Kaleidoscope Youth Theater
Bozeman Montana!
What is Kaleidoscope?
Imagination In Action!
Growing Creative Kids and Community Through Theater
It was once said that... "Imagination in action is like a KALEIDOSCOPE. Knowledge is like the bits and pieces in the Kaleidoscope, while imagination is what allows us to turn the drum and create new patterns"
Kaleidoscope Youth Theater under the direction of Artistic Director Stacy Hostetter was imagined in the spring of 2000 and has grown over the last 9 years to a non-profit organization now offering theater and fine arts enrichment opportunities to elementary age children through high school age youth using educational theater skill building classes, summer camps, and large musical productions performed for community audiences.
Kaleidoscope believes that kids have a tremendous capacity for reaching high skill levels and in meeting challenges, and feels that theater helps kids do just that! Through theater, youth not only learn valuable performance skills, but teamwork, responsibility, and a confidence in themselves and their abilities that will last a lifetime, in addition to having a fun release for creative energy and an appreciation for a collaborative artform that is not T.V.!
Kaleidoscope Youth Theater's Drama School:
Using a production based curriculum, Drama School Classes spend the first few weeks learning or reviewing basic acting concepts and skills, and then move on to apply those concepts to a show that features students in all classes coming together for a performance. These shows are all written around the students enrolled so they can reflect skill levels and or cause students to spend more time working on areas where they need more practice or experience. Sometimes shows have a story line that weaves through all the class levels, and sometimes they are held together by a common theme. KYT uses this approach because the learning curve is amazingly steep when students see all they've practiced come together in a show. They learn that as actors, their job is to tell a story to the audience, and through knowing their lines, using a good stage voice, creating characters, and working as a team, they can do that more effectively. They gain backstage experience, learn what works and what doesn't - for example, can they be heard? - and they get a chance to watch other age-group actors perform - for inspiration, or as a reminder of things they should still work on. A production also reinforces Kaleidoscope's goal of creating a strong mentoring connection between older students and younger. Before each performance, older actors are assigned younger 'buddies' whom they are responsible for backstage. This fosters a strong bond between students, whether they are 6 or 16 that maintains even in the school environment. It is always gratifying to hear tales of sixth graders new to the Middle School, or freshmen new to the High School who feel at home because they saw some of their 'Kaleidoscope Buddies' at school who spoke to them in the halls and helped make their transitions easier.
Kaleidoscope Youth Theater is also the home to a company of 35-40 advanced student actors known as the "Kaleidoscope Players", ranging in age from 7-17, who represent a select group of actors who have consistently been involved in Kaleidoscope classes, camps, or productions and who have been chosen by invitation to perform original short plays and full length musicals as a full group or in small ensembles throughout the community. You may have seen them performing at local venues or at Sweet Pea in the summer, at the Christmas Stroll, or perhaps at their dinner performances of "A Winter's Madrigal" in Decembers past.
WHAT MAKES US UNIQUE?
Kaleidoscope, unlike many other theaters, works exclusively with children and youth in the theater setting. We run classes and camps only for kids, and cast kids in age appropriate, challenging shows written especially for kids (and sometimes by the kids!)
Kaleidoscope is primarily a theater of original play scripts written by artistic director Stacy Hostetter. In general, everything that Kaleidoscope produces is original, including the music for the shows. This keeps royalty payment costs down, allows scripts to be written to reflect the kids involved and/or easily changed to accomodate more children in a show. In addition, it is exciting to be a part of the cast of a premier show that has never been performed before!
