Local stars prep for Friday’s ‘Princess’

• Audition time

A local boy (fourth from left) demonstrates his acting talent at “The Princess and the Pea” auditions Monday at Memorial Auditorium in Worthington for director-actor Mallory Mousseau (far right) of the Missoula Children’s Theatre, which will produce the show this week.

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WORTHINGTON — The debut of “The Princess and the Pea” is fewer than four days away, and aspiring actors in the community are ready — to get started, that is.

The Montana-based Missoula Children’s Theatre, which uses local talent to rehearse and perform a play in less than a week’s time in each town it visits, hosted auditions for the Worthington production of the fairytale Monday.

“It brings them to a new stage, to show them they can do it, they can put on a show in a week,” said director-actor Mallory Mousseau. Director-actors also serve as narrators for the show.

“It’s a comfort for kids to have us on stage with them. We know the show so well at this point, we can help them out of any rut they’re in,” Mousseau added.

More than 80 local children, some as young as 5, showed up to audition, entertaining their parents in the audience with their attitude-laden repetition of phrases like, “I would rather have the company of a monkey than a stuck-on-himself gorilla.”

Julie Gerber, a Worthington mom, brought her daughter, Emma, to the audition.

“She loves to be on stage,” she said. “It’s a lot of work, but they enjoy the excitement of being on stage and being in front of an audience. They get confidence from it, I think, and learn what hard work gets you.”

Gerber’s older daughters have also been involved in Missoula Children’s Theatre productions during the eight years the company has visited Worthington.

Laura Koepsell, a sixth-grader at St. Mary’s School, has also been involved in productions for the last three years. She likes to “meet directors and just being on stage and acting,” she said.

Fifty to 60 children will be chosen to perform, and all but the youngest will prepare with four-hour afterschool rehearsals every day this week.

The show will be at 7 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Auditorium. Tickets are available at the door or by calling 376-9101.

To see video of the auditions for the Missoula Children’s Theatre production of “The Princess and the Pea,” visit www.dglobe.com

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