A screw-painted gold, driven into a block of wood, and slightly tilted-takes on a new meaning at Shade Tree Players summer theater. When presented to a dedicated, ambitious student finding their love for theatre, the “Tilted Screw” acts as Shade Tree Players’ version of an Oscar.

“(Shade Tree Players) is a fun children’s theatre,” Dakota Stage executive director Marcie Simpson said. For almost 40 years, the community theatre has offered roles to any young aspiring actor or actress with a role in one of its productions.

“This year, I think, is our biggest year,” summer program manager Jerry Solomon said. On Thursday, the largest cast of this season began their performances of “The Big Bad Musical” at the High Prairie Arts and Science Complex. Set in a fairy tale courtroom, the Big Bad Wolf is being sued by the fairy tale creatures he has wronged.

The show will continue through the weekend with nightly shows at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday. “You get to see kids come out of their shells,” Solomon said. This is 10-year-old McKenna Quintus’ fourth year as a Shade Tree Players actress. From Mandan, she is portraying Little Red Riding Hood in the “Big Bad Musical.”

“I like being in Shade Tree players because we get to do a lot of fun stuff and play games,” Quintus said. “You meet a lot of new friends, and I just like acting.”

While the short rehearsal time and work is hard, Quintus has found that the pay off is performing on the stage in front of an audience.

“What makes the show fun is getting to perform and see how the people react about what you are doing in the play,” she said.

With eight productions in two and a half months, Shade Tree Players has expanded their operations to have rehearsals and performances at both the Dakota Stage, 412 E. Main Avenue and the Frances Leach High Prairie Arts and Science Complex, 1810 Schafer Street.

“It’s a lot of work, and I think they pull it off very well,” Solomon said. For the past three weeks the age 6 to 16 cast has been memorizing and rehearsing speaking and singing parts three hours each weekday with set making and costume searching on the weekends. “They have to work pretty hard, pretty fast,” Solomon said.

After three weeks of daily practices, the cast has dress rehearsals in front of local daycares. “You are reaching to a population where they may have never seen a play before,” Simpson said.

“It may be an introduction to them (the daycare children).”

Last year, “Blather, Blarney and Balderdash” became Quintus’ favorite performance. “I think my favorite show would be ‘Blather, Blarney and Balderdash,’ because that was really funny,” she said. “And I got to be one of the main roles.”

While it is fun for the young actors and actresses, the summer theatre also involves parents. “Parent volunteers keep us afloat,” Simpson said. Both backstage and in the audience, Shade Tree Players is a growing family theatre. “(Shade Tree Players) is great family entertainment,” Solomon said.

By Kay Kemmet