Brandon Price and LeAnn Casey Bjoranrud of Missoula Children's Theatre auditioned 105 children Monday for about 60 slots in the production of Pinocchio scheduled for Saturday. Photo by Charmain Z. Brackett Loud roars from a crowd of people are not uncommon in a gymnasium.

However, the cacophony from the 105 children gathered at the Child, Youth and School Services Gym on Monday was not due to a basketball or volleyball game, but rather, auditions for the Missoula Children’s Theatre production of Pinocchio.

For two hours, Brandon Price and LeAnn Casey Bjoranrud put the children ages 5 through 15 through a series of exercise designed to test their acting ability, their confidence level and their ability to follow directions before paring the cast down to about 50 children.

Listening to and following directions was a main key in getting cast.

“They only have one week,” said Kathleen Duncan, Parent and Outreach Services director with Child, Youth and School Services, who has watched Missoula Children’s Theatre work its magic at several military installations over the years.

For more than three decades, Missoula Children’s Theatre has been working with children to move from the audition stage to the performance stage in only six days.

The group takes familiar stories such as Pinocchio and Alice in Wonderland and turns children into characters from the story in less than a week.

“This is always one of our favorite annual events. It's amazing to watch the talented directors from Missoula put together a first-rate show with such a large cast in just one week. We always get such positive feedback from the kids, their parents and those who attend the show,” said Steve Walpert, Fort Gordon’s entertainment director.

After Monday’s auditions, children spent the next several days learning lines, songs and dances in preparation for Saturday’s show which will be at 3 p.m. at the Barton Field stage.

Duncan said it’s more than just a week of preparing for a show. Missoula Children’s Theatre leaves a lasting impact on the children it touches.

“One of the most important skills a person can have is being able to speak out for themselves,” said Duncan.

Being on stage helps children become comfortable in front of others so later on when they are asked to give a presentation in front of their classmates or in front of the entire school, they can do it with confidence.