Auditions & Workshops
Our Casting Philosophy
The Civic is committed to inclusiveness and practices open and non-traditional casting. All roles in Civic productions, unless otherwise announced, are open to all who audition. The Civic goal is to foster and develop theatrical talent in our community and encourage anyone, regardless of experience, to audition for our productions.
Upcoming Auditions and Workshops
The Academy of Theatre Arts is pleased to offer free Audition Workshops for each production of the season. Audition workshops are led by the production’s artistic team, using the same materials that will be used at the auditions. Time is built into the workshop for participants to receive personalized tips and feedback. Registration will be open two months prior to each workshop. Before registration opens, dates may change based upon staff ability.
The workshops cover the performers audition only – they may include information but not instruction about crew opportunities
Let It Be: A Musical Celebration of the Beatles
Director – Mike Scorzo
Music Director – Lori Hatfield
Ages 50+
Audition Workshop: Saturday, July 20 @ 2:00 – 4:00pm
Auditions: August 4 & 5 @ 6:30pm
Performance Dates: October 4 – 13, 2024
Registration for Auditions coming soon!
Synopsis: This fall, our Senior Class Reader’s Theatre will present Let It Be: A Musical Celebration of the Beatles. Set at the height of the Vietnam War, Let It Be explores the political and social unrest that divided our country from the late 60s thru the mid-70s. The show features classic hits from the Fabulous Four.
Disney’s Finding Nemo JR.
Director – Kimberly Chandler
Music Director – Wendy Wheeler
Choreographer – Katey Martinek
Ages: 9-18
Audition Workshop: Saturday, August 3, 2:00pm – 4:00pm
Auditions: August 18 & 19, 6:00pm – 9:00pm
Performance Dates: Oct. 25 – Nov. 2, 2024
Registration for Auditions coming soon!
Synopsis: Marlin, Bruce, Dory and Nemo will take you on an epic adventure across the depths of the vast blue ocean. Based on the popular Pixar film, the Civic Youth Theatre is excited to present Disney’s Finding Nemo Jr. on the Auditorium stage. With songs like, “Just Keep Swimming”, “Fish are Friends Not Food,” and “Go with the Flow”, Disney’s Finding Nemo Jr. brings to life a heartfelt story about friendship, family, and facing your fears.
Radium Girls
Director – Dr. Miriam Thomas
Age: 16+
Audition Workshop: Saturday, September 7, 1:30 – 3:30 pm
Auditions: September 14 & 15, 7:00pm
Performance Dates: Nov. 8-17, 2024
Registration for Auditions coming soon!
Synopsis: The time is 1926. How could a miracle cure that shrinks tumors cause a terrifying rash of illnesses among young female dial painters? Inspired by the true story of Grace Fryer, Radium Girls is a gripping play that explores her fight for the establishment of workers’ safety regulations and of young women fighting injustices in the workplace.
by D.W. Gregory
Cinderella
Director – Anthony J. Hamilton
Music Director – Marie McColley-Kerstetter
Choreographer – Sara Sherman
Ages: 14+
Audition Workshop: Saturday, September 7, 2:00 – 4:30pm
Auditions: September 15 & 16 • 7:00pm
Performance Dates: Nov. 29 – Dec. 22, 2024
Registration for Auditions coming soon!
Synopsis: The Prince is Giving a Ball! Join us this holiday season for A Lovely Night of music and magic. It’s Possible! Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella opens on the Auditorium stage November 29. This contemporary take on a classic tale features a rich score with favorites, including In My Own Little Corner, Impossible, and Ten Minutes Ago. Make this a holiday treat for the entire family!
Well
Director – Dave Mahon
Audition Workshop: Saturday, October 12, 3:00 – 5:00pm
Auditions: October 27 & 28 • 7:00pm
Performance Dates: January 17-26, 2025
Registration for Auditions coming soon!
Synopsis: What do you get when you mix a sick daughter, with a hypochondriac mother, and a community in need of healing? Set in Lansing, Michigan, Lisa Kron’s Well is an exploration of what it means to be sick versus what it means to be well. Through the mother’s social activism, we discover the true meaning of healing. Lisa Kron is a Michigan native, best known for her Tony Award Winning Best Score for the musical Fun Home.
