Local cast brings Old Town theater to modern audiences

Nestled in the hills south of Libby, just outside city limits, sits a the ghost town that’s full of life.

Every Friday and Saturday evening at 8 p.m. through August 27, the Old Town Players will perform their Victorian Melodrama and Vaudeville style productions at the Old Town Opera House theatre in Old Town, Libby. On July 23, the players finished performing the first play of the season, “Fireworks,” a romantic comedy based on real people during the gold-rush era in Northwestern Montana.

In the entryway leading into the theatre, a ticket booth is located on the right hand side. Through the entryway doors, rows of cushioned chairs line each side. In the left corner, closest to the entryway, an old-timey concession stand sells drinks, popcorn and candy to audience members. The walls are decorated with antique paintings. In front of the stage, sits an orchestra pit big enough to fit one piano.

The Old Town Museum and Old Town Opera House and Theatre exists because of a husband and wife, and their interest in history and theater.

“I’m not from here, but I love history” the woman who runs the show, Zarita Muniz Zook, said. According to Zook, while the pioneer-era buildings of Old Libby were being torn down in the 1960s, she was informed that they were going to be taken to the dump. Zook and her husband, Warren Zook, rescued the buildings and moved them to their site along Cedar Creek Road. They spent years refurbishing and reassembling the buildings to construct the museum and opera house. Zook has also researched all of the old merchants in order to give the museum authenticity.

A former Hollywood dancer and dramatic soprano, Zook fell in love with the Libby area when she and her husband moved up here. Zook is the director of the plays, but she also performs as an actress, singer and dancer. She also writes some of the plays, or rewrites them if they’re public domain.

“I love teaching the young people around this town,” Zook said.

The theatre has been running on and off since 1979, according to Zook. In the 1980s, they held nightly Vaudeville shows in the restored theatre and invited visitors to tour the preserved buildings.

Every year, the players do at least one play in which the setting is the historic Old Town Libby. “Fireworks” is one of Zook’s original plays. Taking place during the area’s first Fourth of July firework displays, the play covers the struggle, confusion and mixed feelings people went through while living in the gold-rush era, as well as the struggle, confusion, and mixed feelings people go through when they’re in love. In total, the productions last approximately one hour and 45 minutes. The play itself is 45 minutes with a 15 minute intermission and a 45 minute Vaudeville theatre production.

The play was based on all real, historical people and events; only dialogue was added by Zook. The cast included: Raiven Mathiason as Shorty Bungard, Stormy Miller as La Charity Bungart, Alivia Zeiler as Pauline Pace, Caleb Smith as Earnest David Boyle, Aleah Ford as Florence Pace, Loretta Brown as Mrs. Harriet Boyle and Chris Beamer as ‘Sweep’ the Roustabout. Although Jagger Muniz, Cameron Boward and Christopher Williams were not in “Fireworks,” they helped out with the concessions and are currently rehearsing, along with the members of the rest of the cast for the upcoming “Sweeney Todd” play.

“It’s a really great play and the cast is wonderful,” Zook said.

The Old Town Players are currently holding their summer stock, a program that trains people and gives them an opportunity to be in a community theatre. During the weeks the players were performing “Fireworks,” they were rehearsing for their current play “Sweeney Todd,” which they will begin performing this weekend.

When asked who the star of the show was, Zook said, “There are no stars, they’re all stars.”

Caleb Smith, who plays Earnest David Boyle in the play, said that he enjoys the humor the most.

“My favorite part is the one-liners. It’s one of those pun things, it’s ‘punny’,” Smith said.

Stormy Miller, who played La Charity Bungart in the “Fireworks” production said her favorite part of being in the plays is the sense of escape.

“In all honesty, it’s just being someone else for a short amount of time,” Miller said. “Once I’m in costume and I’m on stage, I’m a completely different person and I can leave the real world behind for a little bit.”

The role of Pauline Pace was played by Alivia Zeiler, a recent graduate from Libby High School who’s going into music education next year. The play was the second Zeiler has ever been in.

“The first couple of nights were very nerve racking. But now I’m much more calm,” Zeiler said.

Loretta Beamer lives in San Diego, Calif. and owns a summer home near Libby. According to Beamer, she comes up every summer and performs in a play. She admits that she’s usually typecast, being the oldest player out of the bunch. Beamer said that people should come enjoy the shows because they’re very personal, unlike television or other theaters.

Warren Zook acts as the announcer for the Vaudeville theatre.

According to Warren, his and Zook’s paths crossed twice before the officially met.

Zook and Warren met for the first time in Hawaii when Zook was in a show and he was stationed there. Warren managed the gate that Zook had to go through every night and Zook still has a picture of Warren at the gate, Warren said.

They met again in Nevada, when Warren was walking past where Zook was doing her shows. Warren had had just gotten off his shift as a bartender when Zook approached him.

“She said ‘Have you ever been in a show,’ and I said, ‘No’ and she said, ‘Have you ever wanted to be in a show?’ and I said ‘No’ and she said ‘Well I need somebody, so you’re in the show,’ and I’ve been doing it for 30 years,” Warren said. “She’s a neat lady, sometimes I wonder how I got so lucky.”

The Old Town Opera House is not the only community theatre Zook works on through the year, she also manages the Virginia Players in Nevada.

The next play they’ll perform is a rewrite on “Sweeney Todd”; not the Broadway musical, but the book, “A String of Pearls: The Original Tale of Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” and the third play they’re performing will be, “A Day in the Life of Cleopamper.”

After summer stock is over, the players will put on more plays for the fall season. According to Zook, they will put on plays until it snows.

The Old Town museum opens 1 p.m. daily, except Monday, although Zook encourages people to come and look around during the hours in which they’re closed. Admission prices are set at $3.

The Old Town Museum and theatre is located at 226 Cedar St. Ext. south of Libby. For more information, call 293-8426.

Reporter Bethany Rolfson may be reached at 293-4124 or by email at Reporter@TheWesternNews.com.