It was brought back last year by popular demand and will once again be gracing Humboldt with its presence this year.
It's the Missoula Children's Theatre (MCT), a touring theatre company based out of Montana, which is specifically geared towards children and adolescents.
It comes with props, lighting, makeup and theatre directors - all it needs is the actors.
And MCT looks for their thespians not in prestigious acting schools or cattle calls across the country, but in all the communities they visit.
That's right; every child, from Kindergarten to Grade 12 can audition for the play MCT puts on when they come to your community.
"Within each MCT cast, girls and boys are equal; the disabled become able, the shy experiment with bravery, the slow are rehearsed to perfection and the gifted become part of the whole," MCT explained in their mission statement from their official website.
The popular theatre company had made a few trips to Humboldt over the years but there was a lull for a while.
"The local arts organization at that time [Quill Plains Regional Recreation Association] folded and so there wasn't anyone to arrange for [MCT] to get here," explained Glenda Lees, a board member of Arts Humboldt.
Three years ago, that changed.
Arts Humboldt was formed in the brew of the Sutherland Theatre's closure. An umbrella organization to bring performing, visual and spoken arts to the city, it strives to fill a void that was left after the historic theatre's demolition.
One thing that was immediately apparent to board members upon forming: the need for MCT to revisit the area.
"We definitely brought it back by popular demand," Lees grins.
Last year, kids in Humboldt and the surrounding area joined MCT to put on a showing of The Wizard of Oz.
All the company's shows are original adaptions of classic children's stories and this year, the touring production is The Secret Garden.
Published in 1911 in the United Kingdom, Frances Hodgson Burnett's story tells of a young and bitter little girl named Mary Lennox who is sent to live with her uncle in Yorkshire, England after the death of her neglectful, wealthy British parents in India. There, with the help of a friendly chambermaid, Mary is told of a secret garden, surrounded by a wall, that was the favourite place of her late aunt. It's now Mary's to discover.
Auditions for the play are being held Sept. 9 at 4 p.m. at Humboldt Public School and are open to children and youth from all over the area; everyone is invited to try out.
Roles to fill include the starring role of Mary Lennox, as well as the novel's vast supporting characters and even smaller roles like the Canadian geese and fireflies.
Lees does mention that not everyone who auditions will get a part but the audition process itself is worth the experience, plus those who aren't cast as stage actors can work behind the scenes on the production.
Rehearsals will immediately follow auditions and will continue every day throughout the week at Humboldt Collegiate Institute (HCI).
"Kids should be prepared to dedicate themselves to this production until its showing Saturday (Sept. 14). If they can't make rehearsals or aren't up to it, they probably shouldn't try out," Lees cautioned.
But judging by the turnout previous years, it seems the youngsters are more than eager to sharpen their acting chops and dedicate after-school time to rehearsals.
MCT will also be hosting acting workshops at Humboldt's four schools throughout the week they're in the city, during school hours. So for those who don't want to audition for the play, they can still hone their skills in the classroom.
And while the children always seem to be excited by MCT's arrival, it seems the feeling is mutual.
"The directors from Missoula actually went out of their way to e-mail me last year and tell me how much they loved Humboldt and the kids that participated," Lees said. "I could tell it was genuine. They weren't making it up. I mean, they said it was the best place to come to."
It could be partly due to the hospitality of the city; PotashCorp in Lanigan is sponsoring this year's production and local restaurants donate meals to the theatre directors for free.
Lees, herself an arts teacher at HCI, is noticeably enthusiastic about the theatre company's arrival in town Sept. 9, not just because of the excitement it generates but probably because of what it does for kids in the long term.
The Creative City Network of Canada says that students who take arts during school, whatever form it may be, do better in school due to the mixture of "roles, risks and rules" offered by arts programming.
"That is so true," Lees said, especially noting music students at the school who always seem to finish at the top of their class.
"It's such an important extra-curricular to be a part of," she added.
Auditions for The Secret Garden will be held at Humboldt Public School, starting at 4 p.m. Monday, Sept.9. Rehearsals will continue through the week at HCI, with the final show being held in the high school's commons area on Saturday, Sept. 14.
The performance (there'll actually be two showings) will be open to the general public.
For more information, contact Glenda Lees of Arts Humboldt at 306-682-4069 or 306-231-6501.