Penguin Project
Press Start! A New Children’s Musical
Director – AnnMarie Miller
Music Director – Sarah Aiello
Choreographer – Emma Michael
To meet some of our Penguin families and the directing team, stop by one of our summer meet ups at the Carver Center:
Tuesday, June 18, 6:00- 7:00
Thursday, July 18, 6:00-7:00
Sunday, August 18, 4:00-5:00
Plan to attend our information meeting/sign up event
October 19, 2:00-3:30
Performance Dates: February 8 – 16, 2025
Synopsis:The Kalamazoo Civic Theatre’s Penguin Project Production is Press Start! A New Children’s Musical. Join us as our Penguins embark on a unique adventure as they are transported into the pixelated world of video games. Beloved video game characters, who face running out of lives, organize a musical fundraiser to collect the gold rings necessary to continue playing. Heroes, villains, and sidekicks unite in an unprecedented collaboration, showcasing teamwork like never before. This 8-bit musical promises to captivate audiences, delivering heartwarming moments and unexpected twists.
California Suite
Director – Dr. Quincy Thomas
Audition Workshop: Saturday, November 16 @ 2:00 – 4:30pm
Auditions: December 1 & 2 • 7:00pm
Performance Dates: Feb. 21 – Mar. 2, 2025
Registration for Auditions coming soon!
Synopsis: With fast and furious banter, a whirlwind of wit and physical comedy, California Suite looks at the relationships inside Suite 203-04 at The Beverly Hills Hotel. Join visitors from New York, Philadelphia, London, and Chicago for an evening of comedy that only Neil Simon can deliver.
Parade
Director – Mike Artis
Music Director – Marie McColley-Kerstetter
Choreographer – Sara Sherman
Audition Workshop: Saturday, December 14 @ 10:00 – 12:00pm
Auditions: January 5 & 6 @ 7:00pm
Performance Dates: Mar. 14 – 23, 2025
Registration for Auditions coming soon!
Synopsis: Have you ever felt misunderstood by everyone around you? How do you overcome untruths in a legal system that seems to be set against proving your innocence? The Tony-award-winning musical, Parade, is set in 1913. Leo Frank is a Jewish Brooklyn native, now residing in rural Georgia. He finds himself on trial for the murder of 13-year-old Mary Phagan, a girl under his employ at a local pencil factory. With a soaring score by Jason Robert Brown and book by Alfred Uhry, Parade delivers a powerful message about religious intolerance, social injustice, and the resilience of love in the face of insurmountable odds.
Dancing at Lughnasa
Director – Lisa Marie Parker
Ages: 50+
Audition Workshop: Saturday, January 11 • 1:00 – 3:00pm
Auditions: January 26 & 27 • 6:30pm
Performance Dates: March 28 – April 6, 2025
Registration for Auditions coming soon!
Synopsis: It’s harvest time in Ireland and the five Mundy sisters are struggling to adapt to their changing world. Dancing at Lughnasa is a memory play narrated by the illegitimate son of one of the sisters as he recalls the women who reared him: his mother and four maiden aunts.
The Seussification of A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Ages: 9-18
Audition Workshop: Saturday, January 25 @ 3:00pm-5:00pm
Auditions: February 9 & 10 • 4:30pm-7:30pm
Performance Dates: April 25 – May 4, 2025
Registration for Auditions coming soon!
Synopsis: The Civic Youth Theatre will present a fresh and comical adaptation of a Shakespearean classic: The Seussification of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Written by Peter Bloedel, with all the beloved characters of the classic included, this Seussified version will enchant you as you frolic through a forest filled with fairies, whoosh bush tush beasts, and bumballoon swords! Wacky and wild, release your inner child!
The Wedding Singer
Director – Mychelle Hopkins
Music Director – Lori Hatfield
Choreographer – Erin Robere
Audition Workshop: Saturday, February 8 @ 4:00pm-6:30pm
Auditions: February 23 & 24 • 7:00pm
Performance Dates: May 2-18, 2025
Registration for Auditions coming soon!
Synopsis: Robbie is a goofy New Jersey singer who failed as a rock star, then in love. He now fronts the most in-demand wedding band until his own wedding plans go awry and he is left standing at the altar. Join us as we root for Robbie to find love and to provide once again awesome 1980s music to weddings across New Jersey.