The sound of Music Man

Teenage leading ladies share a last name but will take to separate stages this fall

Mary Snipstead was just hoping to make it into the chorus.

Jenny Snipstead was sure her limited theatrical experience would relegate her to a part as one of the children or, at best, a nun.

But this fall, the Kalispell sisters are headlining show bills as leading ladies in two of the Flathead Valley's musical theater productions.

Mary, 14, is playing Marian Paroo, the intrepid librarian of River City, in the Bigfork Children's Theatre production of "The Music Man."

Jenny, 16, is starring as Maria Rainer, the ever-encouraging governess to the von Trapp children, in Flathead High School's production of "The Sound of Music."

To put it mildly, auditions went well for the two oldest daughters of Steve and Tracy Snipstead this fall. Their youngest, 12-year-old Amy, will be front and center in the audiences, cheering on her big sisters.

"I was just hoping to be in it," Mary said of the Sept. 5 auditions. But then she got the late-night call letting her know it was time to polish her librarian's "sshhh!"

NKimball 9/14/06 pull quote?? goes well with photo"I was jumping three feet in the air when I found out."

That day and the next, Jenny was trying her hand at every part up for audition in the high school theater department's musical. She wasn't desperate, she just was following director Val McGarvey's advice to all her students.

Two days after her sister's big break, Jenny found her own name at the top of the list posted on the department door.

"I was so surprised, I was blown out of the water," Jenny said. As a student in Acting 2, and with only a 12-line part as an extra in last spring's school production in "Much Ado About Nothing," she considered herself near the bottom of the talent heap.

"But I got a lot of support," she said. "Now I get to work with a lot of talented people."

Far from ranking as fodder for sibling rivalry, sisters are thrilled for each other's leading-lady roles.

Mary, a freshman at Kalispell Junior High, will be involved this year in speech, tennis and karate - the latter under the able instruction of her dad. But another activity dropped off her radar screen when she was cut from the volleyball squad.

Jenny knows her little sister was a bit disappointed not to be practicing and competing with the team this fall. Then Mary's role as Marian came along.

"I'm glad she didn't make volleyball!" Jenny said, rushing to make clear that, after playing on the squad herself as a freshman and sophomore, "I fully appreciate the volleyball program."

After her own success, Mary had no doubts that good fortune would be running in the family.

"I kind of had a feeling she would get that part," Mary said of Jenny's role as Maria. "I wasn't really surprised, but I'm really excited for her."

Now, with a music-teacher mom who trained them both in voice, and with considerable acumen on the piano, the two sisters can help each other at home with their parts - if they can snatch a shared minute in very busy teenage schedules.

Mary rehearses in Bigfork four nights a week from 4:30 to 8 p.m. By the time she gets home at 8:30, there's only time to eat a late dinner and tackle the next day's homework before she heads off to bed.

Jenny's rehearsals run at different times each night. But with practice for worship team at Faith Free Lutheran Church where her dad is the pastor, All State practice, and a pretty full slate of other activities wedged into the mix, her evenings at home are pared back to homework and dinner whenever she can catch it.

Both girls know, however, that other things will have to give way to musical rehearsals until after their final curtains. After all, a lot of other people are depending on them to put in the time for successful runs.

Besides, they both admit to needing some practice.

"It's not really stage fright," Jenny explained it. She and her sister both have been in church musical productions since they were very young, and are used to performing in a lot of venues.

"But this is a huge jump for me," coming to a major school theater production as a novice, she continued. "But Mrs. McGarvey and the other kids give me a lot of help and support."

Mary is nothing but excited - well, mostly.

"I haven't had a lot of dance experience, and there's a dance scene," she said. She dances to the sprightly "Shipoopi" with Casey Brown, in the male lead as Professor Harold Hill.

Jenny, too, will shake a leg in the l'ndler, an Austrian dance she does with Captain Georg von Trapp as he corrects the energetic rendition Maria had just been doing with the children.

Mary is grateful that she is "pretty good at memorizing lines," letting her focus on other areas in rehearsals.

"Memorizing doesn't come as naturally as other things," Jenny admitted, "but it won't be too hard."

More than likely, towing the musical line will be the least of their worries. Both take voice lessons from their mom, who's been teaching 20 years privately and in schools, and is the East Evergreen Elementary music teacher.

Jenny and Mary are doing a rerun from different parts of their mother's life. When she was 16, Tracy played Liesl von Trapp in her high school's production of "The Sound of Music." At age 22, she was Marian Paroo in "The Music Man."

"So this is all like deja vu for her," Mary said, but admitted it's a bonus in her own practices. "She's the one who's helped me rehearse the most so far."

Refreshingly optimistic and excited about their shared experiences on different stages this fall, both of the girls figure the musicals will make great memories but not future careers.

Jenny is steering toward foreign missions. She is planning to do a Discipleship Training School through Youth with a Mission, probably in Mexico, and mix that in with college classes.

Mary knows she has plenty of time to decide, but is thinking a teaching career sounds pretty good right now.

But, they agreed, there are more immediate issues at hand:

"Buckle down and get those lines memorized," they chorused.

"The Music Man" will be staged Sept. 22-23 and 29-30, with a 7:30 p.m. curtain; closing performance is at 2 p.m. Oct. 1. Brach Thomson directs the Bigfork Children's Theatre performance at the Bigfork Playhouse.

"The Sound of Music" plays Nov. 7-9 and 10-11, beginning at 7 p.m. It will be staged in the round in the David M. Hashley Black Box Theater at Flathead High School, under direction of Valerie McGarvey.

Reporter Nancy Kimball can be reached at 758-4483 or by e-mail at nkimball@dailyinterlake.com