DE SMET — Two people with Huron roots exercised their theater chops Friday night, in a musical theatre production of “The Jungle Book Kids” at the De Smet Events Center.
Ten-year old Huron actor Davis Osier carried the role of Mogli in the show, based upon the Rudyard Kippling classic, in the two-performan presentation on Friday evening. The shows came at the culmination of a week’s intense rehearsal.
“The Jungle Book Kids,” was produced as part of the TADA School of Performing Arts’ summer intensive schedule. TADA was created and founded six years ago by Huron native Michelle Pudwill-Shiels, the daughter of the late DuWayne Pudwill and Rhonda Pudwill-Munier, who directed the De Smet production. Pudwill-Shiels graduated from Huron High School in 1984 and has more than 25 years experience in the performing arts world. In addition to operating TADA, she instructs students in both piano and voice and has a long list of acting and performance accomplishments, including “Hairspray,” “The Lion King,” and “Seussical, the Musical.”
“My sister, Danae, who lives here in De Smet, has been asking me for years to come and share what we do,” Pudwill-Shiels said. “So here we are!”

She added that there were 39 kids who signed up for the intense theater camp. “We do three or four musicals a year at TADA School of the Performing Arts in Virginia,” she said. “We split the shows into multiple casts, because our object is to teach them to act on the stage and not just be in an acting class.”
Pudwill-Shiels was assisted in De Smet by TADA choreographer Carter Holst.
“The show is presented after a week’s worth of work,” she added, “although when you think about it, today was dress rehearsal, so they really did this entire production in only four days.”

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CARA OSIER

Huron native Michelle Pudwill-Shiels, back left, the founder of TADA School of the Performing Arts in Virginia, was in De Smet last week, to direct a production of “The Jungle Book Kids.” Performing in the show was Davis Osier, front, from Huron. On the right is Carter Holst, a choreographer at TADA, who assisted Pudwill-Shiels in De Smet.                

Next, ten-year-old Huron actor Davis Osier acts in a production of “The Jungle Book Kids” Friday night at the De Smet Event Center.