We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
Auditions for the Missoula Children’s Theatre (MCT) production of The Emperor’s New Clothes will be held at Monday, January 20, at 3:30 p.m. in the Meadowlark Gym. There are roles for students in Kindergarten through grade 12, plus a need for additional Assistant Directors who will aid in rehearsals throughout the week and take on essential backstage responsibilities.
Because these will be group auditions, no advance preparation is necessary. However, local school officials offer this advice to potential youth actors and actresses: listen to the directors, speak clearly and loudly, and smile!
Those auditioning should arrive promptly at 3:30 p.m. and plan to stay for the entire two-hour session. There is no guarantee that everyone who auditions will be cast in the play, and some of the cast members will be asked to stay for a rehearsal immediately following the audition. Approximately, 60 local students will be cast to appear in the show with the MCT Tour Actor/Directors.
Among the roles to be cast are the Emperor, ManyPenny and the Money Council, the Royal Scholars Roxy and Red, Kings and Queens, Gem and the Royal Jewelers, Boots and the Royal Cobblers, Lid and the Royal Hatters, Stitch and the Royal Tailors, and the Royal Silkworms.
Rehearsals will be conducted every evening during the week of January 20 from approximately 4:00-8:30 p.m. On Tuesday they will occur at Meadowlark Elementary School, and on Wednesday-Friday, rehearsals will be held at the Chinook High School’s Lloyd Sweet Auditorium.
Although not all cast members will be needed at every session, those auditioning must have a clear schedule for the entire week and, if selected, be able to attend all rehearsals required for their role. A detailed rehearsal schedule will be distributed at the conclusion of the auditions on January 20. Cast members scheduled for the full 4 ½ hours of rehearsal will be asked to bring a sack lunch, dinner, or snack.
The Emperor’s New Clothes—written for the stage and conceived by Jim Caron and Matt Loehrke with music and lyrics by Jim Caron, Michael McGill Greg Boris, and Amy Ellis—was originally written by Hans Christian Andersen.
In this stage version, the Emperor takes the advice “dress for success” to an extreme when attempting to impress new friends. When the clothes, and other people’s opinions, become more important than the people of the kingdom, trouble brews.
To help their beloved Emperor find the way back to his heart, his true friends create an elaborate “birthday suit” for the Emperor to wear for his birthday parade celebration. The Emperor quickly and humbly learns that sometimes “less is more.”
The Emperor’s New Clothes will be presented on Saturday, January 25, at 1:00 and 3:30 p.m. at the Lloyd Sweet Auditorium at Chinook High School. The
MCT residency in Chinook is subsidized by various state and local organizations, including the Chinook Lion’s Club, Chinook Community Chest, and the Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation.
Founded in 1970 and best known for their tour project, MCT is a non-profit organization based in Missoula, Montana, that fosters enrichment and education through theatre for children of all ages. Their mission is the development of life skills in children through participation in the performing arts.
The unique Missoula Children’s Theatre Tour Project is the largest touring children’s theatre program in the United States. MCT Tour Actor/Directors work with more than 65,000 children in nearly 1,100 week-long residencies annually in all 50 states and about 16 other countries. Each week, up to 45 teams of two tour actor/directors travel to a new town, audition and cast 50-60 local children in an original musical production, run rehearsals, teach workshops, and by the end of the week perform a full-scale musical with the cast, including full costumes, sets, lights and props that the directors bring along with them.
For more information about the production in Chinook, interested individuals should call Tammy Edwards, the local coordinator of the MCT activities. She can be reached on her cell phone at 399-1428.
