Actor finds home, purpose in the Flathead

There’s not much that local actor Mikey Winn won’t do on stage.

From his beginnings as a 10-year-old Oompa Loompa for a Colorado community theater production to flying around Whitefish’s O’Shaughnessy Center last year as Mary Poppins’ protégé Bert, Winn has become one of the most recognizable faces gracing the Flathead Valley’s many stages.

And his journey here has only just begun.

Winn was born and raised in Colorado, with a brief stint in Nevada when he was very young. The youngest of three siblings, Winn said he was always the “rainbow black sheep of the family.”

“I wasn’t athletic, I wasn’t academic,” Winn said. “And my parents just wanted me to find something to be involved in.”

So at 10 years old he auditioned for a part in “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” and was cast as an Oompa Loompa. He said at that point he didn’t care so much about the performance aspect of theater, but quickly grew to love the camaraderie.

Winn said that he was extremely involved in theater through high school.

“That’s where I found my tribe of people,” he said.

After graduation, Winn wandered away from the stage for awhile. He described an “on-again-off-again battle with community college,” and waiting tables as he tried to navigate the direction of his life.

After high school, his best friend moved to Arizona to attend college, and in an effort to solidify his life plans, Winn moved south to try his hand at Arizona State University. He quickly decided university living was just not for him, especially with no clear career path in mind.

Winn’s parents own a vacation home near Lake Blaine, and when Arizona did not work out they suggested he try Montana living for awhile.

“I didn’t really make that decision, it just kind of happened,” Winn said.

In August 2012 Winn made Montana home. He got a job as a barista in Whitefish and spent the first few months focused on work rather than socializing.

“I would work and go home ... That was my life for a while,” Winn said. “I would go home to the lake house and write or draw or hike. It was actually a very creative time for me.”

He gradually began to meet people and make friends. After a year integrating into the community, he decided it was time to return to the stage.

In 2013 he auditioned for “Oliver!” with the Whitefish Theatre Co.

“I was so nervous,” Winn said. “I had been out of theater for a while at that point. I had no head shot, no resume ... But everyone was so nice, so welcoming.”

Winn was cast as The Artful Dodger. This time, when the acting bug bit, there was no going back.

“This is the thing that was missing,” Winn said. “This is why I’d been wandering.”

His first local role opened many doors for other productions, but he said the most important connection was with “Oliver!” director Rebecca Schaffer.

“She taught me to be fearless,” Winn said. “I never would have been driven to find that without her. As a performer, that’s invaluable.”

Winn hasn’t stopped performing since 2013. He was cast in several shows at Flathead Valley Community College following “Oliver!” and even enrolled in the theater arts program for a few semesters. He has performed in several Whitefish Theatre Company productions and shared the stage with Broadway stars in Alpine Theatre Project’s “Big Fish” and “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.”

Winn is also a member of Viscosity Theatre’s Cabaret troupe. He said each production and cast he’s worked with have been unique, but none more so than the Cabaret experience.

“The Cabaret is insane,” Winn said, laughing. “It started with a group of us just sitting around and thinking, ‘Let’s do some silly stuff!’ And with the Crush stage, we had the freedom to do it. But we had no idea it would become as big as it was. Plus, I just like making people laugh. It’s my favorite thing in the whole world.”

Winn said one of his favorite roles so far was Bert in Whitefish Theatre Co.’s “Mary Poppins” in 2015.

“That show made me fall in love with the process,” Winn said. “I got to fly, and that’s been a dream since I was a kid!

“It was a lead role, so it was super challenging but also very affirming.”

Winn said he has no plans to slow down any time soon; in fact, just the opposite.

“I love living here,” Winn said. “I’m totally happy doing what I’m doing. There’s just an insane amount of talent, support and opportunities here.”

Winn’s next appearance will be in “Tribes” with the Whitefish Theatre Company April 14-17 and April 21-23 at the O’Shaughnessy Center.

Not long after that show closes, Winn will begin rehearsals with Alpine Theatre Project to prepare for the upcoming summer season. This summer’s lineup includes “The Full Monty,” “Rock of Ages” and “Man of La Mancha.”

“Working alongside talent of that caliber is awesome,” Winn said of Alpine Theatre Project. “Intimidating at times, but awesome. Hats off to Luke [Walrath] and Betsi [Morrison] and what they’ve created here.”

Winn said he has no plans to go back to school or pursue performing in larger markets, at least no time soon.

“I have never experienced this kind of community,” Winn said. “As a performer and also as a gay man, it’s really exciting to be part of the community right now ... This community and the world community where things are changing and making a turn.

“This is the most [awesome] place in the world. Whitefish is like, ‘Be who you are, do what you do, and we’ll be there.’ So, go Bulldogs!”

Online: www.whitefishtheatreco.org; www.atpwhitefish.org; www.fvcc.edu/theatre; www.viscositytheatre.org

Entertainment editor Stefanie Thompson can be reached at 758-4439 or ThisWeek@dailyinterlake.com.