Youth Theatre Auditions!
A YEAR WITH FROG AND TOAD – Monday, January 8 and Tuesday, January 9 at 4:30pm.
ABOUT THE ROLES:
2 Casts of 6-9 Roles Available. That’s a total of 12-18 Roles.
2-5 Males, a total of 4-10 Male Roles (Grades 4 through 12)
2-9 Females, a total of 4-18 Female Roles (Grades 4 through 12)
The following is (ideally) a breakdown of roles and approximate ages. This is all based on the first assessment of the script and can change based on the young people who audition. No prior acting experience is required, and novice actors are encouraged to audition. We encourage children of all races to audition and advocate color-conscious casting, in an effort to enrich the experiences of the ensemble and the audience.
The following ROLES are to be played by OLDER TEENS or MIDDLE SCHOOL AGE MALES or FEMALES (Ages 13-18):
FROG: A gallant, confident, leader of the friendship; able to accept life as it comes to him; strong, charismatic lead role, balancing both jazz numbers and ballads.
TOAD: An anxious, neurotic, and a tad awkward, but with a very big heart; manages to turn small incidents into ordeals by caring just a little too much; meaty comic lead role with a lot of singing; He/she should have a character voice, but pleasant.
The following ROLES are to be played by ELEMENTARY or MIDDLE SCHOOL AGE MALES or FEMALES (Ages 9 – 13):
SNAIL: A timid wallflower who undergoes a surprising transformation when entrusted with a task he/she might not be best suited for; always on stage; very high energy, requiring stylized movement and inventive comic ideas. Vocally, he or she should have a bluesy characteristic with a show-stopping belt.
The following ROLES are to be played by OLDER TEENS and/or ELEMENTARY or MIDDLE SCHOOL AGE MALES or FEMALES (Ages 9 – 18):
BIRDS: Typically, 2 females and a male (It could be 2 males and a female or 3 females.) They are a sassy trio with distinct personalities that both narrate and participate in the action. They have a lot of tricky Andrews Sister style harmonies. Vocally, they must be secure in close part singing and be an independent learner. They must have strong voices of equal quality.
TURTLE: Typically played by a female. She is bossy, sarcastic, and a bit of an instigator. Vocally very jazzy; dancing a plus, plays several other characters through the course of the show. A versatile comic role. Possibly double cast with one of the BIRDS.
MOUSE: Typically played by a female. She is plucky and inquisitive. Dancing a plus. She plays other characters through the show. A versatile comic role. Usually doubles as MOTHER FROG, possibly double cast with one of the BIRDS.
LIZARD: Typically played by a male. He is an easygoing pal of Turtle and Mouse. Laid back and amiable. Dancing a plus. He plays other characters throughout the show. A versatile comic role. Usually doubles as YOUNG FROG. Possibly double cast with one of the BIRDS.
Note that all roles are very stylized. Looking for actors who are able to play outside of the box and not be afraid of the outrageous. Age ranges listed are a suggestion.
ABOUT THE AUDITION:
Parking is free. Obtain a parking pass upon your arrival for our parking lot, adjacent to CTC.
You only need to come to one initial audition, either Monday or Tuesday. Please DO NOT come to both days.
You do not need to prepare anything. We do not need a headshot or resume.
Callbacks will be held on Thursday, January 11 at 4:30pm.
Auditions and callbacks should last between 90 minutes and two hours depending on the number of children who audition.
Your picture may be taken as a part of the audition process. This helps track who has auditioned and gives us a record of proportions compared to other actors who are auditioning.
This is a highly competitive audition, it is understood that if you are auditioning you will accept any role assigned to you. A part of the process of learning about theatre is embracing the role you have been given and making it the very best you can.
ABOUT CONFLICTS:
Please be aware of any date you might have a conflict with our normal rehearsal schedule; Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 4:30-6:30pm.
Our first meeting is on Friday, January 12 at 4:30pm with Parents and Actors.
Rehearsals might begin as early as Monday, January 15 at 4:30pm.
It is possible that we will be rehearsing on holidays, INCLUDING A PERFORMANCE ON GOOD FRIDAY, March 30. DO NOT ASSUME that because school is out, you will not have rehearsal. Please let us know at the audition if you have a conflict with those dates. This doesn’t mean you can’t have conflicts with those days, it just means that we will still rehearse and you will be responsible for getting any information you might’ve missed.
Casting can depend on conflicts, if you miss too many rehearsals then we can’t help you prepare and it puts your fellow cast mates at a disadvantage as well. But let us be the judge of that, it never hurts to audition.
