Buy your tickets to Prairie, the musical created by the theatre community in Billings, Montana in 2025.
Prairie Posts
‘NOVA Theatre looks ahead to 2025-26 season’ from ‘Local News’ on the Yellowstone Public Radio app!
https://www.ypradio.org/regional-news/2025-06-19/nova-theatre-looks-ahead-to-2025-26-season
Thank you to Yellowstone Public Radio and Morning Edition Host/Reporter Karl Lengel for the mention!
PRESS RELEASE
Local Theatre-Makers Dare to Show New, Original-Story Musical
Prairie is a new production developed over the past two years by the theatre community in Billings, Montana. A commercial production, Prairie will have 12 performances, including the world premiere, on July 10-13, 17-20, and 24-27, 2025, at the Roebling Theater at NOVA Center for the Performing Arts, 2317 Montana Avenue, Billings, Montana 59101.
The cast of Prairie includes the following audience favorites: DeLaney Hardy Ray (“Keta”); Vint Lavinder (“Happy”); Cole Johnson (“Carl”); Amy Dixon (“Madge”); Brianna West (“Denise”); and Thomas Popiel (“Jeff”).
The creators of Prairie are: Book, Music, and Lyrics by Justin Stark; Directed by Janie Sutton; Choreography by Billie Parrott; Costume Design by Glenda Brauneis; and Lighting Design by Riddic Nations. The Music Director is Dulais Rhys, and the Stage Manager is Dodie Rife.
The synopsis of Prairie: In a town with a hotel named Prairie, folks make their own mountains. In spring 1973, Happy, the town’s wealthy hotelier, is dying. His daughter Keta is called home. Keta makes sense of her relationships with Happy and with her daughter, Denise, whom Keta left as a baby to be raised by her two high-school lovers, Carl, now the concierge at the hotel, and Madge, now the owner of a local bar. Happy has sued Madge over the bar. Happy causes a turn of events that changes everything.
Throughout the two-hour performance (including an intermission), a live orchestra will accompany the actors in 18 original musical settings in this rare, special event.
Tickets and more information are available at prairiemusical.com.
DeLaney Hardy Ray – “Keta”
Vint Lavinder – “Happy”
Cole Johnson – “Carl”
Amy Dixon – “Madge”
Brianna West – “Denise”
Thomas Popiel – “Jeff”
Hannah Varney – Standby
The creative team for Prairie:
Justin Stark – Book, Music, and Lyrics.
Janie Sutton – Director.
Billie Parrott – Choreographer.
Dulais Rhys – Music Director.
Glenda Brauneis – Costume Design.
Riddic Nations – Lighting and Sound Design.
Dodie Rife – Stage Manager.
Investors are invited to contact Prairie for investment opportunities in the production of Prairie. Private offering papers are available for review.
PLEASE NOTE: Investors will almost certainly lose every penny of their investment.
Thank you to all investors who support theatre.
The author of Prairie is Justin Wade Stark. Stark is a songwriter, playwright, and producer currently based in Billings, Montana. Stark’s prior stuff is mostly at justinstark.com.
Art by Heather Barta, CuPRUM Creative. Copyright 2025 Prairie Theatrical Ventures LLC.