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keller instincts Since we’re now a few weeks into the New Year, I suspect that you, like I, might need some motivation to keep up with our resolutions. Reso-what now? Exactly. It’s easy to make big plans and then, faced with obstacles like work, errands, laziness and Netflix, to drop them. Perhaps you’ll find some motivating inspiration in the upcoming Montana Repertory Theatre performances of The Miracle Worker, the classic play by William Gibson about Helen Keller and her teacher, Anne Sullivan. Keller, as you might remember from history class, was left blind and deaf after an illness as a toddler, but eventually learned to read and write Hannah Appell, left, and Caitlin McRae start in Montana Rep’s with sign language and Braille—and even The Miracle Worker. how to talk out loud and “hear” people by placing her hands on their lips as they spoke. The pivotal ingly vivid; she describes the world around her as moment when Sullivan finally reached through to the fully as any sighted person could. For her, touch and smell were as powerful as sight and sound. young Keller is the crux of The Miracle Worker. She dealt with a fair amount of crap for her poKeller was the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree, and also traveled, wrote litical views once she threw her support behind Sobooks and campaigned for women’s suffrage, work- cialist Party presidential candidate Eugene Debs; ers rights and socialism. Keller’s writing is astonish- newspaper columnists who had once praised her reverted to saying her limited abilities impaired her judgment. “Oh, ridiculous Brooklyn Eagle!” she WHAT: The Miracle Worker wrote of one paper. “Socially blind and deaf, it deWHO: Montana Repertory Theatre fends an intolerable system, a system that is the cause of much of the physical blindness and deafWHEN: Fri., Jan. 24–Sat., 25, Fri., Jan. 31–Sat., ness which we are trying to prevent.” Her radical polFeb. 1, at 7:30 PM nightly, plus 1 PM matinee itics are often left out of retellings of her life. on Feb. 1 WHERE: Montana Theatre in the PARTV Center HOW MUCH: $10-$20
So, if a woman could overcome such astounding limitations to spend her life advocating for the welfare of others, well, I’ll let you make conclusions about what you can achieve.
MORE INFO: montanarep.org
Cartel plays the Top Hat, along with Baby and Bukowski. 10 PM. $3.
SATURDAYJAN25 The Authentic Illusionist, aka Jay Owenhouse, brings his very intriguing Dare to Believe magic show—and Bengal tigers, to boot— to the Dennison Theater for performances at 4 and 7 PM. $29-$53. Some proceeds benefit the Rare Species Fund. Tickets available at griztix.com and all GrizTix outlets.
—Kate Whittle ery, 915 Toole Ave., from 5-8 PM. Free. “Outlaw jamgrass” outfit Moonshine Mountain plays original tunes at the Bitter Root Brewery in Hamilton from 6-8:30 PM. No cover. Jump into the year with Bare Bait Dance Company’s Springboard 2014, a production featuring original choreography of experimental pieces. Stage 112. Jan. 24-25, Jan.
31-Feb. 1, at 7 PM, plus 2 PM matinee on Feb. 1. $15/$13 in advance at ddcmontana.com, the Downtown Dance Collective or 406-2140097. All ages. Try the java and chickpeas while The Beans n’ Joe Show plays acoustic tunes at the Walking Moustache, 206 W. Main St. 7 PM. No cover. Put on your power pantsuit before the Missoula Community The-
Kick back and let Vernon Finley, of Salish-Kootenai College, tell traditional Kootenai tribal stories at part of the Winter Storytelling Series at Traveler’s Rest State Park. 11 AM. Dennis R. Wilson reads and signs from his book, Zion’s Promise, an examination of the Book of Revelation. Garden of Read’n, 2621 Brooks Street. 1-3 PM.
nightlife The one and only Wartime Blues plays Draught Works Brew-
missoulanews.com • January 23–January 30, 2014 [29]