4-H Drama – But in a Good Way

Published: 2020
By Campbell Barrett

For more than 70 years, 4-H Clubs in Missoula County have had the opportunity to participate in plays through the 4-H Drama Festival, which first raised the curtain in 1947. The Drama Festival was the brainchild of County Extension Agent Tony Rollin. Rollin, when asked why he was so interested in the Drama Festival, said he was raised in an orphanage in Minnesota. At the orphanage, they had a program of putting plays together and presenting them, which in Rollin’s mind helped him build the confidence he would need later in life. The first Drama Festival was held at the Orchard Homes Country Life Club in Missoula. The name of the winning play that year was “The Blue Teapot,” and was organized by the Orchard Homes 4-H Club. As interest in the Drama Festival increased, more clubs got involved. At its peak, the festival showed up to 16 plays, which involved evening events on consecutive nights, and the top plays competed for coveted county awards. For many years, state Senator Por Deschamps served as the Master of Ceremonies at the finale featuring the top plays. In March 2020, just before the COVID-19 stay-at-home order, 4-H members from two Missoula clubs competed in the 74th Annual 4-H Drama Festival, and due to a last-minute facility change, the event was again held at the Orchard Homes Country Life Club. In a post-festival survey, 32% of respondents, unprompted, said the festival improved their teamwork skills. Other skills gained included patience, cooperation, speaking skills, overcoming stage fright, and gaining self-confidence. One participant said, “Drama Festival is a good way that I can be myself without people judging.”