About The Theater

Welcome to the Huckleberry Star Theater

We’re so glad you are here!  We are a community summer theater in the Boise, Idaho area producing family-friendly Broadway-style musicals. 

Our debut show will be Annie Get Your Gun and is set to be performed in August of 2021.  Due to the current COVID situation, we decided to provide an “open air” experience so we can appropriately and safely space our patrons out.  Because of this, our first performance will be outdoors and rustic.  We hope this will give our patrons extra peace of mind.  Please be aware that the show will be outside…please dress appropriately.  

How the theater began

As most things do, our theater began with a personal experience.  We are two theater loving families and we found that as we took our children to theater productions, we were never quite sure if the show that we were about to see would be appropriate for our kids or not.  Many shows had language, violence, and/or inappropriate themes we ended having to explain to our kids and we never quite knew what to expect.  We had to do research each time we wanted to see a play to see if it was family-friendly or not. We longed for quality theater productions that were more in the G or PG range.

We also noticed that as both of our families began getting involved in acting and theater that there is something unique about acting in a play.  This form of art is extraordinary in it’s ability to unify and bring people together in a way that other art forms cannot.  We were eager for our children (and others as well) to have face to face experiences that build strong character as they learn to take risks, put themselves out there to be seen, and develop confidence and new skills.   

  And so we decided to join forces to create the vision of what we were imagining was possible and the Huckleberry Star Theater was born.  

About the Producers

Kevin and Laura Nielsen

The Nielsen’s

We are Kevin and Laura Nielsen.  We have two kids, Sierra and Trent.  Our theater story begins when Kevin was an actor for 2 summers at the Playmill Theatre in West Yellowstone.  He developed a love of acting which he unintentionally instilled in our kids by taking them to many live theater productions starting when they were very young.  

When our daughter, Sierra, was in middle school she was scheduled to take an acting class but the theater program at her school was cancelled at the last minute.  Because of this, our family began getting involved in local theater and have been in quite a few productions such as Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Newsies, Wizard of Oz, Into the Woods and Shrek the Musical.  

We cherish the memories and friendships we have made!  We love what acting and putting on a performance does for the souls of the performers as well as those who come to see it!  We are excited to begin this new adventure with the Huckleberry Star Theater!! 

Jason and Brookann Hessing

The Hessing’s

We are Brookann and Jason Hessing. There is constant singing happening in the Hessing home, usually of musicals. Music brought us together as our love story began with a “bus trip romance” on our way to and from an All-Northwest choir and orchestra event many moons ago. We love how the arts enrich our lives and community, and how theater helps us become more empathic and connected human beings.
 

Our dream trip is always to visit NYC and catch a show on Broadway. We have also loved getting involved in community theater. Brookann’s love of Into the Woods was the hook that pulled us into the theater scene most recently. Brookann plays violin in the Boise Philharmonic Orchestra and our 5 kiddos are actively involved in Cantus Youth Choirs.

As more people choose to make the Treasure Valley their home, the local talent pool keeps growing. We are excited to extend more live theater opportunities for families and community members to come together to create memories that will last a lifetime.

Where We Are Located

Address:

5152 S. Margaret Ave.
Meridian, Idaho 83642

Need help or have questions?

Our Mission

The Huckleberry Star Theater’s mission is three fold:

  • to foster close-knit, long lasting communities among cast members and patrons
  • to encourage face-to-face participation in live-performing arts where risks are taken, skills are developed and comfort zones are expanded
  • to increase family-friendly musical theater in the Boise, Idaho area with some of the best-loved musicals.

Of course, we can’t do all of this without our amazing sponsors and incredible volunteers.  To learn more about the businesses that support us or to become a donor or sponsor, click here.  

If you’d like to get involved and become an actor, stage crew member, set builder, lighting or sound technician, or other support staff, click here to become support staff or click here to audition.

We invite actors and actresses of all ages to audition and share their talents.  We love getting to know new people and hope you will feel welcome and included here.  

If you’d like to purchase tickets please click the button below.  We look forward to seeing you at the show!