From performer to director — Hopkins returns to CAT

Ten years ago, Bridget Hopkins performed in her first stage production, singing solos as Emma Katz in Crest Area Theatre’s production of “Yo, Vikings!” Now, a decade older, Hopkins is returning to CAT to direct their summer production, “Nathan the Nervous and Other Fables from Modern Times.”

A collection of four one-act plays aimed for children, CAT’s summer production will feature a cast of elementary- through adult-age actors and will be shown from July 10-12. Auditions for the show will take place May 30 and 31.

Hopkins, a speech/theater education major at Northwest Missouri State University and past recipient of the CAT fine arts scholarship, will return to direct the show. Last year, she returned to Creston and CAT as an assistant director for “The Beverly Hillbillies.”

On her return to CAT, Hopkins said she was excited to teach the next generation and saw it similarly to passing a baton.

“It feels so full circle to teach children theater here when CAT was the place that started my career,” Hopkins said. “This will be my directorial debut, and I want to make sure each child feels supported. Theater can get scary sometimes. I want to foster good communication between children and see them grow with each other and themselves as people.”

The show will combine four distinct one-act plays, including the titular “Nathan the Nervous,” into an anthology of light-hearted, funny comedies. Hopkins said there’s a lot of heart within each story, and child performers will have many chances to get their audience chuckling.

“I know how much it fuels my performances when I see an audience laugh, and I want to teach them what it’s like being in front of that many people,” Hopkins said. “There’s something that will be found for adults and children.”

As someone who experienced the joys of local theater and carried that passion through to her college education, Hopkins said it’s important to take advantage of the opportunities in local theater.

“Every person within theater has their own story and their own lives outside of the theater department,” Hopkins said. “Local theater is carrying a lot of the first times people are seeing theater now. It’s so important to keep it alive. That’s where so many relationships and bonds build.”

For young performers gearing up for their first audition, Hopkins wants them to know there’s nothing to worry about.

“I want them to expect it’s going to be a little scary,” Hopkins said. “These aren’t one-on-one auditions; they’re going to be in a room with other people. But, they should be aware that these people aren’t there to judge. They’re there to support you.”