Our Story
Mission Valley Live, founded in February 2015, is a presenter of quality, professional, live performing arts programs. The artists we bring to the area provide evening concerts to community members and educational outreach programs to students in schools throughout the Mission Valley.
Live performing arts programs are not new to the Mission Valley. In 1994 Chas Cantlon, a visionary and advocate for the arts, organized and implemented a concert series that became known as the Folkshop Concerts. Proceeds from the concerts helped support three Folkshops in the valley. These Folkshops employed people with disabilities and were the first valley-wide efforts at recycling.
Chas retired from the Folkshops in 2001 and Folkshop Concerts became Big Productions. From 2001-2015 proceeds from Big Productions concerts helped fund youth projects in the Mission Valley, Big Brothers/Sisters from 2001-2005, and the Cantlon Family Youth Home from 2005-2015, when for financial reasons the board of the youth home dissolved Big Productions.
Live performing arts concerts and programs may have ended at that time were it not for a small group of volunteer community members, advocates of the arts with a commitment to keeping the performing arts alive and well in the Mission Valley. In February 2015 the group formed Mission Valley Live, a nonprofit presenter of live performing arts, and offered its first program series from October 2015 through April 2016.
Our Vision
Mission Valley Live offers the only professional performing arts program and concert series in Mission Valley. We believe programs in the performing arts bring vitality to communities and enrich people’s lives, and we believe all communities, large and small, rich and poor deserve opportunities to experience the performing arts.
Lake County encompasses a large geographic area that is predominantly rural and demographically, has one of Montana’s highest numbers of people living at or below the poverty level. Through fundraising, grants and sponsorships, Mission Valley Live will provide free, quality educational outreach programs to students in schools throughout the valley and will keep the price of concert tickets affordable to all residents of the area, including those who are under resourced. Youth 18 years of age and younger are admitted to evening concerts free of charge. Children 12 and under are admitted free when accompanied by an adult.
Mission Valley Live’s two concert venues, one in Polson High School, one in Ronan Middle School, are located at the center of the large geographic area we serve. Our hope is that offering concerts in these two, venues we will reach and serve more members of our communities.
WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BRING LIVE PERFORMING ARTS TO THE MISSION VALLEY?
More than you might imagine!
Before an artist ever steps onto the stage, months of work happen behind the scenes.
ARTISTS & PROGRAMMING
Artist Selection • Artist Booking • Contract Coordination • School Outreach Programs
FUNDING
Grant Writing • Sponsorships • Fundraising • Donor Support
GETTING THE WORD OUT
Website • Social Media • Email Notifications • Poster Distribution • Promotional Design • Patron Communications
BEHIND THE SCENES
Artist Liaison • Technical Coordination • Volunteer Coordination • Ticket Sales • Venue Set-Up
MONTANA HOSPITALITY
Home-Stay Hosting • Meal Preparation • Artist Hospitality • Making Our Visiting Artists Feel at Home
THEN, THE LIGHTS GO DOWN.
The artist walks on stage.
And for a couple of hours, it all looks effortless.
But every Mission Valley Live performance represents countless hours of planning, fundraising, coordination and volunteer effort—all for one purpose:
Bringing high-quality performing arts to the Mission Valley
It takes artists.
It takes volunteers.
It takes sponsors and donors.
It takes an audience.
IT TAKES A COMMUNITY TO RAISE THE CURTAIN
Board of Directors:
Executive Director – Trish Rodrique
President – Brian Campbell
Vice-president – Mason Niblack
Secretary – Tricia Campbell
Treasurer – Eve Dixon
Volunteers:
Kyle Geyer, Mike Rodrique, Mac and Karen Swan, Carol Wheat, Suz and Dave Rittenhouse, Susan Raub, Joyce and Doug Crosby, Eric Hogenson,