Bigfork Community Players stage original play by David Vale
Garrett Reese, played by Eric Myers, and Don Wagner, played by David Vale, in Bigfork Community Players’ production of “Naked Bigport.” (Photo provided)
The new comedy, “Naked Bigport,” opens in Bigfork Friday, Feb. 21. Presented by the Bigfork Community Players, “Naked Bigport” was written by local playwright David Vale.
The show will play at the Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts, 526 Electric Ave. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 21 and 22 and at 2 p.m. Feb. 22 and 23. Tickets are available at Bigfork Drug, the Pocketstone Cafe, the Kalispell Grand Hotel, and at the door. “Naked Bigport” contains occasional mild profanity, but should be appropriate for all audiences.
Bigport, as the story goes, is a quaint and quiet tourist destination in Northwestern Montana. Bustling with visitors during the summer, its winter is peaceful as the locals enjoy the relative solitude of nature. But when it’s rumored that Homeland Security is investigating an expose’ on Bigport life written by an insider and the town appears to be sitting, quite literally, on a powder keg, the residents bring out the heavy artillery and respond in the only way they know how, by staging a parade.
“There is no nudity and none of the people, places, or situations are real,” playwright Vale says. “But it’s a story set in small-town Montana and, to those who live in a small Montana town, Bigport may feel a lot like home.”
Bigfork resident Tara Allen plays Beatrice Martin, the “unofficial mayor” of Bigport. “Although the characters are fictional,” she says, “I draw on real people I know to develop my character. People who are bossy, controlling and secretive. Nothing like me, of course.”
“My character just loves to shoot big guns and blow things up,” Eric Myers, who plays Garrett Reese says. “I’ve never actually done any of that stuff, but I’m beginning to see the appeal.”
“My character, Dottie Wilson, tries to be a moderating influence on the craziness,” Melinda Skilondz says. “But sometimes her love for festivity just takes over and moderation goes out the window.”
“‘Naked Bigport’ doesn’t attempt to make any sort of a social statement,” Vale says. “It’s just an evening of fun watching folks you could know acting a bit more unusual than usual.”