Be certain there are no conflicts with performances or tech week. ***We are moving to a new tech week schedule, we will be “teching” 4:30-7pm during the week prior to opening, including Wednesday of that week, BUT we will be ADDING Sunday, March 18 from 1:30-5:30pm.
Please check with teachers and administrators to make sure that there isn’t some conflict with your child’s school.
A full rehearsal/performance schedule can be obtained at the audition.
ABOUT PERFORMANCES:
The SUMMER CAST~
Public Performances: Friday, March 23 at 7pm, Saturday, March 24 at 2:30pm, and Saturday, March 31 at 7pm.
with School Performances: Tuesday, March 27 and Thursday, March 29 at 10 & 11:30am.
The WINTER CAST~
Public Performances: Saturday, March 24 at 7pm, Sunday, March 25 at 2:30pm, Friday, March 30 at 7pm and Saturday, March 31 at 2:30pm
with School Performances: Monday, March 26 and Wednesday, March 28 at 10 & 11:30am.
Thank you and hope to see you there!
F.A.Q.
“Where do I park?”
You can park in the lot right across from the Theatre Centre. It is free to park there, though you will need to pick up a parking pass inside and place it in your car before you audition. We recommend that you pull up to the Circle Lobby doors and obtain the pass from the greeting station set up at the concession stand, before parking in the lot.
“There are two days of auditions, do I come to both?”
The short answer is: “no.” You can come to either Monday or Tuesday, whichever works best for you. Please don’t come to both audition days, it doesn’t help your chances of getting a role. However, the Callbacks for the show will be held on the Thursday immediately following the audition, so if you have a conflict with that day, please let us know at the audition.
“Is it okay to arrive at 4:30pm for the audition?”
Sort of. Yes, if you have to hurry from school and/or work to get here by 4:30pm; that is fine. Just be aware that there is an audition form that must be filled out before you can audition, so if you can arrive 15-30 minutes early, it would be less stressful for you and more helpful for us if you can have that done by 4:30pm.
“How old do I need to be to audition?”
The Youth Theatre is recommended for students in grades 4 through 12. It is recommended that you be in 4th grade to audition, though many times young actors aren’t quite ready and more likely to be cast as 5th graders. We are committed to non-traditional casting, or casting of ethnic minority actors in roles where race or ethnicity is not germane. Which means young actors of all races are encouraged to audition.
“Do I need to prepare a song or a monologue?”
No, we will provide any materials you will need. You do not need a headshot or resume, while we appreciate your previous experience, all actors are auditioned on equal footing. The only preparation necessary is that you have a list of ANY conflicts you might have with rehearsal. This is vital! We MUST know any days you will miss in ADVANCE of casting.
“Is there a fee or what does it cost to audition or perform?”
Participation at CTC is COMPLETELY FREE! You don’t have to purchase a script, or your costume…there are no fees…nothing! All we ask is that you commit to arriving to scheduled rehearsals on time and agree to attend all the rehearsals and performances that are required!
“What does “Double Cast” mean?”
We will cast two kids in each role. We do this so that the children who are cast don’t miss excessive amounts of school for those daytime school performances. It also gives us a back-up, should someone get sick, the other child cast can substitute for them. The casts also rotate performances. For this show that performance schedule will look like this:
The SUMMER CAST~ Public Performances: Friday, March 23 at 7pm, Saturday, March 24 at 2:30pm, and Saturday, March 31 at 7pm.
with School Performances: Tuesday, March 27 and Thursday, March 29 at 10 & 11:30am.
The WINTER CAST~ Public Performances: Saturday, March 24 at 7pm, Sunday, March 25 at 2:30pm, Friday, March 30 at 7pm and Saturday, March 31 at 2:30pm
with School Performances: Monday March 26 and Wednesday, March 28 at 10& 11:30am.
“Where do I find out if I have a callback?”
Like our Facebook page and look for notices. If you don’t have Facebook, you can check our website: TheatreCentre.com. We typically announce callbacks on the Wednesday (January 10 , in this case.) immediately following the Monday and Tuesday auditions. Callbacks are usually at 4:30pm on Thursday (January 11, in this case.) of that same week. If your name isn’t on the callback list, you might still be cast, so check back for a complete cast list.
“When is the cast announced?”
Usually a cast will be posted on our Youth Theatre Facebook, or Theatre Centre Facebook page or TheatreCentre.com on Friday (January 12, in this case.) of the same week as the audition.
“Where is the play performed?”
This show will be performed on the MainStage at the Chattanooga Theatre Centre.
Thank you and hope to see you there!
