Breckenridge kids to bring Ancient Greece to life in ‘Hercules!’ stage show on Saturday, June 21, at National Theatre

June 21

08:16 2025

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By Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan

The cast and crew of the Missoula Children’s Theatre production of “Hercules!” have been practicing all week, and they’re ready to present their performance to the Breckenridge community. The play will begin at 2 p.m. today, Saturday, June 21, at the National Theatre, 116 E. Walker St., in downtown Breckenridge. Admission will be free and open to the public.

During the dress rehearsal on Friday, June 20, Hercules (Caleb Windsor) is admonished by Zeus (Reyse Hash) and Hera (Sarah Moreno ). Click here to see more photos. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

The annual week-long theater camp is for kids in grades kindergarten through 12th grade. The traveling theater workshop has been helping youth in communities in the United States and beyond present stage productions for 53 years.

This year’s Breckenridge production includes 39 children telling the story set in ancient Greece. As they prepare for the Olympic Games, everyone from the Greek gods and philosophers to the Influencers and Olympians, including the Cyclops, Titans, Pegasus, Helen of Troy and one ferocious lion, are anxious to see if Hercules overcomes his chronic lateness and arrives on time with the flame. Although Hercules is known for being strong, in the end, everyone learns that character is the true strength.

The play, which includes songs such as “It’s All Greek to Me,” “Challenge of the Titans” and “The Truth About Strength,” was adapted by Michael McGill and Joseph Martinez and features music and lyrics by McGill.

The Breckenridge cast of “Hercules!” includes:

Hercules – Caleb Windsor
Androcles – Jayden Rosemann
Aristotle – Aurora Dawson
Socrates – Lexington Boulevard
Homer – Lila Weaver
Archimedes – Alice Weaver
Zeus – Reyse Hash
Hera – Sarah Moreno
Helen of Troy – Brantley McKay
Pegasus – Joyanna Griffith
Lion – Owen Griffith
Cyclops
- Leeland Hamilton
- Jackson Morehart
- Lydia Moreno
Influencers
- Clara Barton
- Zavier Dawson
- Lillian Diaz
- Evelyn Halari
- Adelaide Hamilton
- Brysen Hash
- Kaylee Lee
- Cara Sims
- Berkley White
Olympians
- Kiffany Crawford
- Shane Halari
- Lana Holt
- Britta Miller
- Betty Ann Pitzer
- Ellie Selman
- Tristyn Stafford
- Cason Windsor
Titans
- Murphy Blackerby
- Emerson Boulevard
- Kade Dawson
- Savanah Halari
- Miles Morehart
- Trinitee Stafford
- Corley White
- Kailyn Wiggins
Pianist — Anna Moreno
Directors — Rachel Weiner (who also portrays Plato in the production) and Cade Melnyk, with the Missoula Children’s Theatre

Before Friday’s dress rehearsal, Missoula Children’s Theatre directors Rachel Weiner, left, and Cade Melnyk, center, help some of the Titans with their costumes. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

The Missoula Children’s Theatre is headquartered in Missoula, Montana, where camps and performances are offered all year long. The traveling productions, such as the one that’s been in Breckenridge for the past week, visit more than 1,000 communities around the world each year.

The non-profit organization’s mission is “Empowering children and adults through theatre education and performance to develop lifelong skills while enriching communities worldwide through live productions.”

Each summer for the past several years (except for a couple of years during the COVID-19 pandemic), the Friends of Historic Breckenridge and the National Theatre have brought the Missoula Children’s Theatre to Breckenridge.

For more information about the Missoula Children’s Theatre, visit the website, https://www.mctinc.org/. For more information on the Friends of Historic Breckenridge, visit the website https://friendsofhistoricbreckenridge.org/.

To see more pictures from the dress rehearsal for the Breckenridge production of “Hercules!” click here for the Breckenridge Texan’s Photo Gallery.

More scenes from Friday’s dress rehearsal:

From left, front row: Pegasus (Joyanna Griffith), Zeus (Reyse Hash), Hera (Sarah Moreno) and Helen of Troy (Brantley McKay); and back row, Archimedes (Alice Weaver) and Homer (Lila Weaver). (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

From left: Pegasus (Joyanna Griffith), Hercules (Caleb Windsor), Lion (Owen Griffith) and Androcles (Jayden Rosemann). (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

The Titans (front row) show everyone how adorable they are during the dress rehearsal of “Hercules!” on Friday, June 20. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

During Friday’s dress rehearsal for “Hercules!”, Aristotle (Aurora Dawson), left, and Socrates (Lexington Boulevard) listen to the Influencers. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

The Olympians get ready for the big tournament in Ancient Greece as the Influencers and Philosophers look on. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Plato, portrayed by Missoula Children’s Theatre director Rachel Weiner, at left, talks with the Cyclops (Lydia Moreno, Jackson Morehart and Leeland Hamilton). The cast and crew had a dress rehearsal on Friday, in preparation for the community production on Saturday, June 21. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Cutline, top photo: Thirty-nine kids, from kindergarten through 12th grade, participated in the Missoula Children’s Theatre summer camp at the National Theatre of Breckenridge this week. They will present “Hercules!” at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 21, at the theater. The product will be free and open to the public. To see the Breckenridge Texan’s photo gallery from the dress rehearsal, click here. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)