For nearly 20 years, Stacy Hostetter has been working to shatter the notion that children’s theater can be no more than a few kids in vegetable costumes dancing to recorded music. The culmination of her efforts is Kaleidoscope Youth Theater, which performed for the first time at the Sweet Pea Festival in 2000. Thirteen years later, Kaleidoscope has its own theater space at 1602 West Beall Street, where it offers classes and camps, in addition to original performances packed with talent.

Kaleidoscope Youth Theater puts on more than just your average kids show, much more. Their most recent performance of Peter and the Rosebush had a completely original script and score. It is a fantastic story of a seemingly simple gardener who finds the courage to save a princess from an evil sorcerer. Hostetter writes all of Kaleidoscope’s performances, many of which are musicals like Peter and the Rosebush. This particular performance is based on a fable Hostetter’s daughter wrote in seventh grade. In fact, much of Kaleidoscope’s development can be traced back to creative efforts in our local schools.

Hostetter, a Bozeman native, has been writing plays since she was in junior high school. At Bozeman High School she got really involved in music and choir. After volunteering to help with one of her daughter’s performances at Hawthorne Elementary School, she realized her passion was teaching theater to kids. She was Hawthorne’s drama coach for ten years, responsible for two shows every year. She then went on to teach art and theater at Sacajawea and Chief Joseph Middle Schools; she ran CJMS’s after-school drama program for 15 years, and it was during these years that Kaleidoscope Youth Theater began to develop.

A parent on the board of the Sweet Pea Festival asked Hostetter to organize a group of students to perform as a performance group for festival audiences. All Hostetter’s group needed was a name. She recalled a quote that described an active imagination as a kaleidoscope, and Kaleidoscope Youth Theater was born. For many years classes and rehearsals were held in churches and dance studios willing to donate the space. Hostetter ran the non-profit from her kitchen table. But, in February 2011, the theater finally found its own space, a theater and rehearsal space within walking distance from Bozeman High School. Having a permanent space is allowing Kaleidoscope to do a lot more. “People didn’t know who we were until we got a building,” Hostetter explained.

Perhaps the public wasn’t too familiar with Kaleidoscope Youth Theater, but a number of talented and dedicated kids have considered it to be their home away from home for several years. “It’s like a social club for them and we try to foster that family feeling,” Hostetter said. The entire theater is a family affair. Hostetter’s mother plays live piano for the theater’s performances, and she helps write the music that accompanies their various shows. Both of Hostetter’s daughters have taught at the theater and one continues to do so as she starts her own family.

As the matriarch of the Kaleidoscope family, Hostetter emphasizes education. “To make it really fun, you have to reach a certain skill level,” she explained. “Our goal is to teach them the basics, how to move on stage and carry a whole show.” In this, she has been successful. The recent performance of Peter and the Rosebush was a professional-caliber production. It was a tale of fantasy full of magic and magical creatures, like elves and goblins in elaborate costumes and makeup. The young actors knew just how to move on the multi-story set and even performed their own stunts. Peter, played by Julien Harris, fell from the top level of the set into the underground tunnels inhabited by rowdy goblins.

Many of the actors played several parts, which required costume changes, but the flow of the performance was seamless. The actors had clearly been working hard, they performed with the ease of seasoned professionals, able to mix humor and suspense with song and dance. Audience members of all ages had a fabulous time, laughing about their favorite parts while making themselves ice cream sundaes during the intermission.

Kaleidoscope’s next performance is a mystery that takes place on a cruise ship, and is called Heist on the High Seas. “We try to mix up our season a bit,” Hostetter said. “Peter is a fantasy story, while Heist on the High Seas is clean and witty.” The cruise ship mystery opens on Mother’s Day weekend with performances the evenings of May 10, 11, 17, 18, and a matinee on May 19.

The theater puts on five shows every year, with additional shows at Sweet Pea and Wild West Winterfest. All of the camps and classes end with showcases as well, so the theater is a busy place. Kaleidoscope produced 18 different shows during the past year.

After-school drama classes are in full swing and Kaleidoscope has five camps scheduled for the summer. The first is an exploration camp that offers a little bit of everything for kids in first through sixth grades. A three-day puppet camp takes place right before the Fourth of July, followed by a week long production camp that focuses on outer space. In just one week, kids in first through eighth grade will rehearse and perform a full-length show. Another camp will give kids the chance to learn more about Broadway and practice their own singing, dancing, and choreography. The summer closes with a two-week production camp that leads right into the performance at the Sweet Pea Festival.

Parents and kids interested in learning more about the opportunities at Kaleidoscope Youth Theater should go to the theater’s website: www.kytbozeman.org. Improv classes are available for drop-in students interested in learning more about what the theater does, but the other camps and classes require more of a commitment. Kaleidoscope offers a club card that can be used by multiple family members to make payment more convenient. Less than half of the theater’s expenses are covered by student tuition; the rest comes from grants and dedicated donors.

Kaleidoscope is not just kids’ theater, it’s great theater. Since that first performance at the Sweet Pea Festival, more than 2,000 local kids have participated in Kaleidoscope programs. They have learned to work as a team; building solid theater skills, and they put on a memorable show.

Sarah Cairoli is glad Peter was able to defeat the sorcerer and save the princess. She can be reached at scairoli30@hotmail.com

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