The Extra Mile: 'Theater is a real joy'

Community theater is one of the many areas of community involvement that has been in decline for decades nationwide, according to research done by political scientist Robert Putnam. But in southern Lincoln County, one couple is dedicated to seeing community theater thrive.

Husband and wife Keith Meyers and Susan James don’t just volunteer in community theater together, theater is what brought them together in the first place.

Shortly after James moved to Libby to work at the Libby Dam, she hit a deer, and found herself in Meyers’ shop, The Magic Wrench. Seeing the posters he had up from performances, she asked for his help with a special Halloween event at the dam.

In exchange for his help, she volunteered to help with a performance of The Nutcracker.

Around eight years later, they are still a team. Meyers writes, directs and produces. James is the costumer and just about anything else that is needed.

“I really enjoy being behind the scenes and helping make things happen,” James said. “And I enjoy feeding people too.”

James had previous experience creating costumes for science fiction conventions, but said Meyers was the one who showed her how much fun theater could be.

A few years before he started the Pitiful Players, Meyers said he was getting a haircut when the woman cutting his hair commented on his voice and asked if he’d tried theater.

Then, about a decade and a half ago, he was starting his own troupe.

“I wanted to do my own thing,” he said. He had already written a few plays in the theme of the “Pitiful Pirates,” and carried that on.

Meyers had done some creative writing before, but nothing like whole plays. Yet, being involved in community theater helped to inspire him to take on the task.

“A lot of the inspiration now comes from the people I meet — the actors, the kids we work with,” he said. Plays, such as the recent production of Cinderella, were actually written around the personalities of the two lead actors.

That Meyers writes the plays also saves on royalty fees, which allows the Pitiful Players to offer their work free to the public.

From theater to things such as helping with activities at the dam, Meyers said he finds joy in the community performance.

“Theater is a real joy,” he said. “The people generally are a joy.”

From the ways his characters surprise him even as he is writing, to the creative elements actors bring to their roles, Meyers said he enjoys the whole process from inspiration to the final performance.

“I get a big thrill out of seeing the kids grow,” he said.

And James and Meyers agreed that it’s easy for adults to underestimate children.

“Kids are people. They’re just short,” James said.

James, who has a masters degree in education, said that was something they were reminded of in her teaching classes.

“It’s just wonderful to see the kids grow, and to give them a chance to shine,” she said.

It also gives them a productive way to be occupied.

But many of their productions involve adults as well, and Meyers said it can be just as rewarding as children’s theater.

Raymond Miller has been in a number of Pitiful Player performances over the years, including recent productions of Cinderella and A Christmas Carol.

He said he appreciates the diverse group of people Meyers draws in to a performance.

“Whenever we do plays, I get to be around all different kinds of people,” he said.

Some of those are people he wouldn’t normally get the chance to work with, even in a small community such as Libby.

“Everybody comes from different political affiliations and with different opinions, but we all come together and really make magic happen for theater,” he said. “I think Keith is really the linchpin, because he’s the one who finds everybody.”

Sherrie Garcia said she had no interest in theater before she met Meyers over a decade ago.

“I think he is a very good writer, producer and director. He puts his own stamp on plays that have already been written, and he writes brilliant, original stuff,” she said.

But Meyers Is also good at teaching people to perform, Garcia said. “He auditions them, he works them, he teaches them how to work in front of an audience, and I think it’s quite brilliant, because people need something of interest to do — besides watch television.”

James said that Meyers does a good job gradually building actors up, from their first reading with a script in hand, to the finished product when they perform in front of an audience.

Keeping things fresh can be a challenge, and Meyers said that he has bumped up against the sensibilities of others with some of his writing.

“I always err on the side of being a little too daring,” Meyers said. “I think theater — even kids theater — needs a little bit of edge.”

Sometimes that “edge” can just be in putting a twist on a theme — such as his Cinderella and Prince Harry, who decided they were a little young for a serious relationship, and that they could just be friends.

That script had a lot of emotional points that struck James, she said. She was impressed how Meyers portrayed key things a young girl has to deal with growing up.

“He has the ability to let the characters live in his head, and they come out on paper,” she said.

“The Extra Mile,” runs in the final issue of Your Western News each month. Each month is a feature on someone in Lincoln County who gives of themselves for their community.

We are always seeking nominations from fellow volunteers, coworkers, bosses, family, friends, neighbors or anyone else who sees what a volunteer does and thinks others should too.

Please send your recommendation, a short explanation of why you think the individual should be featured and information on how to reach you or the individual you nominate to bkibbey@thewesternnews.com, or The Western News, 311 California Avenue, Libby, MT 59923.