A group of Duchesne County kids brought a wildly wacky, extremely loose adaptation of Daniel Defoe's classic novel “Robinson Crusoe” to the stage in Roosevelt on Saturday for two shows. The hour-long production featured catchy tunes, corny jokes, and bright costumes.

It also marked the Missoula Children's Theatre's third visit to the Uintah Basin.

MCT tour actor/directors Sarah Azzinaro and Kepler Correia rolled into Roosevelt last Sunday night and held open auditions at Roosevelt Junior High School the following morning for “The Amazing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe.” Nearly 60 kids turned out and by noon they'd all secured parts in the play.

“The company's motto is 'Developing life skills through theater,'” Correia said. “We do theater, but that's not necessarily the end product we're looking for.

“Looking at the week and whether or not it was a success really has little to do with the kids' abilities to perform, but has a lot to do with their ability to work together as a team and be respectful of each other,” he added.

That respect should also extend to the facility, Correia said. He and Azzinaro offered frequent reminders to their young actors to use the stairs rather than jumping off the front of the stage and to sit properly in the auditorium seats.

For Correia it's his sixth year with MCT. He has a job at the company's headquarters in Missoula but linked up with Azzinaro for a limited engagement after her partner tore a ligament in her foot two days before a performance in Denver.

In her first year with MCT, Azzinaro said the job is a marriage of two of her loves: acting and traveling.

“I thought, 'This is amazing. I get to travel and get paid for it,'” she said. “I had a friend who had done the program and she talked about how you make such an impact in these kids' lives.”

Based in Missoula, Mont., the Missoula Children's Theatre was founded in 1970. It took its show on the road in 1972, casting six children in Miles City, Mont. in a production of “Snow White.” This year, the company has 49 teams on tour throughout the U.S. and around the globe visiting big cities, small towns, military bases, and Indian reservations.

“It's not necessarily the job that wears you out, it's the living out of a suitcase and being on the road,” Correia said. “The job itself is great.”

When a team rolls into a new town and holds auditions on a Monday morning they never know what they'll find. They use their years of experience in theater combined with two weeks of intense training by MCT to pick a cast and launch 4½ days of rehearsals before performing two shows on Saturday.

“We're always pushing for more out of the kids,” Correia said.

In Roosevelt one of those kids is Ryan Busenbark. The 15-year-old had roles in 2007's production of “The Little Mermaid” and 2008's “Jack and the Beanstalk.” This year he earned the lead role as Robinson Crusoe.

“It's fun to get together with other kids for a whole week and work on the play,” said Busenbark, whose favorite part of theater is getting to take on different characters.

Fellow actor MaKell Rohrer echoed Busenbark's sentiment.

“I like acting, just being someone else,” said the 11-year-old who has performed with MCT twice.

“What's been amazing is how much the kids want us to be here,” Azzinaro said. “It was really nice to feel like this was an exciting thing for them.”

Both Correia and Azzinaro said it's hard to believe how much the kids grow into their roles in such a short period of time, and how quickly the show comes together most weeks.

“I've seen it hundreds of times and it still amazes me when I see it: how much kids can learn in a week and how much, if they put their minds to it, they can accomplish,” Correia said. “It's unbelievable. I don't think enough people give them enough credit. This program would never work with adults.”

The Cast and Crew

Busenbark was cast in the lead as Robinson Crusoe, with Kyle Hacking as Wilson and Taylor White as Leonard the Leopard. Merikay Bellon was tapped to play to role of Crusoe's mom.

Azzinaro played Friday, the narrator. Friday's family was played by Amanda Spencer (Saturday), Coleman Miles (Sunday), Micah Bellon (Monday), Kaitlyn McKenna (Tuesday), Isabella Catten (Wednesday), and Patrick Costello (Thursday).

The members of The Oscar the Octopus Octet were: Rachel Cole (Oscar the Octopus), Brian Spencer (Spunky the Monkey), Carson Liesik (Wild Boar Willy), Carly Blake (Marty the Turtle), Kennedy Powell (Myrtle the Turtle), Grace Ady (Glinda Gull), McKenzie Bellon (Polly the Parrot), and Madalyn Udall (Stella the Stork).

The goats were played by Savannah Enman (Billy), Weston Sleight (Bill), Henry Kitchen (Willy), Alex Powell (Will), and Megan Foote (Wilma).

The members of the Very Hairy Frowny-Face Tribe were: Lydia Duncan, Noah Hatch, Andrew Costello, Jacob Udall, Joshua Costello, Megan White, Naomi Child, Kamilla Olsen, James Busenbark, Spencer Wheeler, Gideon Hatch, Kaelie Lemon, Max Catten, Aleah Rasmussen, MaKell Rohrer, Emily Woolstenhulme, Makayla Bellon, Madison Adamson, and Mason Miles.

The chameleons – whose costumes allowed them to change colors – were played by: Jessica Udall, Gracie Womack, Zach Foote, Parker Catten, Macey Bell, Jackson Liesik, Nora Johnson, Marissa Meyers, Halli Hales, Abby Wheeler, Matthew Bellon, Macee Adamson, Delci Lamb, Alyssa Bell, and Nate Foote.

Andrea Burdick, Meagan Johnson, and Colton Atwood assisted Correia in directing the play, and Karen Ady provided the accompaniment.