The Bard comes to the cowboys

Several actors called it the most grueling production they’ve ever experienced. Many were shirtless and wore gloves and cowboy hats as they labored in 90-degree heat to erect a tiered stage and towering villa for “Shrew.” The sweat flowed, but so did the bottled water and Ziploc bags of fruit and cookies the locals donated.

Small-town generosity is common on the tour, but still surprising to newcomers. Twenty-five-year-old actor Sarah Sokolovic was stunned when a woman in Birney, the tour’s most remote stop, made her cinnamon rolls with soy milk and egg replacement to conform to Sokolovic’s vegan diet. Locals have also fixed broken-down vehicles, changed flat tires and even helped rebuild the set.

“We belong now,” says Matt Foss, 25, an actor in his third season with Bozeman’s who has worked with the American Theatre Company and Chicago Shakespeare.

“They embrace us, and they embrace us out of principle,” says Foss, who has been known to take a dip in nearby water holes just minutes before call.

'A big family'
The performances are highly anticipated each year, and have become so popular among tourists that some schedule their vacations around the schedule, Jahnke says. Famous alumni such as Bill Pullman, who most recently appeared on Broadway in Edward Albee’s “The Goat,” and Tom Hewitt, nominated for a Tony Award for best actor in a musical for “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” return often to watch performances. Jahnke says he regularly gets notes and surprise visits from former members.

“It’s a big family, and that family just continues to grow every year,” he says.

This summer’s group works particularly well together, company manager James Houton says. Many say the experience has made them better actors, renewed their passion for theater and given them an appreciation for the West’s simple, stark beauty.

And after three years on the tour, not much fazes Foss and his fellow actors. Children, cats, dogs and even ducks have wandered on stage, interrupting dramatic moments, and actors have ad-libbed their way through fallen props, lightning strikes and comments from the audience. Once, a dead owl fell onto the stage, but was quickly scooped up by an actor with little fanfare.

“There’s no way you can go about your job selfishly after this tour,” Foss says.

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