A Bold New Vision: Brave New World Shines at Backyard Theatre
July 23, 2024
Article by Brooke Wagner
Photo Courtesy of Backyard Theatre
"Theater anytime, anywhere, and for anyone!" This is how Travis Kuehn describes Backyard Theatre, a blossoming performance art theatre in Billings. Kuehn, the artistic director, reflects on how the group started. He says, "Backyard Theatre began in 2013 with Amanda and Matt McCave. Their first show was Lysistrata, which was performed in their backyard, and things took off from there. In March 2020, Amanda and Matt moved to Lincoln City, Oregon, passing the torch to Travis Kuehn, Lexi Cooper, and Mia Anderson."
Backyard Theatre lives up to its name and motto. They have performed shows at the Moss Mansion, Rock Creek Coffee Roasters, Limber Tree Yoga, Movement Montana, Craft Local, Thirsty Street Brewing Co., Pioneer and Castle Rock parks, Poly's Place Coffee, and many neighborhood backyards across town. Kuehn laughs, "Anywhere anyone has a space and desire for us, we have a show to fit there!" Without an actual brick-and-mortar "home," Backyard Theatre is for the community and in the community, bringing the arts to people who may have never attended a formal performance before. The hope is that this involvement could feed into other artistic venues in town, like NOVA, Billings Studio Theatre, and Yellowstone Repertory Theatre. In June of 2024, the group officially became a nonprofit. Kuehn says, "We have our first big fundraiser as a nonprofit entity coming up on August 24, where we will have a barbecue and live entertainment. We post about our upcoming events as regularly as we can on our Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok pages, as well as our website backyardtheatre.org."
The latest offering from the BT is called "Songs For A New World" by Jason Robert Brown. This roughly 90-minute performance features 19 songs in a series of short stories and vignettes of different people and their journeys through relationships, hardships, and joys. This show is a beloved classic in the musical theater world, and Kuehn is thrilled to be able to bring it to Billings. He says, "This is a show that so many performers around town have wanted to see done for many years, and it is an incredible and powerful collection of music and storytelling." The show features local Billings talent like Amy Schendal (Woman One) and Wendy Carlin (Woman Two), as well as CJ Jennings (Man Two). Kuehn, as well, is making a bold departure from his traditional role as artistic director by tackling the role of Man One in the production.
The show's opening weekend was Friday, July 19, but never fear - you can still catch a performance! The remaining dates include July 25 and 27 at 7:30 pm and July 28 at 2:00 pm at NOVA Center for the Performing Arts (2317 Montana Ave). Kuehn invites audience members and performers alike to check out all that the Backyard Theatre offers, whether they are new to the stage or seasoned performers. He says, "We invite the community to have an openness to new experiences and stories, and a willingness to be challenged, whether that be technically, emotionally, and physically as a performer (delving into the hard work that is required to get a production up and running) or as an audience member, taking in new points of view that they may never have encountered before."
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