All plays written by Stacy Hostetter except where denoted by a * In the Spring of 2000: Kaleidoscope Incorporation In December of 2003: Kaleidoscope gained Non-Profit status Fall 1996 Spring 1997 Fall 1997 Spring 1998 Spring 1998 Fall 1998 Spring 1999 Spring 1999 Fall 1999 February 2000 Spring 2000 Summer 2000 December 2000 February 2001 Spring 2001 August 2001 August 2001 December 2001 February 2002 February 2002 Spring 2002 May 2002 May 2002 July 2002 August 2002 August 2002 December 2002 February 2003 Spring 2003 July 2003 August 2003 August 2003 Fall 2003 December 2003 February 2004 February 2004 May 2004 May 2004 July 2004 July- August 2004 August 2004 Fall 2004 December 2004 February 2005 February 2005 May 2005 May 2005 July 2005 July- August 2005 August 2005 Fall 2005 December 2005 February 2006 March 2006 March 2006 May 2006 May 2006 July 2006 July-August 2006 August 2006 September 2006 December 2006 February 2007 March 2007 May 2007 July 2007 July-August 2007 August 2007 October 2007 December 2007 February 2008 March 2008 May 2008 July 2008 August 2008 August 2008 October 2008 February 2009 February 2009 March 2009 May 2009 May 2009 July 2009 July & August 2009 July & August 2009 November 2009 February 2010 February 2010 March 2010 April 2010
July August Ready Steady Go! * Stars of the Silver Screen* Wild West Follies Kids on Broadway * Rock Around the Clock Good Neighbor Fence Doin’ the Decades * A Forest Fantasy Hearts The Victory Garden The Thinking Tree A Forest Fantasy A Midwinter’s Madrigal The Paradise Bound Rock Around the Clock Wild West Follies The Thinking Tree A Winter’s Madrigal Jungle Friends Black Diamonds Peter & the Rose Bush Kaleidoscope Kingdom “Kids” Camp Adventure- Africa Camp Beach Party Peter & the Rose Bush A Winter’s Madrigal No Where To Go But Up A Forest Fantasy Montana Adventure Get a Clue-Spies, Mysteries & Suspense Kaleidoscope “Doors” A Saturday in New York A Winter’s Madrigal Heist on the High Seas A Trunk of Tales The Thinking Tree Where Go the Boats? Renaissance Faire! By the Sea Adventures South of the Border Standing Together A Winter’s Madrigal The Water Runs Hot at the CBARJ Virginia City Shenanigans W.A.N.D.S. Anonymous Back to Nature High Seas Adventure Case of the Disappearing Duchess Rockin’ 50’s Spiders A Winter’s Madrigal Balancing On Dragon Scales Back To Nature The Secret Life of Toys Peter and the Rose Bush Love- Variations on a Theme Starship Adventure Make Mine Scrambled Adventure Hawaii Make Mine Scrambled A Winter’s Madrigal Cinders and the Sparks! Junglitis! Leave Room in the Garden The Dragon’s Ruby Leave Room in the Garden The Golden Days of Hollywood Falling Into Fall Madrigal Singers The Case of the Disappearing Duchess Down South MAYhem Red, White & Blue Revue Heist on the High Seas Mayhem Calico! A Midsummer Night’s Dream- Musical No Where To Go But Up Cabin Fever The Thinking Tree Where Go the Boats The Secret Life of Toys- The Musical By the Sea Renaissance Faire! Bella and the Frog Prince Love - Variations on a Theme *As You Like It- Musical Love- Variations on a Theme- Class Edition *A Midsummer Night's Dream- Musical Hawthorne Elementary Hawthorne (Assist. Director) Hawthorne Elementary (Ellen Theater) Chief Joseph MS (Assist. Director) Hawthorne (Ellen Theater) Hawthorne Elementary Chief Joseph MS (Willson Auditorium) Hawthorne Elementary Hawthorne Elementary (Willson Auditorium) Chief Joseph MS (Willson Auditorium) Hawthorne Elementary (Ellen Theater) Kaleidoscope Players at Sweet Pea Hawthorne Elementary & CJMS Chief Joseph Middle School (Willson Auditorium) Hawthorne Elementary (Ellen Theater) Kaleidoscope Camp Performance at Sweet Pea Kaleidoscope Players at Sweet Pea Kaleidoscope Players Performances Kaleidoscope Preschool Class Mini-Performance Chief Joseph Middle