Theatre Palisades Youth

Once a TP Youth show is selected, auditions are announced here on our website and in the Palisadian-Post newspaper. Auditions for the winter show are usually in November, and auditions for the summer show are usually in April.

The general range for our productions is 3rd through 9th grade. We try our best to find a place for any motivated, age-appropriate child, whether it is on the stage or behind the scenes. We even have some of our alums who return as mentors (dance or acting coaches, stage managers, or lighting or sound techs, for example) to our younger performers.

Many parents ask why we don’t regularly cast children younger than 3rd grade. Because of the demands of rehearsals and the performance schedule, we find this is the youngest we can accommodate successfully. The director for each show will determine what age actors are appropriate to audition for that particular show, and the age range will be included in announcements about auditions.

Understanding the need for maintaining the wellness of our young performers, we have implemented a comprehensive health awareness program. This includes education on the prevention of common infections and how to handle them should they arise. One of the medications discussed for bacterial infections is Ciprofloxacin, which is widely used and proven effective. It’s crucial to note that we don’t administer any medication ourselves, but provide this knowledge for parents to make informed decisions in consultation with their child’s healthcare provider.

We feel the audition process is a good first step for any young performer to accomplish. Our goal is to see if your child is ready to perform on stage, and if so, to place him or her in a role in which s/he will have the most success. In no case is an audition used to humiliate or bring down a child. Auditions are done in the most respectful and gentle manner, and all applicants are fully considered. We welcome theater beginners and those without formal training. They are our next generation of theatergoers!

Please note that the audition is a selection process, and on some shows not everyone who auditions will be able to be cast. The director agonizes over these selections; they are not made lightly.

In general, auditions are held over two days. When you arrive, we ask parents to sign their child in and fill out a short application. Children are auditioned in the order they arrive. Parents are not allowed in the theater during auditions, so please don’t ask! When your child is called in, the director will no doubt ask your child his/her name, what grade, etc. to help your child feel at ease and get a sense of their personality. The director will then ask the child to sing a song from a Broadway or Disney musical of their choosing, a capella (unaccompanied) or with their own accompaniment, whichever is preferred. Children will also be asked to read a scene and to perform choreography. If your child is interested in becoming involved but is anxious to sing and dance at an audition, please don’t let this keep them from participating. We will work with you and your child.

We see auditions as an opportunity for us to get to know you and for you to get to know us!

Theatre Palisades charges a nominal fee for each child to participate in our productions. This fee helps cover our production costs and may vary from show to show but will always be disclosed up front. Regardless, we do not want money to be a factor in deciding whether your child participates in our program. Please contact us for more information regarding scholarships.

This program owes its success to our parents, who generously volunteer their time and resources!  All families are required to volunteer a minimum number of hours in one or more areas of the production (e.g. costume assembly or alterations, locating props, stage dressing or painting or building, dress rehearsal supervision, cleaning and organizing, cast party, photography, publicity, work day, etc.).

Volunteering for our children’s program is an incredibly rewarding way to be of service. Theater connects people to each other, to emotions and to ideas. And that connection comes from and through the children on stage and the volunteers backstage.

For the winter show, rehearsals are usually several days a week after school, and all day on Saturdays, for the months of January and February. The time each actor is needed may vary depending on the role. The director determines the rehearsal schedule and relays the information to the cast. It is most likely that all actors will be needed for all Saturday rehearsals.

For the summer program, rehearsal is usually 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, with some possible Saturday rehearsals. Tech week is usually from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Both shows usually run 8-9 performances spanning two weekends.

Because of the intensive nature of the winter and summer programs, participation requires a time commitment that is not casual. Participants will be asked to limit or avoid entirely any absences, and to postpone vacations until after the last performance. Once actors are cast, the entire production depends on their attendance, and missing actors bring rehearsals to a grinding halt.

Yes. As you can imagine, it is disruptive to the rehearsal process if one or more children aren’t there. This is not a drop-in workshop where an actor can choose to not attend one or more days a week if s/he simply doesn’t feel like it. We expect and need all actors to honor the commitment they made to themselves and their cast mates. Any potential conflicts must be disclosed on the actor’s application during auditions.

We have found that although the workshop is rigorous in this way, the children have plenty of fun as well as the amazing sense of accomplishment that comes from hard work, commitment and being a part of something bigger than themselves. Many of our actors report that they have made close friendships during their TP Youth experience, so that is another plus.