Photo by Jenny Kirk The Wonders — (from left) Elizabeth Coudron, Lydia Weverka, Isabella Colvin and Delaney Dieken — show a little spunk as Aladdin (Evan Franson) looks on during practice on Wednesday afternoon in preparation of the Missoula Children’s Theatre and Holy Redeemer School presentation of “Aladdin.”

MARSHALL — Rapid repetition was the key to remembering lines on Wednesday as nearly 60 Holy Redeemer School students practiced intensely for their upcoming theater presentation of “Aladdin.”

“Aladdin” is part of the Missoula Children’s Theatre’s unique international touring project and is being presented in Marshall by the HRS students.

“It’s called ‘Aladdin,’ but it’s more based off ‘One Thousand and One Arabian Nights’ stories, so we’ve got all those classic characters — Ali Baba, Casim, Schecherazade, Sinbad and his sailors — all wrapped up into one really cool story,” MCT tour actor/director Ben Hermann said. “It’s a story about adventure, love and accepting people into your community no matter where they come from.”

With auditions taking place after school on Monday and performances scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday, there was no time to waste during the practice sessions

“There’s nothing like coming together for a week of really intense practice,” Hermann said. “They’re meeting new people, they’re getting up on stage, they’re learning public speaking skills, they’re getting an artistic experience for them to express themselves and find a creative outlet.”

Hermann said that some kids they come across have access to other theater experiences, but many do not have those opportunities otherwise.

“So we roll in and we don’t know anybody — it’s just whoever wants to show up at auditions,” he said. “If you’ve got the right attitude and you’re willing to get up and speak on stage, then we’d love to have you in our show and provide that outlet for you.”

Despite the need for repeated prompts — typical at this stage in the weeklong effort — Hermann thought the process was going really well.

“This is a real solid group,” he said. “It’s going to be a real good show.”

Eight-grader Evan Franson is cast as Aladdin, who wants to meet the princess despite being out of her league.

“I get to be sarcastic,” Franson said. “I like that.”

Franson said he thought the practices were going pretty well despite memorization challenges.

“The biggest challenge is memorizing my lines,” he said. “That’s pretty hard. But I’m having fun.”

Franson added that he’d encourage people to come to the shows.

“It’s like a comedy,” Franson said. “I like the goat. He’s hilarious.”

Hudson Dieken is cast as the spunky goat, while Ella Cole portrays a stubborn donkey.

Brenna Springborg is cast as Princess Dory.

“I’m a really bold princess,” Springborg said. “I don’t like to do a lot of things people tell me to. I’m kind of a little bit of a rebel. It’s a fun role to play.”

Like Franson, Springborg said memorizing lines is the biggest challenge so far for her.

“Getting your lines down is probably the hardest part,” she said. “But I’ve been working on it at home a little bit. (Overall), I think it’s going really well.”

Mary Lanoue is cast as Aladdin’s mother. Evan Schotzko portrays the Sultan (Princess Dory’s father), while Joshua Bauer is playing the role of the Grand Vizier, who is the Sultan’s adviser.

Ava Holmgren, Chioma Onyeaghala are wise-cracking palm trees, while the Wonders — from the Cave of (not-so-great) Wonders — are portrayed by Isabella Colvin, Elizabeth Coudron, Delaney Dieken and Lydia Weverka, who are all fearless and energetic despite their wondrous shortcomings.

As Aladdin searches for a magic lamp, he meets other interesting characters, including Ali Baba (Karsten Springborg), Casim (Brady Brandl), Dinzade (Abigail Panka), Schecherazade (Lauren Wherry), the “Mysterious One” (Brayden Thooft) and Sinbad (Austin Dunn).

The sailors are: Gage Andries, Wyatt Brockberg, Noah Coudron, Alex Franson, Nola Lane, Aidan Reinhard, Lily Stelter, Brennen Thooft and Hudson Weverka.

The vagabonds are played by: Bella Brockberg, Kathryn Coudron, Nolan Deutz, Brynlee Dieken, Drew Dunn, Abbey Foley, David Lanoue, Uchenna Onyeaghala and Asher Reinhart.

Clara Purrington, Isabelle Lenz and Peyton DeMuth are cast as camels in the show, while “the lost penguins” are represented by: Natalie Brandl, Drake Brockberg, Austin Coudron, Emerson DeMuth, Liam Deutz, Alex Dunn, Brianna Foley, Nora Holmgren, Amelia Lane, Rose Lanoue, Finley Pelz, Brylee Peterson, Ty Stelter and Aria Williamson.

Student assistant directors — Eliza Holmgren, Sydney Kramer, Simon Lanoue and Nnenna Onyeaghala — play an instrumental role as they help out in various ways during rehearsals throughout the week and also take on essential backstage responsibilities.

While Hermann will play the role of the Genie in the show, fellow Missoula Children’s Theatre tour actor/director Christina Heagney will serve as the director.

“We definitely try our best to bring this to the school every year,” parent volunteer Keri Cole said. “I’ve been (teaching) here for 19 years, but I think we’ve had it here every year for over 20 years. It’s something the kids look forward to every year.”

Cole believes the week-long theater experience is priceless.

“It’s the kids’ time to have that theatrical outlet that they don’t normally get in other parts of their lives,” she said. “So it’s important, I think, that we bring this to the school every year — that they can have that opportunity — especially for the ones that don’t play sports and who really like being on stage. I think it’s a special addition that we provide here at Holy Redeemer.”

Along with BC Franson, Cole helps coordinate the parent volunteer schedule for the week. She said she’s seen the value of the experience through the participation of her own children.

“All of my kids have taken part in it, though not necessarily every year,” Cole said. “My son was the one who really liked to be on stage. My daughter is the donkey in this show. She’s a dancer as well, so this gives her another outlet to be practicing her stage presence and whatnot.”

The public is welcome to attend. Low-cost tickets, which help offset the cost of bringing MCT to the school, are sold at the door.