Good morrow, dear friends, and welcome back to the See Play Perform Podcast, brought to you by Treasure Valley Children's Theater! Your host Noah Moody is back with another great episode, and this time he's outnumbered three-to-one. Bold move, Noah. Bold move.

In this episode, Noah is joined by three powerhouse ladies who all have deep roots in TVCT and the arts nonprofit world: 🌟 Carly Oppie - TVCT mom and performer, and the Development Director at Opera Idaho. She found us through a musical, rapped in it, accidentally landed a dream job, AND volunteered to be the cowboy/cowgirl segment of our dramatic reading game. You'll see. 🌟 Heather Carlson - TVCT board member, Boise State two-timer (Go Broncos! 🐎), and mom to a TVCT kid, who is basically a theater prodigy who beat her teacher in a sword fight. More on that in a moment. 🌟 Alison Terenzio-Moody - TVCT Executive Director, Noah's lovely wife, everyone's boss, and the one who pays us. She also delivers what is objectively the greatest Professor McGonagall car dealership ad performance in recorded human history.

Together they dig into the stories behind how they each found Treasure Valley Children's Theater, what it really means to work in the arts (spoiler: not for the money, but absolutely for the people), and why theater does something magical for kids that sports, school, and everything else just... can't replicate.

They talk about the infamous mobile stage, toast to Opera Idaho's blessed nine-passenger van, and get genuinely emotional about why making the arts accessible to every kid, regardless of budget, is the whole entire point.

And then, of course, we play our beloved Dramatic Reading Game 🎲 where guests are handed a random piece of text (a car ad, a fairy tale, a real estate listing, a medical website) and must perform it as a totally unrelated character. This week's lineup includes Professor McGonagall pitching SUVs, a cowgirl fairy tale that smells a little off, a Disney princess who hulks out during a rental listing, and Alexa trying to book a doctor's appointment (turn left, turn left, TURN LEFT).

Whether you're a TVCT family, an arts advocate, a nonprofit warrior, or just someone who needs to hear a grown adult say "darn trash cans!" into a live mic — this episode is for you.

Treasure Valley Children's Theater is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit on a mission to empower youth and inspire future innovators, entrepreneurs, creators, humanitarians, and artists through performance-based theater arts programs. No child is ever turned away for financial reasons. To support the magic or find programs for your kid, visit treasurevalleychildrenstheater.com

Idaho Gives runs May 4-7, 2026! Donate to Treasure Valley Children's Theater by visiting idahogives.org

Chapters

0:00:03 - Welcome to See Play Perform! 🎭 0:01:24 - Meet the Guests: Carly, Heather & the Boss 0:02:37 - Carly's Origin Story: From "A Bad Case of the Stripes" to Opera Idaho 0:06:00 - RIP Maris: The Mobile Stage 0:08:10 - Heather's Origin Story: A Broken Elbow, a Broadway Dream & Finding Her People 0:09:46 - Noah's Favorite Memory: A Sword Fight with a Student (She Won) 0:11:42 - How Theater Transforms Confidence — Especially in Middle School 0:13:59 - The Best Theater Skill: Rolling with What Goes Wrong 0:17:47 - Why Nonprofits? Three Women Who Could Do Something Else (But Won't) 0:21:37 - An Accidental Job Interview & Finding Your People 0:24:06 - Turn No Child Away: Scholarships, Summer Camp & Why It All Matters 0:28:09 - 🎲 DRAMATIC READING GAME — Let's Get Weird 0:29:22 - Round 1: Alison as Professor McGonagall Selling Cars (20 Points to Gryffindor) 0:31:31 - Round 2: Carly as a Cowboy Who Smells Something Very Bad 0:33:41 - Round 3: Heather as a Disney Princess Who Hulks Out at a Rental Listing 0:34:47 - Round 4: Noah as Alexa Booking a Doctor's Appointment (Turn Left) 0:36:37 - See You Next Time — Break a Leg! 🎭

Noah Moody is back at the helm of the See, Play, Perform Podcast, brought to you by Treasure Valley Children's Theater. This week he's joined by two cast members of the upcoming production of High School Musical Junior: the delightful Ellie and Abby. And yes, things get wonderfully weird right from the jump.

Before any serious conversation can happen, our guests are thrown headfirst into an improv icebreaker game that produces a loudly-shushing librarian, an old-timey sheriff who's very tired of teenagers, and a Colonel Sanders with absolutely zero chicken left to sell. You know, normal podcast stuff.

Once the chaos settles (slightly), Noah digs into the good stuff. We find out Ellie is a 10-year TVCT veteran who first stepped on stage as Dorothy in Wizard of Oz at the ripe age of five, and Abby - currently in her seventh year with the company - got hooked after a summer camp production of Schoolhouse Rock post-Covid. Both are buzzing with energy as opening night for High School Musical Junior approaches, and they've got their sights set on auditioning for Aladdin at Boise Little Theater this summer too.

