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UM's
Odyssey of the Stars honors
Bigfork Summer Playhouse producers
It was
1964 and music major Jude Irvin sat in the University Theatre watching
a band rehearsal. She couldn’t help noticing a disgruntled student
moving up and down the aisles. He was trying to build a stage set
and the music rehearsal was definitely hindering his progress.
Fast forward 40 years and you will find that the chance meeting of
two School of Fine Arts students has produced one of the most well-known
theatrical couples in the Northwest.
UM alumni Jude and Don Thomson, owners and producers of the Bigfork
Summer Playhouse, will return to the theater where they met when they
are honored at the School of Fine Arts’ fifth annual Odyssey
of the Stars—A Celebration of Artistic Journeys. At 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 2, the University Theatre will come alive with UM
and Bigfork Summer Playhouse alumni joining the production to celebrate
the careers of Don and Jude. In addition, musical numbers from some
of the playhouse’s most popular shows will be performed by UM
students and surprise guest artists.
A popular event benefiting the School of Fine Arts scholarship fund,
Odyssey features fine arts alumni who have gone on to successful careers
in the arts in concert with current students who dream of just such
careers. This year’s event spotlights the Department of Drama/Dance
and will feature more than 200 outstanding UM student performers.
For sponsorship and ticket information, contact the School of Fine
Arts at (406) 243-4971 or e-mail sfadean@mso.umt.edu.
The Thomsons’ love affair with the Bigfork Summer Playhouse
began in 1964. In that eventful summer, Department of Drama/Dance
Chair Bo Brown hired Don Thomson to design and build scenery, and
Jude Irvin to serve as musical director at the summer theater. Hundreds
of shows later and with a roster of Bigfork Summer Playhouse alumni
that stretches from Broadway to Hollywood, the number of lives enriched
by the Thomsons’ love of theater is endless. Audiences have
thrilled to their productions, including “Crazy for You,”
“Chicago,” “Guys and Dolls” and last summer’s
hit production of “Cats.”
Jude and Don have undertaken almost every role imaginable at the playhouse,
including producer, director, builder, musician, box office manager,
mentor and caretaker. Under their direction, the theater has grown
from humble beginnings into one of the premier summer theaters in
the country.
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