Lewings celebrate 50 years of theatre
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Neal and Karen Lewing, left and center, pose with fellow actor Todd Mowbray, right, for a marketing photo for “Murder at the Howard Johnson’s,” a comedy they’ve performed several times over the years during their summer theatre season.
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“Valley Full of Diamonds,” left, is the musical the Lewings wrote to celebrate Polson’s 75th and 100th anniversaries.
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“Sleeping Beauty,” was the first Children’s Theatre production the Lewings produced.
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Who Gets the Lake Place,” was a summer theatre musical comedy by the Port Polson Players.
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Brigadoon,” was a community theatre musical produced in 2008.
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“Hello?” Cathy Gillhouse answered the phone last spring. “Oh, hi Karen. You want me to play M’Lynn in Steel Magnolias? What an honor. I’d love to.” Though invitation calls are routine for Karen and Neal Lewing as they plan out their season’s productions, to participate in a Port Polson Players play is an exciting accomplishment for area residents. While every year is special, 2024-25 is especially so as it marks the Players’ 50th season. With live theatre a significant aspect of Lake County culture, this 50th anniversary is one to be celebrated.
The Port Polson Players is the 5th oldest summer production company and the 4th oldest year-round company in the entire state. At the end of the summer season in 1983, the Lewings bought the Port Polson Players and quickly got to work putting on “A Christmas Carol,” their very first production here that winter. Since then, the Players have put on 404 productions, most being musicals. Throughout the years Neal and Karen have composed 30 original scripts, including this year’s 50th anniversary season opener, “Meagher of the Sword.” The diversity of entertainment they’ve provided the Mission Valley varies from classic comedies, dramas, Broadway musicals to Shakespeare and creative original plays.
Neal and Karen reminisced with laughter and nostalgia about the theater and the life they’ve faithfully dedicated to it. “Life is a series of circles, so many circles intercept over the years.” Neal mused, “Everything comes back around in one way or another.”
Neal, a devoted lover of all things music and drama, started performing in his small-town high school theatre. Two weeks after graduating, he went to Fort Peck. On the other hand, Karen was a big-city girl. When she got hired by the Montana Repertory Theatre in 1979, she packed a bag, took her dog Charlie who had a clothing line for a leash, and hitchhiked from Seattle all the way to Helena. She also made her way to Fort Peck, where she met Neal. Three months later, they were married.
Karen knew she wanted to live and raise her family in the mountains rather than the city. Upon cresting the hill on Hwy. 93 for the very first time, she knew exactly where. Overlooking the lake, she looked at Neal in disbelief and said, “Let’s live here. This is exactly where we are going to live.”
After settling and starting a family, the Lewings and their dear friends Carmine and Todd Mowbray, who owned the Lake County Leader at the time, toured the region doing theatre. Their dedication to the performing arts was such that they toured all over Montana, Idaho and Wyoming with their children. While putting on productions, local high school students would babysit the kids, laying out sleeping bags in the library and putting them to sleep while their parents performed.
The Lewings purchased a vintage log cabin with a view near Boettcher Park. The cabin’s lake view was the same one Karen fell in love with that pivotal afternoon they crested Polson hill. In the past 41 years, the Lewings have transformed the cabin into the beloved theater it is today. They maintained the integrity of the 1938 historic structure while making upgrades to both the inside and outside of the building. They put in concrete staircases, patios, roofing, seating, heating, lighting, and so much love, sweat and tears. Today, Neal and Karen are managing and artistic directors of the theater as well as secretary and administrative directors for the MVFA (Mission Valley Friends of the Arts). Having devoted their lives to Port Polson Players productions, the two have also continued to perform.
The Port Polson Players have brought live entertainment to the Mission Valley, while providing artistic opportunities to its many citizens – some of them persuaded to give live theater a try. The Lewings are notorious for inspiring people of all professions, ages, and backgrounds to come audition for a play. The police chief of Polson, who participated in roughly six shows, would say “This is my therapy.” The manager at Super 1 who got recruited to do a play, was so nervous beforehand, he recalled pacing and saying, “What am I doing? Why did I get myself involved in this? I’m not an actor.” Immediately after his first performance, he approached Neal with confidence and said, “So, when’s the next play?” Additionally, in the “all over 50” cast of Oklahoma, a performer in her 70s got to cross an acting experience off her “bucket list.”
The Lewings have had up to three generations perform together in their plays: grandparents, parents and kids. They’ve cast blind, deaf, handicapped and paraplegic actors as well as people of all walks of life, religions and political views. They tell everyone in their shows to leave their opinions at the door so the theater can act as an equalizer, and bring actors together as a team.
“It is so rewarding seeing people who never thought they could do something like this, overcome their fears and surprise themselves,” Neal and Karen reflected. This is the power of small-town theater.
To kick off their 50th anniversary season in a couple of weeks, the Lewings will open with their original musical, “Meagher of the Sword.” Neal has been immersed in all things Thomas Francis Meagher since 2009. His research led him to Notre Dame and Ireland and inspired his full-length musical. Montana’s first acting governor led a mysterious, rebellious and adventurous life, before he disappeared at Ft. Benton in 1867. As most Montanans don’t know the true history of the sculpture outside the state capitol, the Lewings will perform the modified 2-person tribute to the “man on the horse” as part of their signature “Education Through Entertainment” platform. Admission to “Meagher of the Sword” is free-will to raise awareness of the project. All are encouraged to attend.
Two months after Gillhouse got the phone call inviting her to perform, she stood on stage with a captivated audience wiping their tears. “WHY?” She wailed, acting as M’Lynn. “Lord, I wish I could understand?!” In the darkness of the theater, spectators sat quietly in apparent empathetic connection. For 50 years, locals have appreciated live theater – sometimes with laughter, sometimes with tears. When Karen reflected about her favorite things, she laughed and responded, “Bringing together the community … and standing ovations. Those are magic.”
