Oakville School District hosts Missoula Children’s Theatre and creating King Kong’s hand
Published 1:30 am Monday, February 23, 2026
On Saturday afternoon, Oakville students took the stage to perform the Missoula Children’s Theatre production of Sleeping Beauty.
The audience size exceeded the number of chairs put out, so organizers added more to the back. Cassie Hooper, one of the two Missoula Children’s Theatre actors who worked with students, played the role of the Jester, which served the dual role of narrator and character.
After the performers took their bows and returned to the classroom to change out of their costumes, their parents, some of whom had flowers, waited to congratulate them. Other parents helped take down the set, which consisted of cloth panels depicting the inside of a castle.
“They did such a great job,” said Amie McCrite, a counselor for Oakville School District. Having seen snippets of the practices throughout the week, McCrite enjoyed seeing the students bring it all together.
This version of Sleeping Beauty did share commonalities with the Disney version, having three good fairies and a spindle, but there were additional roles of trolls, a loyal dog, and caterpillars. And Beauty sleeps for 500 years, waking to see Elvis, also played by Hooper.
The kids have been so much fun this week, said Kaida Laven, the other Missoula Children’s Theatre actor. “They all got a lot of personalities.”
Both Hooper and Laven joined Missoula Children’s Theatre in December 2025 and have been on the road for the past month staging plays in California before driving north to Oakville.
Hooper said that she’s been able to do more acting this week, with the students reacting to the dialogue instead of just saying lines.
Music teacher Spencer Smith provided the piano accompaniment, filling in at the last minute and receiving the music on Thursday morning. A lot of things are different with live music instead of a recording, Smith said. As an example, Smith had to adjust on the fly, quieting the notes if the students were speaking softly or filling in gaps where the students paused until they remembered their line.
In April, the recently started Oakville High School Theater Club will stage a play inspired by the Wizard of Oz, and the details will be included in a future listing of performances.
In the preview of Kong’s Night Out, the showstopper that occurs in Act 2 was hinted at, but now that the play is nearing the end of its run, we can share how Shannon Weidman turned a sketch into a gasp-prompting prop.
Weidman has volunteered with Driftwood Players for several years. His interest in building props began when his kids participated in 7th Street Kids, and he signed up to make props. Julayne Fleury, who has directed plays at 7th Street Kids and plays Daisy in Kong’s Night Out, “was impressed with a couple of the little props that I made for that show, so I’ve been helping with posters and props ever since,” Weidman said.
The direction that Weidman received from Director Alex Eddy regarding Kong’s hand was that it would be pushed through the French doors and for it to be King Kong sized.
“I asked, ‘Do you want the fingers to open and close? And he said, ‘If you can, that’d be great.’ That was my goal, to try to make it so the fingers could open and close,” said Weidman.
From the wings_4
He couldn’t find online any examples of a King Kong-sized hand, and what Weidman did find was staging a person in a monkey costume, “which is great, but I really wanted to get the full illusion,” he said.
After sketching out a design, Weidman set to build it, using freestanding gates, 2x4s, a thin wood frame, PVC pipe, chicken wire, and lots of spray insulation foam. Placing heavy-duty hinges inside the fingers allowed them to close when a cord is pulled at the back of the hand, and bungee cords on the backside opens the hand. What keeps the fingers from not tipping over are weighted buckets at the back to serve as counterweight.
The skin-like texture is Saran Wrap that Weidman wrapped on top of the chicken wire, upon which the insulation foam was sprayed.
“With the spray foam, you have a lot of holes and divots so I used joint compound, like for doing drywall, to fill in some of the holes, and then sanded the whole thing,” Weidman said. “My garage was just filled with white powder everywhere.”
It was late on a rainy night that Weidman drove the hand to Driftwood Theater, going slow since the hand was hanging off the back of the pickup truck. A tarp covered it so he didn’t receive any odd looks from passing drivers.
Once the hand was at Driftwood Theater, Weidman finished painting it and gluing on black rugs he purchased from Amazon to mimic fur. And with the prop finished, Weidman turned it over to Eddy for staging
“One of the challenges in making it was that I didn’t know what the set was going to look like. I didn’t know how it was going to be used, so I [was] trying to prepare for the worst [when building it,],” said Weidman. “I’m trying to make it as tough as possible but obviously light enough that they can move it easily without it. Basically, one person can do it. Two people is a little bit easier to steer, but one person can do it.”
From the wings_5
Weidman was on opening night to see the hand, which is operated by Cal Amendola, burst through the French doors.
“People seem to like it from my perspective,” he said. “There was a little bit of gasps because I don’t think anybody was expecting such a giant prop. It’s the biggest thing that I’ve ever made for a show.”
And what was Eddy’s reaction to the audience seeing King Kong’s hand burst through the doors and onto the stage?
“It’s been more than what I thought would happen,” he said. “It’s been really cool.”
Upcoming auditions
Harvey — Stage West Community Theatre, Ocean Shores Lions Club
Auditions will be held Feb. 28 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Auditions are for six men and six women. Rehearsals will run March 9 through May 6. The script can be requested from Lori Hardin at stagewesttheatre@yahoo.com.
What the Constitution Means to Me — Driftwood Players
Auditions will be held Mar. 14 and 16. Auditions are for one woman, one man, and one teen.
Upcoming Productions
February
Kong’s Night Out – The Driftwood Players
120 East 3rd St., Aberdeen
Do you ever watch an action movie and wonder what all the regular folks are doing while their city is being destroyed by big scary monsters? Well, this is the story of what happened in the hotel room next to the hotel room where Ann (played in the 1933 King Kong by Fay Wray) was whisked out of the bed and into the Manhattan night by the ape himself.
Feb. 27-28, at 7:30 p.m. and March 1 at 2 p.m.
https://main.aberdeendriftwood.com/
Sleeping Beauty – Hoquiam School District
Central Elementary School, 310 Simpson Ave. Hoquiam
Feb. 28 at 1 and 4 p.m.
March
The Shootout Saloon – Stage West Community Theatre
Oyhut Bay Seaside Resort, Ocean Shores
Supper, suspects, and a showdown-welcome to The Shootout Saloon. Two nights only, and if you miss it, even the tumbleweeds will gossip about you. Western attire welcome. An interactive murder mystery.
March 6-7 at 6 p.m.
https://www.stagewestcommunitytheatre.org/
Hello Dolly! — Grays Harbor College
1620 Edward P. Smith Drive, Aberdeen
Hello, Dolly! is an ebullient Golden Age Broadway classic and irresistible story of the joy of living that appeals to audiences of all ages. This musical adaptation of Thornton Wilder’s hit play, The Matchmaker bursts with humor, romance, and energetic dance.
March 6-7, 13-14 at 7:30, Mar.ch 8, 15 at 2 p.m.
https://www.ghc.edu/bishop/calendar/winter-musical-hello-dolly
April
Once Upon a Mattress — Elma High School Drama
April 16 and 17 at 7 p.m. and 18 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
