Sold-out weekend reflects hard work, dedication of small, local group
By Leslie Kilgore EBS CONTRIBUTOR
The Big Sky Community Theater outdid themselves again with last weekend’s production of the popular improv experience, “Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding.”
The performance is an immersive, improv comedy show staged as a wedding for two Italian American families, inviting the audience to mingle with the cast while also participating in the festivities as “guests” of the ceremony and reception, which includes an actual dinner, cash bar and a DJ for dancing.
The cast and production team turned Lone Peak High School’s cafeteria into a wedding venue that most 1980s brides only dreamed of having, while the attendees arrived in their best 80s wedding attire.
“I had many friends involved in a production of ‘Tony ‘n Tina’s Wedding’ in San Francisco in the early 2000s and had always thought it would be a fun challenge for BSCT,” said Ashley Dodd, one of the producers for the show. “As well as a great way to utilize our unique theater and school setup. Tapping into the excellent school cafeteria staff to provide catering for the immersive wedding reception experience was a natural fit.”
To continue growing the community theater program, Dodd said the group’s production choices in the past few years have trended towards larger-scale ensemble pieces to enable the opportunity for bigger casts. This season’s performance was their largest with a cast of 25. In addition to six people behind the scenes on the production efforts, the school district’s kitchen staff and several high school students as docents.
Lindsie Feldner, a longtime Big Sky local and current food service manager for the Big Sky School District, created an Italian menu for the 80s wedding experience. BYWOM provided a cash bar for the immersive show and reception, which featured a playlist of 80s hits and quintessential wedding songs of the time.
“The show’s improv and interactive format made this production a fun and unique way to bring new people to the theater experience,” Dodd said. “In addition, the casual nature of the show encourages the audience to be as interactive as they like, truly becoming guests at this wedding. We saw everyone from firefighters, teachers, and doctors to real estate agents, journalists and a broad variety of community members showing off their talents.”
Ophir Middle School science teacher Vanessa Wilson—who has been in every BSCT production—directed the show. Dodd said every production is an impressive group effort and they are always looking for more community members to get involved, while also encouraging past participants to try out new leadership roles.
“This performance blew me away,” Wilson said. “From watching the cast evolve into their amazingly talented performance, to all the different members of the community who came together to help make this production a success, I am truly grateful and proud of what we accomplished. It takes a village, and we have a great one.”
