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Grand Forks theatre company puts on hit production of Frozen

Parents say Boundary Musical & Theatre Society shepherded an amazing work
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(L-R) Mikah O’Donnell (Kristoff), Bailey Zamec (Anna), Jalen Dobinski (Snowman), (back) Alexis Makortoff (Olaf), Kluane Gross (Sven) and Joel Piché (Hans) pose for a snap during a dress rehearsal of Frozen, Jr. Photo courtesy of Jessica Coleman

Boundary youngsters gave a wonderful performance of Disney’s Frozen on Saturday, Feb. 12 — the region’s first stage theatre production in roughly 18 months.

The one-time show had to be live-streamed due to COVID-19 restrictions, according to Aaron Baker, stage director and co-producer at the Boundary Musical and Theatre Society (BMTS).

READ MORE: Grand Forks theatre company cancels weekend performances

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Baker said his and music director Shannon Wolf’s 31 performers did fabulously well, belting out 15 songs in one hour on the stage at Grand Forks Secondary School.

(L-R) Little girls Scarlett, Addy, Lupine, D’Arcy, Sophie, Georgia and Saila work some backstage magic. Photo courtesy of Jessica Coleman
(L-R) Little girls Scarlett, Addy, Lupine, D’Arcy, Sophie, Georgia and Saila work some backstage magic. Photo courtesy of Jessica Coleman

The cast brought together kids from Christina Lake, Grand Forks, Eholt and Greenwood, with leading performances by Bailey Zamec, Jalen Dekteroff, Alexis Makortoff, Joel Piché, Mikah O’Donnell and Kluane Gross, who played “Anna,” “Elsa,” “Olaf,” “Hans,” “Kristoff.” and “Sven, the reindeer.”

The show’s success capped a masterful work by parents, cast members and BMTS, all of whom committed to Frozen absent any guarantee the show would go ahead. It’s worth noting here that rehearsals started in November 2021, roughly six months after the theatre company’s production of Steel Magnolias had to be scrapped amid spiking infection rates that drew widespread attention to Grand Forks last summer.

“We were concerned that cast members would get sick and that we wouldn’t be able to perform it,” Baker said.

Needless to say, the show went ahead, drawing rave reviews from Baker and Wolf.

(L-R) Actresses Devyn Dobinski and Elka O’Donnell take five on the rehearsal set of the Frozen, Jr. Photo courtesy of Jessica Coleman
(L-R) Actresses Devyn Dobinski and Elka O’Donnell take five on the rehearsal set of the Frozen, Jr. Photo courtesy of Jessica Coleman

“It was great! The kids had a lot of fun,” Baker said.

Parents and cast members agreed.

“It was fantastic. Absolutely fantastic,” proud dad Rich Piché told The Gazette Sunday. All the kids gave shone brightly, but Piché said he was especially stuck by his son Joel, who sang “Love is an Open Door” with young Zalmec.

Joel, 11, said he wasn’t overly nervous going into the show, telling The Gazette that he’d acted in BMTS’s past junior productions of Alice in Wonderland and Shrek.

“It was a really amazing opportunity to get the kids up on that stage. It was pretty special,” mom Malayna Gross said.

It had been “seeing the magic that happens with the kids behind the stage and how excited they are before they go out there,” that had made it extra worthwhile, she said.

Her son Kluane, 12, said he went for the part of Sven because, “He’s one of the main character, but he doesn’t have many lines. Also, I like animals.”

BMTS plans to come back with adult and children’s productions in 2023, Baker said.


 

@ltritsch1
laurie.tritschler@grandforksgazette.ca

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laurie.tritschler@boundarycreektimes.com

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