Lakeshore Players photo by Joan Elwell
It's fifty-three degrees in the Twin Cities on August 22! As the cool autumn air moves into the state, theatres are are busy readying themselves for a new season. For just as school starts around Labor Day, so does a new theatrical season.
Opportunities for young performers are plentiful right now. If you have a budding actor in the family or are looking for a show to attend that won't break your budget and is suitable for children of varying ages, check these places out.
Phipps Center for the Arts in nearby Hudson, WI will be mounting Fiddler on the Roof, Madeleine's Christmas and Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka, Junior in the coming weeks. All of the plays use many young performers. The entire audition notices can be found here. As someone who has taught and directed at the Phipps, working at the theatre is an overwhelmingly positive experience. Respect for your time, talent and the nurturing of young performers are just some of the reasons audiences and artists return to that theatre again and again.
Ashland Productions in Maplewood, MN is holding auditions for Annie on August 29 and August 30th. Check out the audition notice here. They have a lovely space at Maplewood Community Center and are noted for fine productions and selling out!
Steppingstone Theatre for Youth Development in St. Paul, MN utilizes many young performers ages 9-18 in all of their shows. In its 21 years of serving families in St. Paul and surrounding areas, their auditions notices can be found here.
Lakeshore Players in White Bear Lake is one of the oldest, continuously running community theatres in Minnesota. Their holiday show, Stuart Little will use up to twenty-four young performers of all ages and the audition notice will be posted in September. Check back here after Labor Day for details. I will be going into great detail about the production of Stuart Little as I will be directing it.
Lyric Arts Company in Anoka, MN also has some family-friendly productions coming up. Information on A Laura Ingalls Wilder Christmas and A Christmas Carol can be found here.
It may seem a wee bit early to gear up for a "holiday" show, but in the ways of the theatrical world, auditions are held early for maximum turn-out. So while the Halloween decorations are (thankfully) not out yet, theatres, producers and directors are already holding meetings for the holiday productions. I will cover upcoming auditions and family-friendly seasons on the "other" side of the river in my next posting. Yes, Minneapolis has a wealth of family-friendly theatre ready for the 2009-2019 theatre season.
More information on how theatre has affected young people's lives can be found here.
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