Cedar City Children’s Musical Theatre (CMT) was started by a family related by blood, but has grown into a huge family related by love and a common purpose, the building up of children. CMT started when the DeMille family wanted their own children to have the same opportunity to sing, to dance, and to act that they had been given, but didn’t have the monetary resources or the opportunity.  What they did have was the willingness to share their time and individual talents to create this opportunity.  

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In 2009 the garage of Jerald & Denise DeMille was turned into Neverland and 20 children performed Peter Pan, with their fathers kidnapping them as pirates. The show was so much fun that other neighborhood children wanted to join.  The garage would no longer do, so in 2010 the DeMille’s built a stage on their lawn.  45 kids joined in their second show- Tumbleweeds.  While an outdoor show can be exciting, it also comes with many challenges, such as Cedar City wind.  With the saving assistance from The Iron County School District in 2011 they were able to have 85 kids join them in the production of High School Musical in the Canyon View Middle School auditorium.  As they continued to grow, they needed even a larger stage.  In 2012, they moved again, to Cedar High School, with their production of Annie which starred 125 kids.

 

In 2013 CMT saw a huge jump in their numbers when they announced their production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Beauty and the Beast was a big undertaking and also a huge success with sold out shows most evenings. With 187 kids in the show, backstage space became an issue, and they began looking for yet another venue.  Not only had the numbers of children involved grown, but also the number of volunteers and wonderful community sponsors to help with the ever increasing costs for the larger numbers of kids. With help from sponsors and the RAP Tax, in 2014 they were able to move to the Heritage Theater for their production of Seussical.  The Heritage Theater provided a wonderful opportunity to advance lighting and scenery for the ultimate theater experience for both the performers and the audience.  It was exciting to hear the audible gasp when the curtains opened and the land of Seuss was revealed.

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In 2015, CMT had their largest cast ever.  They did not anticipate the level of interest, and since kids are not required to audition to be in the show, they found that they had many more kids signed up than expected and had to shut down registration quickly.  With 240 kids, the production of Aladdin was indeed spectacular and shows sold out each evening.  However, a cast this large created a strain on the volunteers. Costumes and props and child management of 240 kids was extremely difficult.  To limit the numbers, CMT decided to raise the age limit for their summer productions to 9 years old and created the Mini-Musicals to provide opportunities for the younger kids.  These Mini-Musicals, with only 2 weeks of practice, two performances, and a limited cast size, provided more chances for more kids to have a lead role.

 

In addition to their many shows, CMT has also offered many educational activities, such as summer workshops, a choice Teen Mentor Leadership program, and it  performs successful Dinner Theater fundraisers performed by parents and friends willing to perform and serve backstage to help fund the organization that has become a huge family, united by love. No one is paid in the CMT Organization, so all directing, production, scenery, choreography, music, props, publicity, costumes, sponsorship, and so on is a donation of love for our kids. Together, our CCCMT Family has realized our dream to nurture a love of performing in children of all ages because we believe that all children should have the opportunity to shine, because talent is only developed when children are given the opportunity. We know we can change lives, one musical at a time.