Sparking Creativity with Dakota Players

If you've ever seen a young actor shine on stage for the very first time, eyes wide, arms open, voice projecting with excitement, you’ve witnessed the kind of magic Dakota Players creates every week across the region.

Dakota Players is not your typical touring theater company. Instead of performing for kids, they perform with them. Each week, a two-person team of professional Tour Actor/Directors arrives in a new town with a musical, complete with set pieces, lighting, sound equipment, and over 50 costumes. In just five days, they audition local youth, cast the show, teach songs, choreography, and blocking, and then stage a full musical production for the community by week’s end.

It’s an immersive, empowering experience designed for students from kindergarten through 12th grade. At its heart, Dakota Players is about much more than performance–it’s about possibility.

Bringing Dakota Players to your town to spark creativity, promote healthy expression, and ignite imaginations is no empty promise. Parents, teachers, and kids repeatedly express surprise and awe at what’s accomplished in such a short time, and how much their young actors grow in confidence along the way.

Dakota Players embodies our long-standing commitment to high-quality, accessible performing arts. More than just a performance opportunity, it's a mentorship experience and a celebration of community spirit, all rolled into one.

So, how does it all come together each week? What’s it like to be on the road, building a new show with new faces in every town?

We caught up with two of this year’s tour actor/directors, Anna Marie Myatt and Claudia McMahon, to find out.

Read on to meet these amazing artists, hear about their background, and learn why they believe theater is the “best teacher” we have.

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Meet Claudia 

She/Her | Dakota Players Tour Actor/Director

Can you share a little about your background?

I grew up in a small town in central Massachusetts and am currently a junior Musical Theatre major at Long Island University Post. I was introduced to performing through community theatre at the age of three, and haven’t looked back since! Every summer of high school, I worked as a theatre camp counselor at the same theatre camp I grew up going to, and have continued to work with kids as a member and Secretary of my LIU’s Theatre for Young Audiences Club. As a performer, I am passionate about telling stories that inspire empathy in others and creating work that is both uplifting and challenging to me as an actor and to audience members. In the future, I hope to continue working as a theatre actor and sharing my love of theatre with kids as a teaching artist!

Have you worked with the Black Hills Playhouse before this season with Dakota Players?

No, this is my first time working with BHP! I was SO excited to hear that I would be working with Anna, whom I already knew from LIU, and I’ve met so many wonderful new people so far, too!

What has your experience been like working with Dakota Players? Are there any especially unique aspects of working with BHP/Dakota Players?

I’m having such an amazing time working with Dakota Players! Getting to both act alongside and teach kids every week is so rewarding and such a tangible way to make a difference in the lives of others through theatre-my favorite thing ever. Seeing how much we are able to put together and how much confidence the cast gains in one short week is always incredible! Every week, I get to teach, perform, and help set up and tear down our sets, lights, costumes, and sound systems. This job allows me to practice being such a well-rounded artist and to learn and adapt on the job every day. 

What do you love about theatre? 

I love that theatre allows us to connect with each other in such an authentic and vulnerable way. Putting yourself out there onstage and telling stories can be so intimidating, and learning to do so cultivates courage and inspires empathy in others. Watching stories unfold live onstage encourages us to reflect on the world around us, and I love how theatre can be used both for joy and entertainment and to motivate action and change. My favorite thing about theatre is what a collaborative art form it is; it takes a team to put on any show, and our ability to accomplish that reminds us of all that is possible when we work together.

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Meet Anna 

She/Her | Dakota Players Tour Actor/Director

Can you share a little about your background?

I was born and raised in the small town of LeClaire, Iowa. I’m lucky enough to share a love of performance with my whole family and have been constantly surrounded by the theatre world ever since I can remember. I started theatre at the age of two as one of Snow White’s annoying birds–my one line was “Tweet, tweet”–and I haven’t looked back! I graduated from Long Island University Post with a major in Musical Theatre and a minor in Arts Entrepreneurship. At LIU Post, I founded and led our Theatre for Young Audiences Club and fully realized my passion for theatre education. Post-grad, I am a professional performer, choreographer, and educator based in NYC! 

Have you worked with the Black Hills Playhouse before this season with Dakota Players?

This is my first time working for Black Hills Playhouse/Dakota Players! My best friend has worked for BHP (woo woo Grace!), and one of my friends from college has previously worked for Dakota Players (Go Abbie!), so I knew this was going to be an awesome team to work with.

What has your experience been like working with Dakota Players? Are there any especially unique aspects of working with BHP/Dakota Players?

I have LOVED working with Dakota Players! Dakota Players combines my two favorite things: theatre and education. It is so cool to get to perform and teach every week! The one thing that surprises parents every time is the amount we accomplish every week. Within one week, Claudia and I have auditions, cast the show, teach and direct the entire show to young actors, make sure all actors have everything memorized, set up all technical elements, AND teach workshops! We get to take charge in all aspects of theatre, which is super fun and rewarding. There’s always something new to learn from one another and the young performers!

What do you love about theatre? 

I believe that theatre is the best teacher. We learn about ourselves, others, and the world. When we teach our acting workshop, we focus on three actor tools: concentration, observation, and imagination. These tools are applicable to everyday life, no matter if you’re performing on Broadway or working on your math homework. There is something so beautiful and magical to me about that. 

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We are honored to bring passionate, empathetic artists like Claudia and Anna to Dakota Players. To learn more about this amazing program, click here.