Frost Fire Summer Theatre to present state premiere of 'Little House on the Prairie, the Musical'
Jan. 20—WALHALLA, N.D. — Frost Fire Summer Theatre has announced the audition schedule for the upcoming North Dakota premiere of "Little House on the Prairie, the Musical."
Auditions will be held from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, at Sharon Lutheran Church, 1720 S. 20th St., Door 4, and from 1 to 4 p.m. Feb. 5 at Cavalier Public Schools, 300 Main St. East, Door 1. Prospective actors need to audition at only one of these sites, and may sign up for a one-hour audition time slot at
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Video auditions will also be accepted via YouTube in unlisted format through Feb. 5.
The show will run Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays, June 24- Aug. 2, at Frost Fire Park, located 7 miles west of Walhalla, North Dakota.
Frost Fire is seeking to hire a cast of 20 actors, as well as musicians and sound technicians, for the production. All positions are salaried.
The leading role of Laura Ingalls will be played by Emily Braunberger of Langdon, North Dakota, who will be making her third appearance with Frost Fire. A graduate of Langdon Area High School and North Dakota State, Braunberger has performed in and directed community theater productions in Langdon, and performed on many stages throughout North Dakota. The Frost Fire veteran played the role of Grandmother Tzeitel in "Fiddler on the Roof" in 2009 and Baroness Elsa Schraeder in "The Sound of Music" last summer.
Amy Jo Paukert, the play's director, and her husband David Paukert, Frost Fire theater manager, of Michigan, North Dakota, saw the world premiere of "Little House on the Prairie" at the Guthrie Theater — which boasted record-breaking attendance — in Minneapolis in 2008, and have been wanting to present it at Frost Fire ever since, she said.
"We were impressed with the artistic staging of the show and the beauty of the music," she said. "We knew the story would resonate with our audiences. It contains a heart and spirit that defines those who were adventurous enough to settle the prairie."
The musical follows the Ingalls family's journey westward and settlement in De Smet, South Dakota, where Ma and Pa Ingalls hoped to make a better life for their children.
"It tells the story of their struggle to keep their land claim," said Paukert in a news release. "In story, song and dance, we see the Ingalls suffering the hardships of winter blizzards and prairie fires as well as rejoicing in the settlement of land and town."
Most notably, it illuminates Laura's life as she grows from the wild child, who loved to run free, into a woman who embraces the responsibilities of her own future while struggling to remain true to herself, Paukert said.
Production licensing rights for the show became available in 2019, but then the emerging COVID pandemic soon forced many theaters to close or adjust their entertainment offerings.
"We feel this is a great time to do the show," Paukert said.
This production marks Frost Fire Summer Theatre's 39th season. Misti Koop, East Grand Forks, and David Paukert are theater managers; Jenn Schroeder, Cavalier, will be assisting them.
For additional audition information, go to
or contact Misti Koop at
or call or text (701) 330-8626, or David Paukert at
or call or text (701) 270-9424.
