1. Presenter Highlight
2
Brandon Zale | Oak Lawn & Evergreen Park, Illinois
Presenter Highlight
even years ago, Brandon
Zale began touring for
Missoula Children’s
Theatre. He spent
three years as a Tour Actor/
Director (TAD), touring to the
northwest, the east coast and
settling down didn’t mean that Brandon had to
leave MCT completely behind.
For the past two years, Brandon has taken
on a new MCT role, that of MCT Presenter.
Performing in an MCT show doesn’t just make these
kids better performers, but better people as well.
- MCT Presenter and former TAD Brandon Zale
“ ”
Clockwise from top left: Brandon’s professional acting
headshot; Brandon with cast members of THE PIED PIP-
ER this October in Oak Lawn, Illinois; Brandon with cast
S
members during his days
as a TAD; Brandon and
Tour Partner Amy Lewis
visiting the White House
dressed as “buzzards.”
“As a TAD, I got to bring this experience to so many
communities, and to so many children. Not only did they
have the opportunity to be a part of a top-notch theatre
production, but they gained self-confidence, made new
friends and learned valuable lifeskills,” Brandon said.
to the Midwest. As
with all TADs, the time
eventually came for
Brandon to settle down
to begin a career for
which he wouldn’t have
to travel from town to
town each week. For
Brandon, that career was
as a music teacher at
two elementary schools
in the Chicago area. But
Photos courtesy of Brandon Zale.
“When I started
teaching, I
wanted to give
this unique
opportunity to
my students. I
wanted them to
experience the
same magic that I did.”
From his new perspective, Brandon now sees first-
hand all the hard work that goes into an MCT residency
week from the Presenter’s side of the stage. “There were a
lot of little things that came up the first time,” he said, “like
making sure the rooms were reserved for workshops and
printing out the ticket templates. You realize that nobody
else is going to do these things, and that they’re not going
to just magically happen.”
Brandon said he knew presenting MCT would
be busy and stressful at times, but he knew the rewards
would be there as well. “At the end of our most recent
residency,” Brandon said, “I noticed one of the younger
cast members
just standing
in front of the
stage crying. I
thought maybe
he couldn’t find
his parents or
he had lost a
costume piece, so I asked him what was the matter.
He told me he wasn’t upset – he was happy. It
seemed he’d had such a terrific experience and was
just overcome with emotion over the whole week. It’s
those moments that let me know, as a presenter and
as a teacher, that all the effort I go through presenting
MCT is worth it.”