MAT holds fundraiser, final children's acting camp

The local acting troupe is soon holding two youth events in Havre, a KidsMAT children’s acting camp next week and a pancake feed fundraiser Sunday for its youth programs including KidsMAT.

Montana Actors’ Theatre Artistic Director Jay Pyette said the youth programs, including the children’s acting camps, is a valuable experience.

“KidsMAT is a great experience for children because they get to be a part of the entire creative process,” Pyette said. “They write the story, create their own characters, help build the costumes and set, and generally create the entire product.  It is so cool to see how proud they are of their own show each time.”

Sunday’s pancake feed fundraiser, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Havre Eagles Club, will be set up and run by the youth involved in MAT, the troupe’s middle school, high school and college-aged thespians, led by the interns who are putting on the youth and KidsMAT productions.

The interns, Scott Hamilton, Bethany Ordiniza, Oriah Williams and Theron Williams just finished producing this year’s youth production, “Band Geeks,” which opened last week and is finishing up this week with the final production Saturday.

Pyette said the fundraiser, at which MAT will accept free-will donations, offers pancakes, eggs, sausage, fruit, coffee, juice “and really cool people. The kids are also going to be performing thoughout the morning — music and drama.”

MAT started a touring children’s acting camp, KidsMAT, last year, after more than a decade of offering a children’s acting camp in Havre. The troupe hires interns, who put on the camp in several locations.

Pyette said next week’s camp is the fourth and final for this summer. The interns already held a camp in Havre and also taught young thespians in Chinook, Malta and Fort Belknap.

The camp starts Monday at 9 a.m. in the MAT theater, the Little Theatre in Cowan Hall on the Montana State University-Northern campus. Pyette said it runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. through Thursday. The children need to bring a lunch, but MAT will provide snacks, he added.  

“On Thursday, the kids leave at 3 but return at 5 for a final rehearsal and pizza,” Pyette said. “Then, show at 7.”

He said the camp costs $45 for the first child attending, then $25 for each additional child from a family.

The number of actors has varied at each camp so far, Pyette said, with about 30 at the first Havre camp then about 20 each at the Malta and Fort Belknap camps.

He said the requirements for children to participate are simple: “Just a willingness to have fun and be creative.”