

PREVIOUS SHOWS

2018 Children’s Theatre

Talladega’s Historic Ritz Theatre is pleased to announce that the Missoula Children’s Theatre (MCT) will be holding open auditions for ALICE IN WONDERLAND on Monday, November 12.

The audition for area students ages 6-18 will be held on the Ritz stage at 4:00 pm sharp. Unfortunately, anyone arriving late will be disqualified.

“We are excited about our 20^th annual, week-long fall residency by MCT which the Ritz will host next week. And we enthusiastically encourage students from across the area to come out, get involved and have an amazing experience they’ll never forget,” said Ritz executive director George Culver.

Approximately 50-60 roles are available for this production, and no advance preparation is necessary. In this year’s production, there are 16 roles for students at ages 6-7, and 44 roles for students at ages 8-18. Most of the older students who are cast for the production will rehearse approximately 4 hours daily after school. As many as 4 assistant directors will also be chosen to be involved.

The MCT touring productions are complete with costumes, scenery, props, musical scores and makeup. A production entails an intense week of rehearsals with two professional directors, which will culminate with two public performances of ALICE IN WONDERLAND on the Ritz stage on Saturday, Nov 17 at 11:00 am and at 1:00 pm.

Among the roles to be cast are three Alices of varying size, her sister Margaret, the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, the Queen of Hearts, the King of Hearts, the Knave of Hearts, the Cheshire Cats, Tweedledum and Tweedledee, the Flower Band, Cards, and Lobsters.

Culver added, “In additional to the confidence the kids gain after realizing what a huge achievement they pulled off through a focused effort in only six days, they also learn some invaluable life lessons which will come in handy for the rest of their lives. And have a great time in the process!

This is why the Ritz makes a concerted effort to bring MCT back to Talladega every year. After 20 years of experience, we know it is a terrific investment in our youth.”

For more information, call the Ritz at 256-315-0000.

2017 Children’s Theatre Schedule

Area students ages 6 to 16 encouraged to audition for Missoula Children’s Theatre production of “Gulliver’s Travels”

Talladega AL. Talladega’s Historic Ritz Theatre and Callie’s Kids Foundation is pleased to announce that Missoula Children’s Theatre (MCT) will conduct their 20^th Annual Fall Residency at the theatre on Courthouse Square the week of November 13 -18.

Open auditions will be held on the Ritz stage after school on Monday, November 13 at 4:00 pm. Area students ages 6-16 are invited to audition. Students interested in auditioning should arrive on time, as late arrivals may be unable to join the audition. During the two hour audition, MCT’s professional directors will cast 50-60 area students for roles in the play. The cast will rehearse for full week, culminating in two public performances on Saturday, November 18 at 11:30am and 1:30 pm.

Gulliver’s Travels is an out-of-this-word, sci-fi musical adventure. It is an imaginative MCT adaptation of the original children’s story of the same name. With his spaceship wrecked and his trusty computer on the fritz, brave explorer Gulliver finds himself lost in space. While transporting from world to world, Gulliver discovers fighting aliens, foolish Yahoos, robots and more – all who need just much help from Gulliver as Gulliver needs from them.

MCT’s touring productions are complete with costumes, scenery, props.

This MCT production of GULLIVER’S TRAVELS is made possible through a partnership of the Historic Ritz Theatre and Callie’s Kids Foundation.

2017 Missoula Summer Theatre Camp

Historic Ritz Theatre
Monday-Saturday, June 19-24

This is a fun, focused and mission-driven 6-day theatre camp which will culminate in two public performances of a full-blown musical production
(sets, costumes, props and live music) of
Beauty Lou and the Country BEAST – an original country-western adaptation of the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast.

Directed by the professional staff of the internationally renowned Missoula Children’s Theatre (MCT), the production features 60 adorable characters with a role for each camp enrollee. Each camper also receives an official MCT Show T-shirt and two complimentary tickets to the public performances.
The FEE for the 2017 Missoula Summer Theatre Camp is $80. REGISTRATION is on a first-come-first-serve basis, and begins Monday, May 1 at The Ritz office on Courthouse Square. Payment by check, cash or VISA/MasterCard is acceptable. Enrollment may also be completed by phone (256-315-0000) or by mail (P.O. Box 228, Talladega, AL 35161) using a charge card. There is a $10 discount for multiple-sibling registrations.
Total camp enrollment is limited to 60 kids. Yet importantly, there are age bracket limits — a maximum of 16 students ages 6 -7, and 44 students ages 8-16. Additionally, there are 4 assistant director slots available for camp enrollees ages 13-16.
Camp hours are 8:00 AM to 12:30 PM daily, Monday-Friday, and on Saturday 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM due to the two public performances. Role auditions and character assignments will take place at the first camp session. The Saturday, June 24th public performances will be at 11:30 AM and 1:30 PM on the Ritz stage.

