Monday, June 22, 2026
68.0°F

Missoula Children's Theater brings classic to impromptu stage

JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 10 years, 5 months AGO
by JOEL MARTINStaff Writer
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | January 12, 2016 5:00 AM

photo

Chance Carter gives some stage directions to the child actors rehearsing for the Missoula Children’s Theatre production of ‘Sleeping Beauty’ at BBCC.

MOSES LAKE — A crowd of about 60 kids danced and sang their way through two performances of “Sleeping Beauty” on Saturday. The shows were the culmination of a week of rehearsals with two actor/directors from Missoula Children’s Theater.

Chance Carter and Alyssa Cooper of MCT arrived last weekend in Moses Lake. On Monday, they held auditions and, of the crowd that showed up, selected 59 kids for the cast as well as four assistant directors. For the next five days, the kids learned their lines, songs and dances, and by Saturday, they were ready to perform.

Ciara Shuttleworth, director of Columbia Basin Allied Arts, had nothing but good things to say about the entire adventure. CBAA brought the MCT program to town as part of its Green Turtle children’s theater series.

“The Missoula Children’s Theater people were great,” she said. “They have total control over the whole thing. All I have to do is deal with the lobby.”

The next show in the GreenTurtle Series is “Curious George,” which takes the stage March i6.

The cast of “Sleeping Beauty”:

Younger Sleeping Beauty: Sarah Dale

Older Sleeping Beauty: Alice Dale

Scarella: Morgan Tolley

Lady-in-Waiting/Madame Butterfly: Rachel Puhlman

King: Ezra Wright

Queen: Kennedy Kilmer

Spot: Lauren Tolley

Town Crier: Abigail Dale

Fairies: Sophie Butterly, Jeniffer Carlson, Madison Dale, Stella Depew, Sophia Gardner, Makenzie Haring, Ana McCabe, Jori Pierce, Grace Selmann, Mckennah Solders, Lexi Stevens, Jenna Whitaker

Trolls:

Will Anderson, Tyson Fuller, Robbie Mensonides, Kyler Pankey, Cody Stutzman, Palace Attendants: Stella Butterly, Courtlynn Cardwell, Mya Dale, David Delp, Celeste Depew, Miranda Dorman, Julia Heaps, Dakota Jensen, Melody Lake, Brendan McLain, Kylie McLauchlan, Carsen Owens, Sophia Persichini, Mayah Puhlman, Chloe Scontrino, Calista Shelton, Paige Tolley, Jocelyn Vasquez

Caterpillars and Butterflies:

Laurelynn Cardwell, Kallee Castillo, Brooklyn Clark, Hannah Cook, Marybel Corona-Oronia, Caitlin Decubber, Kristen Depew, Sarah Estudillo, Sofia Estudillo, Ethan Jensen, Gaberilla Koalitzber, Adriana Kowalski, Grace Nixon, Jayla Pierce, Matti Stevens, Maddie Turner

Assistant directors: Kaylee Carpenter, Azlynn Dutton, Riley Farman, Dolcemia Gardner

Accompanist: Donna Warner

The Jester: Chance Carter

Director: Alyssa Cooper

ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN

Hard-earned success
June 20, 2026 1:05 p.m.

Hard-earned success

BBCC students step into the world armed with diplomas and courage

MOSES LAKE — Genuine success is neither quick nor easy, as the students who graduated Thursday from Big Bend Community College attested. There's a simple story I remember when I was younger,” Associated Student Body President Pedro Lopez said, alternating between English and Spanish. “It's about a kid who plants a seed. At first nothing happens. They water it every day, but the ground still looks the same. They start to wonder if anything is happening at all. They think about digging it up to check, that maybe it didn't work. Maybe nothing is growing. But they keep watering anyway.

MLCC to host conversational town hall Thursday
June 22, 2026 3 a.m.

MLCC to host conversational town hall Thursday

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Community Coalition will try to kick-start some conversations Thursday at a town hall titled “What's Troubling You, Moses Lake?” “The feedback that we've gotten for all of our prior town halls is people enjoyed them, but they wish there was more of an opportunity to talk,” said Coalition Coordinator Megan Watson. “So we (said), ‘Let's create a town hall event where that's the point – where you come and talk in small groups.’” The coalition holds town hall meetings every year, Watson said, and in the past they’ve focused on specific issues, like gangs or addiction, with local experts on those subjects giving information to the community. This time, Watson said, the MLCC is partnering with Braver Angels, a national organization dedicated to helping Americans practice courageous citizenship across political differences, according to its website. The event, which will take place at the Columbia Basin Technical Skills Center, is free and open to the public.

Long service
June 22, 2026 3:15 a.m.

Long service

Lind couple steps down from ministry after three decades

LIND — They say time goes by quickly when you’re doing what you love, and maybe it goes twice as fast when you love doing two things. Steve Schofstall retired last week from both the ministry and the Lind Dryland Research Station, after three decades of devoted service to both. “Our oldest daughter was a kindergartner (when I started), and now she’s 36,” Schofstoll said. “The years have gone by very quickly.” Steve and Kim Schofstall were called to Lind Calvary Assembly of God Church in 1996, and Steve came on board at the WSU Lind Dryland Research Station at the same time, he said.