CEDAR CITY — Young actors interested in paid roles will have an opportunity to audition for the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s upcoming production of “The Sound of Music” Saturday, March 5, 9 a.m.-noon, at the Southern Utah University Auditorium.
Actors who receive callback invitations will return from 1-4 p.m the same day.
According to the Festival, children of all ages may audition for the following roles:
- Gretl, a 6-year-old girl
- Marta, a 7-year-old girl
- Brigita, a 9-year-old girl
- Louisa, a 13-year-old girl
- Kurt, a 10-year-old boy
- Friedrich, a 14-year-old boy
Keenon Hooks will direct and choreograph “The Sound of Music,” which will be his directorial debut with the Utah Shakespeare Festival.
“I’ve been directing for a few years and I’ve worked with the festival for a couple of seasons,” he said. “It’s my first time working with the festival specifically as a director.
“I was there last year, choreographing last season’s ‘Ragtime.’ I had such a blast working on that show, and I’m really excited to come back and tell the story in a way that I’d like to for a Utah audience.”
Young actors interested in participating should be prepared to sing and dance during their auditions. Actors who receive callback invitations might also be asked to read a scene. However, they can also expect to have a good time with a “fun group of people,” Hooks said.
“We just want them to come in and be open to having a good time and showing us what they can do on stage,” he said.
If hired, actors will rehearse May 9-Oct. 8, 2022., according to the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s website, and must be available for each scheduled rehearsal and performance.
Hooks notes that parents of hired actors can support them by facilitating practice at home and helping them remember what they learned during rehearsals.
“So maybe going through, with their kids, about, ‘what did you do at rehearsal today? Oh, cool. Let’s talk about it and learn it so that I can make sure that I understand what you’re doing,'” Hooks said, “and it helps you practice because that’s really what it’s going to come down to, is practicing outside of rehearsal.”
“The Sound of Music” will run June 23-Oct. 8, 2022. There will be two matinees and two evening performances per week.
The classic movie musical starred Julie Andrews, who played the lead role of Maria, and recently deceased Christopher Plummer, who portrayed Captain Von Trapp.
“Maria, too exuberant to be a proper nun, is sent to the Von Trapp family as a governess for seven unruly children,” the play’s description says. “There she teaches the children to sing and Captain Von Trapp to love, only to have the singing family hounded by the invading Nazis.”
Hooks hopes young actors gain experience and learn from other actors in the production.
“I hope that these young actors are able to just learn what it’s like to be in a professional environment, and also share their talents and skills with other like-minded people because, though it may be work, it’s just a field of study that we all love to do,” Hooks said.
However, Hooks said it is important for young actors to be themselves.
“I hope that they bring their ‘self,’ because one thing that can be easy to do, is trying to emulate something else, and I really want them to bring their own personalities into the show and understand that they are enough and that’s why they are here,” he said.
Hooks added he is looking forward to seeing prospective young actors at the auditions.
“And even if it doesn’t work out, that some of the young actors don’t make it in this particular production, always keep following your dreams and keep working hard,” he said.
Event details
- What: Auditions for “The Sound of Music”
- When: Saturday, March 5, 9 a.m-noon.
- Where: Southern Utah University Auditorium, Cedar City
To learn more and access required sheet music and scripts, actors should visit the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s website.
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