Panto Junior Ensemble auditions

CALL FOR TALENTED LOCAL YOUNGSTERS TO APPEAR IN JACK AND THE BEANSTALK AT THE GATEHOUSE THIS CHRISTMAS

As The Gatehouse gets ready to bring Jack and the Beanstalk to Stafford this festive season, a call has been put out for talented young dancers aged between 9-16 and in school years 4-11 to perform on stage in the Junior Ensemble alongside Mark Rhodes and Theo the Mouse and Wendy this Christmas.

The open auditions will be hosted on Sunday 15 September at The Gatehouse. The auditions will see the youngsters learn a routine and perform as a group to an audition panel. Any child of the right age regardless of their experience can attend to try out for the show.

Steve Boden, Managing Director of Imagine Theatre, the award-winning pantomime producer said:

'Ahead of each pantomime season we host open auditions across the UK to find talented youngsters to join our professional cast on stage to bring the panto magic alive. As much as the participants dancing ability what we really look for is that ‘something’ that brings an extra bit of sparkle to the performance, so welcome people of any ability to come along and give it a go!

'We remain one of the few UK wide panto producers who hold these open auditions as we firmly believe in offering youngsters from every background and with all levels of experience the chance to be part of pantomime and the opportunity to work in a professional company, maybe for the first time.

'Many of the stars we work with tell us that performing in the Junior Ensemble in their local pantomimes was what sparked their love of theatre and led them in their career choices. We have also worked with some wonderful young people in our pantomimes and have seen many go on to do wonderful things in theatre and it is our aim to continue to nurture this talent every year.'

Please note the auditions are for dance and performance only. The children will not be asked to sing.

Registration will take place from 9.30am – 10am in the Gatehouse Theatre

Audition Day Information

• Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian for the duration of the auditions and designated waiting areas will be appointed.

• The Stafford Gatehouse and Imagine Theatre Ltd cannot be held responsible for any child not accompanied by a responsible adult while at the auditions.
• Children must be at least 9 years old and in year 4 of school on the first day of rehearsals and no older than 16 and in year 11 on the last day of the performances.

Audition Guidelines

• Please wear comfortable clothing and suitable shoes (ideally jazz, soft dance trainer or ballet shoes please. Heavy Dance trainers, outdoor trainers, boots or shoes are not suitable as we cannot see the child's footwork properly in these styles of footwear.)
• Avoid shiny leotards if possible as the identification stickers tend to fall off these.
• Please tie long hair back, ideally in a bun.
• Make sure your child has a soft drink with them (not fizzy) and slow energy release foods such as pasta, chicken, yoghurts, bananas, jacket potato etc. for snacks and lunch.
• Should your child be asthmatic, have allergies or any other condition which may require medication, please ensure they have this with them. Please do let us know when registering the auditionee if you have any concerns.

How the audition day works

The children will be taught a dance routine on the day and do not need to prepare anything in advance.

The audition will be in two parts (NB – this may change dependent on the number of auditionees).

We will endeavour to give all auditionees a suitable break during the day. The plan is to give a one-hour lunch - the time will be determined on the day. If your child has been recalled please ensure that they are back in the venue by their designated recall time. There will be no singing or reading of scripts on the audition day unless you have been specifically told in advance regarding this.

• All children will be auditioned in the morning. Those who are successful will be recalled to the afternoon session. Those children who are unsuccessful will be allowed to go home.
• Children recalled for afternoon session will be kept until the final cast are announced unless you are advised otherwise on the day.

Those children chosen for the panto Junior Ensemble and their parents will be asked to stay after the audition sessions for a chat about licensing and panto guidelines.

What we are looking for

We are looking for three teams of eight members to perform in the show and additional reserve team members. The teams will rotate the performances between them but all teams will need to attend every rehearsal.

Throughout the day the audition panel will be looking for able performers who show capability in terms of dance as well as performance ability, enthusiasm and the ability to follow instructions.

If successful, what happens next?

Once we have decided upon our final Junior Ensemble, those that are remaining will be split into ‘main team’ and ‘reserve team’ members. They will then be given some paperwork stating which team they’re in.

To perform in the pantomime all children must be granted a performance licence. A performance licence is a legal document that all children should be granted through their local council.

• Imagine Theatre will email the application to parents which must be completed and returned by the deadline. Imagine Theatre will then submit the application to the relevant authority.
• Without a performance licence, a child will not be able to perform.

All children will be committed to rehearsals six days a week including weekend days and weekday evenings from Saturday 23rd November. There will also be some daytime rehearsals during w/c 2nd December (which does mean missing school). The show runs from 6th December 2024 – 5th January 2025 inclusive. There are 48 performances in the run, which will be split between the three teams. Your child MUST be available for the duration as no rehearsals or allocated performances can be missed. *

What is a reserve team member?

A reserve team member is effectively a standby for the main team.

• A reserve could be pulled into a main team any time between the audition day and the first technical rehearsal.

• A child may pull out of a main team for numerous reasons beyond anyone’s control or foreseeing in which case a reserve will be contacted.
• Reserves are NOT called to rehearse the show and will not perform unless a main team member withdraws completely from the show.

What impact will the pantomime have on school?

Some rehearsals and performances will be during school time and children must be educationally able to miss some schooling. The Head Teacher will be required to authorise the absences required for performances as part of the licence application. If the Head Teacher will not authorise the absences, your child will be unable to perform.

We look forward to seeing you and your child at 9.30am on Sunday 15th September 2024 and remind them to bring their best smile with them!

*Please note dates may alter up until the start of rehearsals.

All information subject to change.

ALL SET? PLEASE COMPLETE THIS FORM AND BRING IT WITH YOU ON THE DAY: Stafford Junior Ensemble application form