Missoula Children's Theatre and 4th Wall Theatre Company Announces Week-Long Theatre For All Abilities

During the week of March 11-16, the worlds of the Missoula Children's Theatre (MCT) and the 4th Wall Theatre Company will meet in Missoula for a week of creative collaboration regarding the transformational potential of theatre. It does seem that this meeting was destined to happen. The mission of the Missoula Children's Theatre is the development of life skills in children through participation in the performing arts, while 4th Wall invites people of all abilities to experience personal affirmation, empowerment, and build important life skills through the power of musical theatre (4thWallKids.com). Both companies believe that acting, singing, and dancing are languages everyone can speak and enjoy, no matter what abilities or challenges they may have.

While MCT has always practiced inclusive casting, MCT education director, Matt Loehrke, has sought to expand MCT's offerings to students living with disabilities. Through Loehrke's projects with the Department of VSA and Accessibility at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, he learned about the work of 4th Wall. VSA seeks to promote the creative power of people with disabilities. With former VSA Montana Executive Director Alayne Dolson's guidance, he created a workshop called Acting in Oz, which was developed in 3 Missoula middle school special education classrooms. That workshop was added to MCT's International Tour and over 200 students across the country have participated in it. Loehrke stated that the pivotal feedback from educators about the Acting in Oz workshop was the noticeable improvement of communication skills in kids who participated.

MCT's excitement about the potential impact of the workshop led Loehrke to reach out to 4th Wall. Based in Detroit, 4th Wall developed 7 years ago, after recognizing a profound need for arts inclusion and accessibility for people of all abilities and ages. Co-founders Katie Mann and Annie Klark quickly found a niche in helping to foster confidence in the creative process of a population who is often not seen on stage. 4th Wall's outreach and travel has impacted over 8000 students with disabilities in 19 states and 5 countries. Klark notes, "Theatre is such a valuable way to bring people together, and it also teaches important life skills in a way that is fun and approachable."

The primary goal of Mann and Klark's visit to Missoula, says Loehrke, is to develop a new workshop for students with special needs that will explore "how to connect emotions to actions through movement and music." This workshop will then travel worldwide, separately, with MCT and 4th Wall, beginning in June. The workshop collaboration will be just the beginning. "Theatre for all abilities is such a special niche. We're excited to meet people of similar hearts and minds," expresses Mann. Throughout the week, and likely beyond it, "we will exchange ideas, best practices, and concepts to be able to better serve this population."

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