THE SANTA SWITCH - Crystal Lake, IL / Raue Center For The Arts Non Equity Auditions

Raue Center School For The Arts is thrilled to announce OPEN AUDITIONS for NON-EQUITY professionals and community actors AGES 18+ for The Santa Switch. This unique intergenerational production gives students ages 7 - 18 the opportunity to perform alongside adult community actors and professional performers in a high-energy holiday musical filled with music, laughter, and heart. This production is a combination of non-equity professionals, community actors, and RCSA students.
Time Commitment:
Rehearsals: October 5 – November 12, 2026
Sundays | 12 – 5 PM
Mondays | 5:30 – 8:30 PM
Wednesdays | 5:30 – 8:30 PM
Thursdays | 5:30 – 8:30 (TBD – backup day for any additional rehearsals IF needed)

Tech Rehearsals Begin: Sunday, November 15 – November 19, 2026
Performance Dates:
November 20, 21, December 3, 4 & 5 @ 7 PM
November 21, 22, December 5 & 6 @ 1 PM
Special Festival of Lights Performance: Friday, November 27 @ 4:00 PM
There will be a tentative pick-up rehearsal scheduled for Wednesday, December 2, 2026, to be confirmed later.

SEEKING:
Auditioners between the ages of 18+. All individuals are invited and highly motivated to try out for roles. RCSA supports inclusivity across various aspects such as race, physical capabilities, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, and physique.
Looking for: Adult Non-Equity and Community Actors to fill numerous roles
Stipend: Seeking up to three non-equity professional actors, with role-based stipends of $300–$500. | Community actors OR parents are UNPAID roles.
Ages: 18+
Auditions: September 29 & 30, 2026 (You will only need to sign up for one of those days)
Audition Times: 5:30 – 9:00 PM (Audition times are 7-minute slots)
Dance Audition: October 1, 2026
Dance Times: 5:30-7:30 PM
Callbacks: October 4, 2025
Callbacks Time: 5:30 – 8:30 PM
Location: Trinity Episcopal Parish located at 210 McHenry Ave, Crystal Lake, IL 60014

Material To Prepare:
Auditioners should come prepared with a memorized comedic monologue no longer than 1-minute. They should also come prepared to sing 32 measures of a pop Christmas song. Please provide sheet music. An accompanist will be provided. No a cappella and no tracks, please. There will be a general dance audition on THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1ST. PLEASE be as clear as possible about availability, planned absences, and whether the 5 PM start time works for your schedule when filling out the conflict calendar. The biggest hurdle is always delays in work and progress due to absences, so please make those very transparent on your audition form. This is a shortened rehearsal process, and we are asking that cast members have no more than 2 conflicts. Beginning the week of November 1st, 2026, all cast members will be required to attend all rehearsals (if you are called) through opening weekend.
ABOUT THE SHOW & ROLES TO BE FILLED:

When Santa decides to retire, the magical Bells of SinterKlaas choose an unlikely successor: Jack, a New York advertising executive who doesn’t believe in Christmas—or magic. Soon, he’s swept into an adventure filled with elves, romance, comedy, heart, and holiday spirit.

Featuring recognizable hits including “Best Day of My Life,” “Breakaway,” “Fight Song,” “What a Wonderful World,” “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” and more, The Santa Switch is a joyful jukebox musical about redemption, hope, and finding your true purpose.

LUCY (female, 20s / 30s) - Idealistic. Plucky. Loyal. An aspiring artist, Lucy came to New York in search of her place in the world. She believes in the inherent goodness of people; her optimism in the human spirit is infectious. It also gets her in trouble.

MRS. CLAUS (female) - The bespectacled, gray-haired matron of The North Pole, she's always been satisfied as the woman behind the Big Man. When she's forced to step up and save Christmas, she realizes she likes calling the shots! And she's great at it.
THE FOLLOWING ROLE MAY BE CAST AS A NON-EQUITY PRO OR COMMUNITY ACTOR:
TOPHER (male, 20s / 30s) - Unflinchingly kind and warmhearted. Almost too nice, Topher runs Kringlez Kidz, a children's charity. If Santa were a socially awkward young professional in mid-century Manhattan, this jovial square is how you'd imagine him.
PLUS, AN AMAZING ENSEMBLE OF MULTI-TALENTED COMMUNITY PERFORMERS & STUDENTS
The ensemble plays a number of roles, including various children, diner denizens, salespeople, a sparkle of elves (including Cinnamon, Juniper, Gingersnap, Glitterpants, Becky, and others), Arthur, Hildy, Chester, Operator, bar patrons, Mrs. Callaway, Businessman, Kringlez Kidz Dancers, partygoers, security guards, and others.

Auditioners will only need to sign up for 1, 7-minute audition slot through TheaterForms Link: https://www.theaterforms.com/rcsa_education/SantaSwitch/auditionform/

More info about the show at https://www.rauecenter.org/rcsa-santa-switch-enroll/