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your homegrown newspaper October 16, 2024
Vol. 21, No. 5
Lewings celebrate 50 years of theatre by Joanna Hudorovich for the Valley Journal
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Hall of Fame pg. 6
Pumpkin Patch pg. 8
Sports shots pg. 14
ello?” 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
COURTESY PHOTO
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.
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 entertain-
ment 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 w w w.va l le yj our na l.net
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 see page 2