Our auditions are very welcoming and encouraging.

For Educational Theater shows, everyone will get a part. The auditions are for casting and to give the actor the experience of the audition. Learning how to audition well is an important part of becoming an actor.

You can find our upcoming shows and auditions here: https://chestertonsp.com/shows/

What to expect:

There will be a couple of forms to fill out. One is a questionnaire asking about things like contact information, acting experience, sizes for costumes, etc. There will also be release forms including permission to use the actor’s image in marketing for the show and in the video of the show. Please go here to fill it out.

Once we begin, the Director will welcome everyone and tell you a bit about the show. Then each actor will get up and tell us their name, a part or type of part they are interested in playing, and perform a memorized monologue. The director may ask you the actor to redo part of the monologue in a different way. This is so the actor and director can play around with the performance together, it is not an indication that the original performance was not well done.

If there are any specific requirements for a particular show or character, such as singing, dancing, etc. those will be in the listing.

Then there will be a short break. Afterward, actors will be put in groups and given a script for a scene. They will have time to read it over together, then each group will be asked to perform their scene (using their scripts).

The cast list will be sent out before the first rehearsal.

What if this is my first audition?

The first time for anything can be intimidating. Auditions in movies and TV shows are usually shown as high-stakes battles for supremacy. That is not what it is like. It is exciting, but we are all there to work together to tell a great story on the stage.

For Educational Theater shows we have had everything from an inspirational saying or a Bible verse, to nursery rhymes and poems, to monologues between one and two minutes long.

We do want to see everyone get up and say something, so we know where they are starting from and what character would be best for them. But to be considered for larger parts, you will want to do a monologue at least a minute long. You can find monologues by searching the internet, getting books of monologues or scripts from the library or books store, or even finding (or modifying) chunks of novels or kid’s books where one character is speaking. Here are some that I have collected.

I do suggest you stay away from using monologues that you memorized from a movie or TV show. When you watch someone perform something, it often affects how you will choose to perform it and can become more of an impression than your own original performance. We will see more of the acting choices that were made by the actor in the movie instead of the actor who is auditioning.

If you have any other questions or thoughts, please contact me and let me know. I want this to be a great experience for everyone.