‘The Frog Prince’ Gives Students A Glimpse Of Acting World

By Larissa Lytwyn

Missoula Children’s Theatre, the nation’s largest touring theatre of its kind, recently brought the Grimm brothers’ The Frog Prince to life through a dedicated cast and crew of 60 students.

The students were chosen on a first come, first serve basis, participating in both acting roles and behind-the-scenes crew work.  Ages ranged from lower elementary school to eighth grade students.

The Frog Prince tells the story of a princess who promises to befriend a lonely frog if he is able to retrieve her golden ball from a well. But after the ball is recovered, the princess tries to escape her part of the bargain.

  Two days after the production, the students were still basking in the excitement of their experience.

Kelsey Hopper, who played Princess Prim and has participated in summertime Missoula Children’s Theatre workshops, said she loved acting.

“I enjoy the idea of traveling around, of being onstage,” she said.

Brooke Waltzer, who played Ollie, agreed. “It was very exciting. I just love the entire experience!”

During Missoula’s weeklong visit conducting both rehearsals for The Frog Prince and school-wide acting workshops, Brooke and her classmates were occasionally excused from class to practice.

“Luckily, we didn’t have too much homework that week,” said Thomas Saboe (Castle Prince), whose audition led to a starring role.

“Like everyone who signed up, I was asked to [audition],” he explained. His audition included expressing various emotions in a variety of scenarios.

“I originally wanted to be an assistant director. But after [the audition], the director asked me if I was sure I wanted to be in the crew,” Thomas said, a smile creeping across his face.

He ended up getting the costarring role of Castle Prince, who turns back into his human form at the end of the play.

His sister, Alexandra Saboe, played The Swamp Frog, portraying the prince before his transformation back into a human.

While Thomas said he enjoys acting, he doesn’t feel the famed “acting bug” to perform all his life.

“I would miss my family too much, being on the road all the time,” he said.

Cate Staack, who played The Venus Flytrap, agreed.

 “While I like to act, I like my horses more,” she said, smiling. “I have other interests.”

 The students described tour actor and director Bill Murray as “a lot of fun.”

   “He had so much energy!” Cate cried.

The tour’s additional director, Kylie Orr, was also described as endlessly energetic.

The one detriment to their experience, said Brooke, were the warm costumes, which became even hotter under the glare of the stage lights.

  “We were given our costumes the day of the performance,” she added. “We had one dress rehearsal, a light lunch, and then we went right on stage for our two performances.”

The students’ stint at Edmond Town Hall drew a full house for their first performance, with only slightly fewer audience members during the second.

All in all, said Thomas, it was a good experience.

“It was so exciting,” agreed Kelsey. “So much fun!”

The production was part of Fraser-Woods’ ongoing cultural arts program, “Folktales, Myths & Legends.”