Auditions & Workshops

Volunteer Contributions

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

Well

Director – Dave Mahon

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

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: Monday, December 16 @ 7:00 – 9:30pm
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 – Kris Allemang Stahl

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.