Download the Registration Form Here

Open-Auditions for Missoula Childrens Theatre production of

“Peter and Wendy” on Monday, November 14, 2016 at The Ritz

The Historic Ritz Theatre is pleased to announce that the internationally renowned Missoula Childrens Theatre will hold open-auditions for their production of “Peter and Wendy” on Monday, November 14. The auditions will be held at 4:00 pm on the stage of The Ritz.

A total of 60 local students, limited to ages 6-15, will be selected by Missoula’s professional directors to participate in an intense week of rehearsals, which will result in two public performances of a full blown musical adaptation of the classic story of Peter Pan the following Saturday, November 19.

Open-Auditions for Missoula Childrens Theatre production of “Peter and Wendy” on Monday, November 14 at The Ritz

Ritz executive director George Culver said, “We are thrilled to collaborate with Callie’s Kids Foundation in hosting the amazing Missoula Theatre Company in their 19th annual residency at The Ritz. Traditionally, the residency is week before Thanksgiving, and the kids involved have such fun, and learn so much from this life-skills training experience.”

“It’s one of those experiences they never forget, especially after they realize what they accomplished as a team in just six days” Culver added.

Among the roles to be cast are Peter, his Shadow, Tinker Bell, the Lost Boys, Wendy and her brothers, Captain Hook and his Pirate Crew plus an array of Neverland Creatures. Once the full cast is set after open-auditions, rehearsals for different characters and scenes are scheduled at different times after school throughout the week.

Students from cross the area who wish to audition simply must show up on the Ritz stage no later than 4:00 pm on Monday. No advance preparation is required.

“Some of the factors considered by Missoula directors during the audition process are enthusiastic energy, disciplined behavior, and
— very importantly — the ability to focus on the task at hand, listen carefully and take directions. Of course certain individual personalities which the Missoula directors feel fit a particular character in the play is a plus as well,” Culver added.

After a week of rehearsals, two public performances of “Peter and Wendy” will be presented at the Historic Ritz at 12:00 noon and 2:00 pm on Saturday, November 19.

“We are always honored to partner with Callie’s Kids Foundation in presenting Missoula’s annual visit to Talladega. This is an exciting project for the area youth where our respective organization missions perfectly merge,” Culver said.

Funding support for Missoula’s annual residency comes from FRIENDS of The Ritz and Ritz Season Sponsors and Co-Sponsors.

ATTENTION: Area Students

HISTORIC RITZ THEATRE & CALLIE’S KIDS FOUNDATION are pleased to announce

The 2016 Missoula Summer Theatre Camp

SLEEPING BEAUTY
at the Historic Ritz Theatre
Monday-Saturday, June 20-25, 2016

This is a fun, focused and mission-driven 6-day theatre camp which will culminate in two public performances of a full-blown musical production of SLEEPING BEAUTY, a contemporary adaptation that is part fairy tale and part rock ’n roll dream. This is definitely no sleeper!

The FEE for the 2016 Missoula Summer Theatre Camp is $80. REGISTRATION, on a first-come-first-serve basis, begins Thursday, April 28 at The Ritz administrative office on Courthouse Square. Payment by check, cash or charge card is acceptable. Enrollment can be completed by phone using a charge card. There is a $10 discount for multiple-sibling registrations.

Total camp enrollment is limited to 60 kids. Yet importantly, there are age bracket limits — a maximum of 16 students ages 6 -7, and 44 students ages 8-15. Additionally, there are 4 assistant director slots available for camp enrollees ages 13-15.

Camp hours are 8:00 AM to 12:30 PM daily, Monday-Friday, and on Saturday 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM due to the two public performances. Role auditions and character assignments will take place at the first camp session. The Saturday, June 25 public performances are at 11:30 AM and 1:30 PM on the Ritz stage.