UWP's Heartland to showcase children's tale of 'The Pied Piper'

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville Heartland Festival will welcome the Missoula Children's Theatre on Friday, July 17 and Saturday, July 18 as they present the classic children's tale of "The Pied Piper." Children from surrounding communities will showcase their acting skills during the performances.

The Missoula Children's Theatre is headquartered in Missoula, Mont. It consists of directors who travel across the United States and work with children in selected areas to practice and give final performances.

The Heartland Festival pre-registered children for the Missoula Children's Theatre's "Pied Piper" performance beginning in March. Directors will work with 60 children from the communities of Baraboo, Barneveld, Belmont, Blanchardville, Boscobel, Cuba City, Dodgeville, Fennimore, La Crosse, Lancaster, Monfort, Platteville, Rewey and Spring Green. The children, ages 6 to 18, will attend rehearsals at UWP for a week before the performances. In addition to the rehearsals and workshops, the children will attend a performance of the Heartland Festival's, "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown."

"The Pied Piper" features Sara, an orphan girl, and the townspeople of Hamelin, whose town becomes overrun with ravenous rats. They call upon the Pied Piper to save them from the troublesome creatures but more problems occur when the town is unable to pay the Pied Piper.

Performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. on July 17 and 2 p.m. on July 18. Ticket prices are $6 for adults and $3 for UWP students with a valid ID or individuals under the age of 18. Tickets are available through the University Box Office at (608) 342-1298 or at http://tickets.uwplatt.edu. "The Pied Piper" will be held in the Richard and Helen Brodbeck Concert Hall located in the Center for the Arts on the UWP campus.