Community

Former ‘Medora Musical’ performer returns 60 years later

MEDORA - Sixty years after first taking the stage in the Burning Hills Amphitheatre, Stephanie Riehm Stockton returned to Medora this summer for the first time since her days as a "Medora Musical" performer.

Stockton performed in the "Medora Musical" from 1966-1968, making her part of the second, third and fourth seasons of the show. She returned this summer to mark the 60th anniversary of her first season, a trip made possible in part by her daughter, Tara Steinblock, who helped plan the journey back to the place Stockton says influenced the rest of her life.

"I treasure every single moment of being here in Medora," Stockton said. "Coming back after 60 years is just a wonderful thrill."

When Stockton first came to Medora from the Twin Cities, the community was still in its early days. The roads were dirt, the town was rustic and the "Medora Musical" was a young production taking shape in the Badlands. Returning six decades later, she was struck by the immense growth around her -- a transformation she credits to the vision of Harold and Sheila Schafer.

"I just give them so much credit for being such a force in building this beautiful town," Stockton said.

While Medora has grown and changed tremendously since Stockton first performed in the town, the experience she had in those early years stayed with her. Her time on the "Medora Musical" stage helped shape a lifelong career in dance and theater, in which she went on to share her love of performance with generations of students.

"I've been a dance and theater teacher my whole life," she said. "I try to teach (my students) the joy of dance."

Six decades later, Stockton returned to a Medora that looked very different from the one she remembered, but the connection she made with the town never faded. Though she may have left the Badlands in 1968, in many ways, she never really left Medora behind.