FIRST STEP TO STARDOM
AUDITIONS SEEK STUDENTS FOR
FIVE MALTZ JUPITER THEATRE PRODUCTIONS
Theatre’s annual free audition event will feature youth casting for all of the professional shows in the Theatre’s 2017/18 season, including Disney Newsies and Hairspray
The Maltz Jupiter Theatre is seeking young performers for its South Florida regional premiere of Disney Newsies!
The Broadway smash hit is just one of the shows with roles up for grabs at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre’s eighth annual First Step to Stardom audition day on Saturday, April 22, with roles for dozens of students ages 7 to 24. The day will feature casting for the Theatre’s professional productions of the family-friendly musicals Disney Newsies, Hairspray and South Pacific, as well as the plays An Inspector Calls and Born Yesterday.
“This is the first time that we are inviting local youth to our theatre to take part in all five of our 2017/18 season shows,” said Andrew Kato, the Theatre’s producing artistic director and chief executive. “Our First Step to Stardom audition day has become an excellent annual opportunity for area students to experience the audition process.”
As the largest regional theatre in Florida, the Theatre creates every detail seen in its season shows, from the sets and costumes to hiring the creative teams and casts. The Theatre is one of the area’s top employers of both onstage and backstage talent, including directors, choreographers, designers, musicians, performers and stage crew. To cast its professional shows, the Theatre draws from both local and national talent. Between 400 and 700 people typically audition in New York for each of the Theatre’s large-scale musicals, and as many as 250 people audition for its plays.
“The local students who are cast in youth roles in our shows experience the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work alongside theatre professionals and learn from the best,” Kato said. “It’s a wonderful chance to take part in the creative process and perform in a professional regional production.”
The Theatre’s First Step to Stardom audition day will take place at the Theatre starting at 9 a.m. on April 22. Participants will learn a dance routine, receive acting tips and learn to sing as an ensemble. Students are asked to wear dance clothing (no sandals or open-toe shoes).
The event comes at the heels of the success of the Theatre’s large-scale “First Step to Stardom” events during the past seven seasons, which drew hundreds of children to the Theatre for auditions. Children who auditioned last year performed roles in The Audience, Me and My Girl and The Producers and can be seen in Gypsy this spring.
To help students prepare, optional audition prep classes will be offered on the following dates: Sunday, March 12; Sunday, March 26; and Sunday, April 2. All will take place from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in the Theatre’s Goldner Conservatory of Performing Arts. Cost is $27 per session, and participants are asked to wear dance clothing (no sandals or open-toe shoes).
While not required, the audition prep classes will teach students the dance combinations that will be used at the audition itself, as well as the audition’s 16-bar cut of music. Students can take one class or all that are offered. Students who participate in an audition prep class will have scheduled auditions at 9 a.m. on April 22 and will be considered for all productions that fit their age range.
A free 30-minute audition prep workshop will also be offered on April 15 that will give students and parents an overview of what to expect at the audition day. Parents will attend a question-and-answer session in the acting studio while students learn music in the voice studio and a dance combination in the dance studio. Students are asked to wear dance clothing (no sandals or open-toe shoes). To register for the workshop, students must first register online for an April 22 audition time slot, then contact the Conservatory to register for the workshop.
Both the audition prep classes and the free workshop are completely optional. All students who audition on April 22 will be considered for all productions that fit their age range.
To register for the Theatre’s annual First Step to Stardom audition day, visit
www.jupitertheatre.org/fsts. To register for the audition prep classes or free workshops, please call
(561) 575-2672.
Here is more about the shows students will be auditioning for:
Born Yesterday
October 29 – November 12
Harry Brock, a hot-tempered and corrupt tycoon, is determined to make a name for himself in the power-driven city of Washington D.C. But his ex-showgirl girlfriend, Billie Dawn, isn’t quite cutting it in highbrow society. Harry schemes to transform blonde bombshell Billie into a cultured and classy woman — with a little help from friends in low places. In a deliriously funny turn of events, Harry discovers that Billie has a wit too sharp to handle. A great American screwball comedy, Born Yesterday is a brazen battle of “brains over blonde.” Sponsored by Suzanne Niedland in loving memory of Art and Meg Niedland. [The Theatre is looking for teenagers and young adults to be “supplemental extras.”]
Disney Newsies The Musical
November 28 – December 17
Based on the real-life 1899 New York newsboys’ strike, Disney’s Newsies tells the story of the youth who struggle to sell newspapers in order to survive. As paper prices rise, they band together to take on the biggest names in New York media. This epic story comes to life in a high-energy explosion of dance. Perfect for the entire family this holiday season! Sponsored by the Admirals Cove Foundation and John McDonald Company. [The Theatre is looking for tweens, teenagers and young adults to play roles in the musical’s ensemble.]
Hairspray
January 9 – 28
It’s 1962 Baltimore, and Tracy Turnblad – a girl with big hair and an even bigger heart – is on a mission to dance her way onto national TV. When her dream comes true on the Corny Collins Show, Tracy transforms from social outcast to teen star and sets out to integrate the show. Winner of eight Tony Awards®, this Broadway dance sensation features hits like “Welcome to the ‘60s” and “Good Morning Baltimore.” You can’t stop the beat with this smash hit musical comedy! Sponsored by John Osher, Jana and Ken Kahn and Kathy and Joe Savarese, Homecare America. [The Theatre is looking for tweens, teenagers and young adults to play roles in the musical’s ensemble.]
An Inspector Calls
February 4 – 18
When an inspector mysteriously arrives at the home of the affluent Birling family, their intimate dinner party takes a turn for the worst. Inspector Goole brutally questions each family member regarding the death of a young woman supposedly known to the Birlings, but each denies they know the victim. Will the inspector get to the bottom of this mystery or will secrets remain? This gripping psychological thriller is filled with twists and turns, keeping you guessing until the very end. Sponsored by Jodie and Dan Hunt and the Roy A. Hunt Foundation and Priscilla Heublein. [The Theatre is looking for tweens, teenagers and young adults to be “supplemental extras.”]
South Pacific
March 6 – 25
On an island in the South Pacific, a World War II nurse finds herself in the midst of love and war. Nellie Forbush has fallen deeply in love with Frenchman Emile De Becque, a widowed plantation owner who has lived on the island for many years. But their sweeping romance is tested by the complexities of politics and prejudices of their time. This beloved Rodgers and Hammerstein classic is sure to delight with memorable songs like “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair,” and “There is Nothing Like a Dame.” Sponsored by Cornelia T. Bailey, Gil Walsh Interiors, LLC and Patty and Bob Hendrickson. [The Theatre is looking for two young children (one boy and one girl) to play Ngana and Jerome, as well as teenagers and young adults to play roles in the musical’s ensemble.]
About the Maltz Jupiter Theatre
The not-for-profit Maltz Jupiter Theatre has become one of Florida’s preeminent professional theatres, committed to production and education through its collaborations with local and national artists. Currently the state’s largest award-winning regional theatre, the Theatre draws 100,000 people annually, serves a subscription base of more than 7,758 and has world-class classroom facilities in support of its Goldner Conservatory of Performing Arts, which serves hundreds of youth and adults. The Theatre is a member of the prestigious League of Resident Theatres and has earned numerous Carbonell Awards, South Florida’s highest honor for artistic excellence, including the prestigious Bill Von Maurer Award for Theatrical Excellence. For more information about the Theatre’s upcoming shows and Conservatory, visit
www.jupitertheatre.org or call the box office at
(561) 575-2223.
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