The conversation winds through memorable TVCT moments (shoutout to a chaotic Puffs costume change involving inside-out pants and a very frazzled stage manager named Liam), life outside the theater (Ellie longboards to Jackson's for sloshes; Abby is currently ripping through books so fast she doesn't even remember their titles), and the very real phenomenon of typecasting. Ellie keeps getting cast as young-but-maternal characters, while Abby has fully embraced being "the dumb one" and honestly seems fine about it.

Future dreams? Broadway, obviously. NYU, maybe. Forensic scientist or cosmetologist as backup options. Abby's dad Steve apparently wants to write an accounting musical, which is either brilliant or deeply concerning.

The episode wraps up with a dramatic readings game that forces everyone to perform voice-acting scripts as absurd characters. A documentary narrated by Gandalf, a children's reading app advertised by a furious radio DJ, and a troll who is extremely excited to tell you about Big Ben. All three are immediately offered imaginary jobs.

It's funny, heartfelt, and proof that theater kids are simply built different. Don't miss it.

🎬 High School Musical Jr. Show Sponsors: Chatterbox Pediatric Therapy & Learning Center | U.S. Compliance Services | Summit Commercial Real Estate Group | Agents with a Smile Real Estate Group

Treasure Valley Children's Theater is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit empowering youth through performance-based theater arts. Learn more at treasurevalleychildrenstheater.com

Chapters:

0:00 - Welcome & Sponsors 2:02 - Guests Arrive: Meet Ellie & Abby 2:30 - Improv Icebreaker: "Well, Well, Well, If It Isn't..." 6:36 - Life Updates — High School Musical & Summer Plans 9:10 - How They Found TVCT (Origin Stories) 13:54 - Ellie's 10-Year TVCT Anniversary 🎉 15:30 - Favorite TVCT Memories & Learning Tech 18:30 - Christmas Carol Collab (+ Engagement Reveal?!) 20:15 - Life Outside Theater: Longboarding & Books 24:00 - Future Plans — Broadway Dreams & College Talk 27:45 - Dream Roles: Glinda, Karen, Dawn, and More 32:30 - Getting Typecast — The Maternal One & The Dumb One 36:45 - Dramatic Readings Game: Voice Actor Auditions Gone Wild 42:30 - Words of Wisdom & Goodbye

🎭 Welcome to Episode 3 of the See Play Perform Podcast, presented by Treasure Valley Children's Theater!

This week, host Noah Moody sits down with Dayson and Kendall — the dynamic duo playing Troy and Gabriella in TVCT's upcoming production of Disney's High School Musical Junior, opening April 17th! 🌟

We're talking first auditions, hidden talents, dream musicals, acting inspirations, and life as a high schooler juggling school AND the spotlight. Plus, things get wonderfully chaotic when Dayson and Kendall take on a Dramatic Reading Challenge featuring brownie mix instructions, chili-roasted pistachios, and some very committed character work. 🏴‍☠️🤧

And yes! They close the episode out with a live performance of "Start of Something New." You'll want to stick around for that one. 🎵

🎟️ Tickets on sale NOW! at treasurevalleychildrenstheater.com

🙏 Thank you to our 2026 Season Sponsors: Duane & Laurie Stueckle | Klokkevold Education Foundation | Idaho Commission on the Arts | City of Boise Department of Arts & History

🎬 High School Musical Jr. Show Sponsors: Chatterbox Pediatric Therapy & Learning Center | U.S. Compliance Services | Summit Commercial Real Estate Group | Agents with a Smile Real Estate Group

Treasure Valley Children's Theater is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit empowering youth through performance-based theater arts. Learn more at treasurevalleychildrenstheater.com

Chapters: 0:00 - Good Morrow! Intro & Welcome 0:43 - Thank You to Our Sponsors 🙏 2:04 - Meet Dayson & Kendall (Troy & Gabriella!) 2:33 - How Are Rehearsals Going? 2:57 - Kendall's Theater Origin Story 🦁 3:41 - Dayson's Theater Origin Story (Surprise Lead Alert!) 6:39 - Pirate Camp Throwback 🏴‍☠️ 7:44 - Life Outside the Show 9:13 - Future Plans & Dreams 🌟 10:44 - What Non-Musical Would You Turn Into a Musical? 12:00 - Favorite Acting Inspirations 13:51 - THE DRAMATIC READING CHALLENGE 🎭 20:31 - LIVE PERFORMANCE: "Start of Something New" 🎶 21:47 - Wrap-Up & Break a Leg!