MISSOULA — With a community filled with creative people, there can never be enough opportunities for artists.
ZDK Arts is a new non-profit in Missoula with the goal to preserve community arts for future generations.
They are currently rehearsing for their first show, which will premiere on April 12.
Alex Kowalchik and his wife opened Show Thyme Academy for Performing Arts a decade ago, but Kowalchik always envisioned himself running a non-profit.
He made that dream a reality in December 2022, starting ZDK Arts with a board of Missoula artists, educators and business people.
The name comes from the initials of his firstborn son.
“Just put our minds together and really build something that is beneficial for the community, for the arts, for education — everything that we stand for,” he says.
Now, his company is preparing for its first full-scale production, a rendition of the Broadway show, “Songs for a New World.”
The show is performed by a cast of four singers and is closer to a theatrical concert than a musical or play.
“I’ve been music directing now for, you know, a good 35 years and this is one of the trickiest shows I think I've ever done, but we have a cast that is more than up to it,” Greg Bolin, music director for the show, says. “It could just be a mind blowing experience for people given the intimacy and the power of the music.”
Among the cast is Lucy Taylor, who attended performing arts school in New York and typically fills comedic roles.
She most recently played Maureen in Missoula Children’s Theater’s production of Rent and says she's excited to explore a more serious role within a smaller company.
“Comparatively to MCT, it may be smaller, but it's still, it just feels like a tighter group and it feels like it runs a bit more smoothly,” Taylor says. “You kind of connect with the people you're working with a lot faster than you would a big old cast, like Rent, as much as I enjoyed that.”
While ZDK’s big debut will be Songs for a New World, Kowalchik hopes to expand the organization beyond performing arts.
“Performing is one small part of what we like to do and what we like to offer, but our vision and our goal is to be a lot more broad than that because, you know, not everyone wants to be on stage, not everyone wants to be in a theater, but I think everyone has a desire to express themselves in one way or another, and we're just here to be a vehicle for helping people do that,” Taylor says.
ZDK is looking to do performances and workshops of local creators, including photography, ceramics and culinary arts.
It also provides a Spotlight Series, providing a stage and audience for artists who want to showcase their talent, whether it’s painting, storytelling, or other forms of expression.
The premiere of Songs for a New World will be on April 12, 2023, at 7 p.m. at Show Thyme Academy. Tickets can be purchased on their website.
The community can support ZDK by donating and businesses can assist the organization by signing up to be a sponsor.
