Logging Laughs Kootenai County Task Force On Human Relations Calls On Montana Logging And Ballet Company To Help Spread Its Message
Bring up human rights and everyone nods seriously. It’s as lighthearted as AIDS, as funny as cancer.
Still, the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations expects and wants laughs when it brings the Montana Logging and Ballet Company musical comedy troupe to North Idaho College for a benefit this Sunday.
“Sometimes humor can send an incredibly powerful message,” says Tony Stewart, one of the task force’s leaders.
And draw people who might not attend the emotional banquets, moving speeches and educational workshops the task force usually offers.
“They’re so much fun,” says Stewart, who watched a Montana Logging and Ballet Company performance in Boise. “I laughed all the way through. Nothing is sacred with them.”
The task force couldn’t have chosen better messengers to broaden its support base. The 25-year-old Logging and Ballet Company has caused sore cheek muscles from Maine to Hawaii. Its most noteworthy fan is Desmond Tutu, former archbishop of South Africa and a Nobel Peace Prize winner.
“Meeting Tutu was transformative,” says Bob FitzGerald, one of the company’s four performers and its manager. “You just can’t be around someone like that, be open to what he has to say and say, `I can’t do what he does.’ “
From its start in 1975, the company has pushed social consciousness with pratfalls, spoofs, skits and music.
FitzGerald and Rusty Harper whetted their tolerant teeth as 1960s folk singers. Both worked at Rocky Mountain College in Billings when they discovered the talents of brothers Tim Holmes and Steve Garnaas-Holmes.
Holmes was a promising sculptor with a body as elastic as Gumby’s.
Garnaas-Holmes was an accomplished composer and songwriter.
The foursome hit the stage bolstered by quick wits, solid voices and a slew of college degrees. The name, Montana Logging and Ballet Company, was the bait that hooked curious audiences.
They poked fun at topical events of the day, building on a theme of hope. Tutu caught their act in 1987 during his appearance at a gathering in Kentucky. They wrote and performed an anti-apartheid song for him, then helped him raise money for scholarships. When they invited him to Helena in 1990, the archbishop accepted.
“We keep this relationship with him,” FitzGerald says. “For some reason, he likes the group.”
In 25 years, they’ve honed and refined their performance - “Anything we think people will laugh at, we do,” FitzGerald says - but haven’t changed their goal of opening minds.
“We want to start a dialogue,” FitzGerald says. “The show is a gentle offering. The idea is that they come out saying, `I can make a difference.”’ The company limits itself to 20 performances a year. The men have families and day jobs as a minister, sculptor, government worker and marketing expert.
They will roll into Coeur d’Alene Sunday afternoon, study local news and issues and tailor their antics to fit.
“I’m sure we’ll talk about the state of hate, where we are in human rights efforts, encourage people,” FitzGerald says. “We don’t want to be heavy-handed. It’s funny. You’ll laugh.”
Which is just what the task force is hoping.
“We want to pull in people who enjoy good entertainment, good music, a humorous approach and who might benefit from the insights these people bring,” says Mary Lou Reed, president of the task force’s education foundation.
“We’re hoping they’ll broaden the discussion.”
D.A. Davidson & Co. is underwriting the performance. Money raised from the show will go toward grants the foundation awards to teachers in North Idaho and Eastern Washington to incorporate diversity into their curriculum.
This sidebar appeared with the story: ON STAGE Montana Logging and Ballet Co. Sunday, 7 p.m., in Schuler Auditorium at North Idaho College. Tickets are $12 in advance or $14 at the door; call (208) 769-7780 or 1-800-4-CDA-TIX.