Whether it’s reminiscing about bloopers during dress rehearsals, cast parties at the Bigfork Inn or the moment they finally got that choreography right — Bigfork Playhouse Children’s Theatre alumni agree on one thing: it was spectacular fun.  

The Bigfork Playhouse Children’s Theatre has created invaluable experiences for aspiring young performers for over 25 years. The organization invited everyone to celebrate last weekend with “Puttin’ on the Glitz,” a variety show featuring alumni performing alongside currents members.  

After attendees watched numbers from classic musicals and modern favorites, they flooded the lobby to catch up with former castmates and theater folks. Typed up testimonies from alumni lined the walls, surrounding everyone with 25 years of memories.  

Founder Brach Thomson, who is the program’s creative director and producer, said it was amazing to see the comments about how the theater made an impact on people’s lives.  

“Very touching, very neat to see that. You know, you never realize. One of my favorite lines in the show is a line from ‘Wicked’ that says, ‘I don't know if I've touched these kids for the better, but I know I've changed them for good,’” Thomson said.  

Comments submitted by alumni for their 25th anniversary echo that sentiment.  

Jack William Johnson said being part of the theater changed the whole trajectory of his life—he credits his young start at 7-years-old as one reason why he set his sights on completing a degree in theater performance by the age of 20. Johnson now works in entertainment at Walt Disney World.  

“This place raised me as an artist and will always hold a special place in my heart,” he wrote. 

Melanie Hobus said the children’s theater was a “place where everyone was accepted and got a chance to shine.” An alumnus from the "Nifty Fifties” and “Puttin’ on the Glitz” shows from 2006, she said the hard work required gave kids the chance to show what they were made of.  

“It always helped us strive for improvement and gave us new goals to reach. I didn’t know it at the time, but one of my favorite parts was hair and makeup — helping everyone else get ready too. I was able to make a career out of that passion, and being part of a theater that lit that fire is so cool,” Hobus wrote.  

Charlie Benton said the Bigfork Playhouse Children’s Theatre was one of the greatest joys of his life. He remembered performing in his dream show “White Christmas,” playing Bob Wallace. In one show, he nailed his swoony duet only to go backstage and find his castmates in stitches.  

“They said, ‘Dude, your fly has been down the entire scene,’” he wrote.  

Despite that moment, and a nickname that followed him after, Benton said it was still his favorite role and the theater still had his “favorite people.”  

Others wrote about the joy of getting to perform with their sibling, high fives from Justin Jest  (Thomson’s own silly jester character), annual performances at local nursing homes and trying to get through dress rehearsal mishaps while tearing up laughing.  

Many reminisced about Thomson’s quirks: how all choreography starts on the left, because he is left-handed, and how his “twisty mouth and knowing expression” meant they were doing something wrong. Alumni also left him messages thanking him for creating a space where they could feel welcome.  

Thomson said some of his own favorite memories from over the years include “the mess-ups,” but not because they can be a little bit funny — watching performers improvise on the spot or recover from a mistake can bring him the most joy of all.  

“My favorite memories are when something goes wrong and the kids find a way to fix it on the fly. Somebody comes on stage and falls on their tail, then they set the ad libs up. One time we had one of our wicked witches lose her nose on stage, and she improvised: ‘Look what you've done to my wickedness!’" he said.  

These days, Thomson is teaching kids whose parents were among the first participants of the children’s theater. Despite how many years and how many changes the program has gone through, their mission is still the same: fostering a love of the arts and providing a place where young performers can hone in on their skills.  

“Anytime a young person is up on stage and performing, they get that common adult fear of getting up and speaking in front of an audience ...  But these guys are used to it. They know how to get up there, they know how to prep and how to speak cleanly and articulately. But I think the other thing that this program does is give kids a place to belong,” Thomson said.  

His parents Jude and Don Thomson had been running the Bigfork Summer Playhouse for decades before he decided to start a youth program. Even though he moved away for college and his first job, Thomson always knew he would come back to the “theater by the bay.” 

When he returned to the area in 2000, he started the Bigfork Playhouse Children’s Theatre, which reaches thousands of children a year through performance participation, workshops, dance and audience opportunities.   

The theater is preparing for their upcoming 2025-2026 season, with performances of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” “Madagascar: The Musical,” and “The Addams Family.”  

After 25 years, Thomson is still excited to see how his young performers improve in every new show.  

“I’m always excited about the new shows and watching the kids. And I'm always excited about watching new kids step up to the plate when the older kids graduate,” he said.  

For more information visit bigforksummerplayhouse.com.  

Taylor Inman may be reached at 758-4440 or [email protected].