School (Willson) Hawthorne Elementary (Ellen Theater) Kaleidoscope Preschool Class Mini-Performance Kaleidoscope 3-8 Grade Class Performance Kaleidoscope Camp Performance (Bogart Park) Kaleidoscope Camp Performance (Sweet Pea Kaleidoscope Players at Sweet Pea) Kaleidoscope Players Performances Chief Joseph Middle School (Willson Auditorium) Hawthorne Elementary Kaleidoscope Camp Performance Kaleidoscope Camp Performance Kaleidoscope Players at Sweet Pea Kaleidoscope Class Performance (Ellen Theater) Kaleidoscope Players Performance Chief Joseph Middle School (Willson Auditorium) Kaleidoscope Class Performance (Ellen Theater) Hawthorne Elementary (Ellen Theater Kaleidoscope Class Performance (Ellen Theater)) Kaleidoscope Camp Performance Kaleidoscope Players (Big Sky, Bozeman, Sweet Pea) Kaleidoscope Camp Performance (Sweet Pea) Kaleidoscope Class Performance (Ellen Theater) Kaleidoscope Players Performances Chief Joseph Middle School (Willson Auditorium) Kaleidoscope Class Performance (Ellen Theater) Hawthorne Elementary (Ellen Theater) Kaleidoscope Class Performance Kaleidoscope Camp Performance Kaleidoscope Players (Local & Sweet Pea) Kaleidoscope Camp Performance (Sweet Pea) Kaleidoscope Class Performance Kaleidoscope Players Performances Chief Joseph Middle School (Willson Auditorium) LaMotte School Artist in Residency Performance Kaleidoscope Class Performance Hawthorne Elementary Kaleidoscope Class Performance Kaleidoscope Camp Performance Kaleidoscope Players (Local & Sweet Pea) Kaleidoscope Camp Performance (Sweet Pea) Kaleidoscope Players Fundraiser Kaleidoscope Player’s Performance Chief Joseph Middle School (Willson Auditorium Kaleidoscope Class Performance Kaleidoscope Class Performance Kaleidoscope Camp Performance Kaleidoscope Players (Local & Sweet Pea) Kaleidoscope Camp Performance (Sweet Pea) Kaleidoscope Class Performance Bozeman Christmas Stroll Performances Chief Joseph Middle School (Willson) Kaleidoscope Class Performance Kaleidoscope Class Performance Kaleidoscope Camp Performance Kaleidoscope Camp Performance (Sweet Pea) Kaleidoscope Players Performance (Sweet Pea) Kaleidoscope Class Performance Irving Artist in Residence(Willson Auditorium) Chief Joseph Middle School (Willson Auditorium) Kaleidoscope Class Performance Learning Circle Montessori Artist in Residency Kaleidoscope Class Performance Kaleidoscope Camp Performance Kaleidoscope Players (Local & Sweet Pea) Kaleidoscope Camp (Local & Sweet Pea) Kaleidoscope Class Performance Players for Fundraiser at Wild Joe's Coffee House Irving Artist in Residence (Willson Auditorium) Players &Kaleidoscope Class Performance Longfellow Artist in Residence (Willson Aud.) 
Kaleidoscope, although keeping class sizes small, generally casts large musical shows involving lots of students. Fewer kids may be easier to manage and less costly in regard to production costs, most Kaleidoscope shows feature anywhere from 20-40 individuals ranging in age from 5 years old to seniors in high school.
Kaleidoscope productions appeal to child and adult audiences!
Kaleidoscope has a strong educational focus and fosters a mentoring approach among the kids due to the wide range of ages involved. It has often been mentioned that Kaleidoscope is "like a family" because of the confortable, caring community that is fostered by teachers and students alike. Kaleidoscope works on growing people, not just actors!
Mission Statement-
Imagination In Action! Growing Creative Kids and Community
Through Theater
Kaleidoscope Youth Theater is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
Please consider being a Sponsor for KYT! Questions? Contact Stacy
Kaleidoscope Youth Theater Performance History – Fall 1996-March 2010
August
Headwaters State Park
Kaleidoscope Camp (Local & Sweet Pea)
KYT Players Sweet Pea
