ANACONDA — A Montana theater group in Anaconda is putting on a truly home-grown production with Montana actors, a Montana playwright, and a truly Montana story.
“It’s Montana, it’s so Montana, and our focus is on a lot of new plays and new play development and plays by Montana writers,” said Anaconda Ensemble Theater Director Jackie Vetter.
The Anaconda Ensemble Theater will perform "The Harvest", a play written by Havre native Jay Pyette, about a ranching family in eastern Montana that has to come together to help their ill father work the harvest.
“It’s a local story. It’s written by someone from Montana, everyone here’s from Montana, if there isn’t somebody you know on that stage, then I don’t know who you know,” said actor Mikey O’Brien.
There’s plenty of dysfunction in the family as the characters return home to face the crisis.
“They’re forced to face some of the ghosts of the past by coming back,” said Vetter.
Actor Nikki Johnson added, “A lot of family dynamic, a lot of drama and, also, I feel like everybody can kind of relate to that a little bit.”
The Anaconda Ensemble Theater is a professional theatrical group that was started more than two years ago to promote local artists and expand their careers in the entertainment industry.
“And it's such a good place to grow and learn and create connections that then as our artists, as our film and TV scene keeps expanding, these artists can continue to grow with each other,” said Vetter.
The play is at 7 p.m. on April 26-27, and May 3-4, and at 2 p.m. on April 28 and May 5 at the Little Theater at Anaconda Junior/Senior High School.
