Audition

Tuition: The cost of the program is $200, which includes individual and group vocal coachings, mentoring from adult cabaret artists, choral rehearsals, choreography and staging rehearsals, and three performances with live combo at Two Brothers Roundhouse on Saturday,, Nov. 7 and 8.. The cost of the To the Moon and Back t-shirt is $25 and each performer cast in the show will be required to purchase one.

City of Lights Theatre & Cabaret depends exclusively on ticket sales and tuition to produce this junior cabaret.

Where does your $200 go?

• Spotlight rental

• Graphic design for promotional materials

• Printing programs and flyers

• Stipends for coaches and musicians

• Stipends for staging director and choreographer

• Scholarship fund for talented performers with financial need

Save 50% off your tuition by recommending a friend! If we cast someone you recommend who is new to City of Lights Theatre, your tuition will be cut in half! Please list their names in the audition form.

Scholarship program: We provide scholarships to performers who are cast in the cabaret and are unable to pay the $200 tuition. We don’t want anyone eliminated for reason of financial hardship. Please select the scholarship option in the audition form if you are interested. Selecting this option will not affect casting.

Time commitment: The rehearsal period of the show is September 12 - November 6 with performances on November 7 (2pm and 7pm) and November 8 (2pm), three shows total, at Two Brothers Roundhouse in Aurora, Illinois. Rehearsals will occur during these times but you will not be required to be at all of them or for the whole time.

• Saturdays 1:00-4:00 pm

• Wednesdays 5:30-9:00 pm

• Thursdays 5:30-9:00pm

During September: 1-2 rehearsals per week

During October: 1-3 rehearsals per week

During last week of October/1st Week of November: 4-5 rehearsals

*Out of town participants may be called only for Saturday rehearsals as well as later start times until mid-October. If your trip to rehearsal is 45 minutes or more, you count as an out-of-town participant.

Rehearsals will take place in Aurora, Illinois either at Two Brothers Roundhouse, Wesley United Methodist Church, St. Mark’s Lutheran Church or at Kirsten’s home in Aurora. You will likely not be called for the entire rehearsal block - we are very efficient with our scheduling and appreciate how busy kids and parents are! The commitment is far less than a traditional musical. We will provide a master schedule within two weeks of casting.

Material to prepare (video auditions)

1. Fill out the audition form.

2. Choose a musical theatre song that shows your voice and acting skills. Pick a 1-2 minute cut of the song to sing for your audition.

3. Record yourself. Begin your recording with a slate—tell us your name, height, and school.

4. Sing your selections with an accompanist or a backing track on YouTube. No a cappella auditions, please.

5. Upload the video to YouTube and make the visibility “unlisted.” If you’re having technical issues, please write to us at info@cityoflightstheatre.org for an alternative method.

6. Email the video link to auditions@cityoflightstheatre.org by Wednesday, September 2 at 11:59 pm with the subject line “Junior Cabaret Audition.”

Material to prepare (in-person auditions)

1. Fill out the audition form.

2. Choose a musical theatre song that shows your voice and acting skills. Pick a 1-2 minute cut of the song to sing for your audition.

3. Print sheet music in a binder and bring it to the audition for Kirsten Tait to accompany you OR email a PDF of your song to kirsten@cityoflightstheatre.org prior to your audition.

4. Sing the selection at in-person auditions on Tuesday, September 3 at 7:00-9:00 pm.*

*In-person auditions will be recorded on video.