Montana Art Theatre performs original play adapted from Irish classic

Aug. 17—The Montana Art Theatre (MAT) will debut its original production "A Different Kind of Woman" on Aug. 26 and 27 at 7:30 p.m. at The O'Shaughnessy Center.

The play, which will be performed as a staged reading, is an adaptation of "The Playboy of the Western World" — a play written by Irish playwright John Millington Synge and first performed in the early 1900s. MAT's adaptation of the play was conceived by MAT Artistic Director Nick Rapp and Whitefish resident Leanette Galaz. It was written and adapted by Rapp and Jessica Rose Felix, and the entire cast together helped devise the play.

"A Different Kind of Woman" follows the story of Christina Guzman, a California transplant of Mexican American ancestry, who, in her attempt to walk out on her marriage, believes she has accidentally killed her husband. She arrives in Whitefish with the hope of escaping and forgetting her past completely.

But, according to MAT, this isn't actually a play about Christina Guzman. As with Synge's "The Playboy of the Western World," this is a play where the outsider acts as the catalyst for the town to become known unto itself.

Many characters take an initial liking to Christina, as her expressed qualities of a pioneer spirit and rugged individualism resonate with the locals in northwest Montana. She finds the favor and social approval she had craved so badly in her life before to be in abundance here. She seeks to capitalize on her public popularity through social and political initiatives, including real development with the housing crisis in Whitefish.

But her progress as a resident and as a reformer are thwarted as her past catches up to her. How Whitefish as a town responds to her public initiatives against the backdrop of controversy in her personal life is where the conflict of the play explodes into theatre.

"This play is a labor of love, born from the collaborative efforts of Nick, myself, our co-writer Jessica and our whole cast and crew over an eight-month period," Galaz said. "We hope the community can see itself reflected in the humor and humanity of this play, and that each of us will be both entertained and feel challenged to do better, be better and make our community stronger together."

MAT says this event is a staged dramatic reading of an original play about Whitefish and it is not a fully realized theatre production.

The cast consists of Galaz as Christina Guzman, Naesha Johnson as Peggy Flaherty, Velvet Phillips Sullivan as Michaela Flaherty, CrisMarie Campbell as Widow Quinn, Dade Wendt as Shawn Keogh, Nicole Schubert as Gemma Farrell, Hunter Carvey as Philly O'Cullen, and Nick Rapp as Chad Smith Williamson.

MAT also had performances scheduled for the Philipsburg Art Festival but the festival's board canceled the performances after deciding the play was too political and controversial. MAT is hoping to reschedule those performances at a new venue.

The Whitefish performances are on Aug. 26 and 27 at 7:30 p.m. at the O'Shaughnessy Center, 1 Central Avenue, Whitefish. Tickets are $15 for adults, and $10 for students, seniors and service industry workers.

To purchase tickets visit https://montanaarttheatre.eventbrite.com