Information for Kids Interested in Auditioning for Oliver 

​(And their Parents)

This is a great opportunity for kids to perform, gain stage experience, self confidence, and socialize with other kids and creative people from many parts of our community.  We teach theatre techniques and discipline in a fun setting where we all gather together to play and put on a great show.

Auditions:  Auditions are an important part of doing a show because they help us place people in the best possible parts for the best show we can create.  What auditions don’t have to be is a scary experience.  The team at UP is very friendly and welcoming.  

• Auditions will be August 18 & 21 at the Littleton Opera House.  
• We strongly recommend that people sign up to audition, but we will take walk-ins as time allows.  
• While they are welcome to bring their own song, we have posted music on our website that young kids can choose to sing at the audition.  The song is very short and simple.  We just want to hear them sing out loud!  We’ve provided sheet music and tracks kids can listen to in order to get ready.  Kids do not have to read sheet music to take part in Oliver.
• Some kids may be asked to stay or come back to read from the script or sing further.  We’ll want to hear how they sound as different characters to consider placing them.  Not all people will need to be called back, and not getting a callback does not mean you have not been cast!  
• Kids with continual conflicts during the rehearsal blocks may not be cast.  

Rehearsals: In general, UP rehearses Wednesday and Thursday nights from 6 - 10 pm and Sundays from 12 - 6 pm.  These are brackets; every week a new schedule comes out saying exactly what times people are called during that bracket based on the scenes we need to work on.  

• For our kids, rehearsals will end by 8pm on the weeknights until the show week, and will be as short as possible on the weekends.  
  • Children being offered significant leading roles will likely be asked to stay slightly later for rehearsals.
• While we usually work very long nights all of tech week (the last week before the show), we are planning on only having the children stay late one or two nights that week.  We’ll need one clean run of everything in order to make sure we’re ok for an audience.  
• While we’ll be asking for parent volunteers to help shepherd children at some rehearsals and performances, our rehearsal process is generally closed.  This means that the only people inside the rehearsal room are the production team and actors.  
• Kids will work with our Music Director to learn songs that will need to be memorized and with our director to learn movement and some choreography. We work hard to have our rehearsal setting be a fun and engaging experience for kids.  
• Some kids in Oliver! will be in just a few numbers and some will have a few additional numbers as part of Fagin’s gang.  Most kids, however, will be in a portion of the show and then have some time in the green room area to play games and socialize with the other kids between their scenes.  

Performance: Oliver! performances will be Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 pm November 4,5,11, & 12.  There will be two matinee performances Nov 6 & 13 at 2 pm.  
There will be one day that everyone is asked to take off from work or school because we’ll be offering a weekday matinee for local schools.  This will likely be Friday November 4th or 11th.  
All tech week rehearsals and performances are mandatory with no exceptions.  

Learning & Growth:  We’re here to answer your questions and hopefully get you as excited about theatre as we are.  Our goal is to create great theatre, but also to grow together as actors, performers, good team members, and people as we do it. 

Please reach out any time if you have questions.  

Andrew Lidestri, Managing Artistic Director - [email protected]
Mary Jo Greene, Administrative Assistant - [email protected]