Montana Repertory Theatre
Roundup native Hannah Appell, left, plays Helen Keller and Caitlin McRae, a Billings West High graduate, plays tutor Annie Sullivan in a Montana Repertory Theatre production of "The Miracle Worker."
Growing up in Roundup, Hannah Appell was involved in theater even before she began school.
Though she never did get down to Billings to take part in any productions, she was frequently in the audience at the Alberta Bair Theater, where she saw many plays and “tons of operas” over the years.
One of her favorite ABT memories was watching the Montana Repertory Theatre’s production of “To Kill a Mockingbird.” This Tuesday, she’ll be on that stage herself, with the Montana Repertory Theatre, playing the lead role of Helen Keller in “The Miracle Worker.”
“Just the idea of performing at the Alberta Bair is so exciting to me because I’ve seen so many plays there,” she said.
The feeling is shared by Caitlin McRae, who plays Annie Sullivan, the indomitable tutor who teaches the blind and deaf Helen how to communicate with and understand the outside world.
McRae is a Billings native and West High graduate who made her ABT debut when the Missoula Repertory Theatre presented “Doubt, a parable” there in 2012.
“I was so, so nervous,” McRae said. “It felt like such a big deal because I had grown up my whole life sitting in the Alberta Bair.”
When she went out into the theater lobby after the show and saw so many friends and family members there to support her and celebrate her success, she burst into tears. She said it was an amazing experience “to be able to share something I love so deeply with people I love so much.”
McRae, who turns 24 on Sunday, graduated from the University of Montana last May with a degree in acting. “The Miracle Worker” is her fourth production with the Missoula company and she has acted at the Fort Peck Summer Theatre.
Appell is a 21-year-old junior studying theater at UM. This is her first professional acting job, and by far her biggest role ever. She had auditioned for other roles in her first two years at Missoula, with no luck.
When she found out she’d landed the role of Helen Keller, she said, “It was super exciting. I was all smiles all day.”
She is also excited about the prospect of taking the show around the country. Billings is the last stop in Montana before the troupe embarks on a 2½-month tour of 16 states, mostly in the South and East, including five shows in Texas and four in Kentucky.
McRae’s first national tour was with the production of “Doubt.” That was a milestone for her because until then she was hesitant even to tell people she planned to be an actor, thinking it would sound unrealistic. Touring professionally and playing for audiences in widely different locales gave her confidence a huge boost.
Appell has gotten a similar boost since starting college in Missoula. She enjoyed acting in Roundup, but in a small town anyone who turned out was virtually guaranteed a role, she said. Having to compete for roles — and then landing such a big one — “has been a blast. It’s a totally different world.”
Appell and McRae have grown close during rehearsals and performances of “The Miracle Worker.” McRae said the director, Bernadette Sweeney, had her and Appell rehearse together several times before being joined by the rest of the cast, allowing them to establish a trusting, physical relationship.
Playing Helen is difficult, to put it mildly. Appell has to be blind and deaf in the drama but still pay close attention to cues.
“I kind of have my own play going on in my head during the performance,” she said. She also has to play a 6-year-old. The audience must suspend its disbelief somewhat, Appell said, but it helps that she is just 5-foot-2 with a slight build. And most of the other actors are tall, she said, “so it shrinks me down even more.”
Both actors are expecting many friends and family to be present, and Appell said she keeps hearing that lots of people from Roundup are planning to attend, including a couple of her high school teachers and an honors English class.
She said she looks forward to inspiring students from Roundup to aim high.
“I really want to show that you can get out there and be successful,” she said.
DETAILS: The main performance is at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Tickets are $30 and $25, and $19 for students. The same day, there will be matinees at 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. These will be heavily attended by students from area schools, but if any extra seats are available, tickets will be sold for $5.50 at the ABT box office only.
For more information, go the ABT website. For more on the Missoula Repertory Theatre, go here.
