The Shedd announces open auditions for three 2024 musical theater productions

The Shedd Institute will hold open auditions for three musical theater productions on March 2 and 3, as follows:

Saturday, March 2 — 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (all ages)
Sunday, March 3 — 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. (adult mandatory dance call)

Complete audition information and online registration are available at theshedd.org/auditions

Roles available for the following productions at The Shedd

GIRL CRAZY (July 12 to 21, 2024 — rehearsals begin June 5). Direction by Heidi Turnquist; Music Direction by Robert Ashens. (Most roles available)

HELLO, DOLLY! (Sept. 27 to Oct. 6, 2024 — rehearsals begin Aug. 14). Direction by Kirk Boyd; Music Direction by Robert Ashens; Choreography by Richard Jessup. (Most roles available)

OLIVER! (Nov . 29 to Dec. 15, 2024 — rehearsals begin Oct. 23) Direction tba; Music Direction by Robert Ashens. Choreography tba. (Most roles available)

Details:

• There are lead, supporting, and ensemble roles with stipends for men and women in all three productions. There are supporting roles for children (aged 6 and up) in OLIVER! and HELLO, DOLLY. Experience in acting, singing and dancing classic musical comedy and musical theatre is essential.
• REHEARSALS: Rehearsals for all Shedd Institute productions run six days per week: Mon-Fri 6-10:30 p.m. and Sun 5:30-10:30 p.m. Saturdays and major holidays are excluded. Actors are not scheduled every day, but must be available as needed throughout the production. Schedules are posted weekly, one week in advance. A limited number of pre-planned absences are permitted subject to the approval of the production manager.
• Auditions are by APPOINTMENT ONLY through The Shedd website. See theshedd.org/auditions for complete details on auditions, to sign up, and the online Shedd Audition Registration Form.
• If you choose not to or cannot audition on the above date but still have interest in being a part of our productions, you still need to fill out the online audition registration indicating your interest.

Audition procedure

In-Person auditions are preferred and advised. Please follow the steps below to schedule your audition time:

• Prepare (a) a short memorized monologue that demonstrates your acting ability and (b) a song selection from the classic period of musical comedy and musical theater(1920-1960) that demonstrates your skills as a singer. We strongly recommend that you DO NOT prepare a song from a more recent period, and that you choose an arrangement that is in a classical musical comedy/musical theater style. You must sing using the Shedd’s audition accompanist, so bring music.
• Your monologue and song selection must be no longer than one minute each. Do not prepare your monologue or choose a song from the shows in The Shedd’s immediate production schedule. If you are asked to attend a dance audition — to be held on the same day as your acting/singing audition — make sure to bring appropriate dance shoes and attire.
• For questions not answered online, contact auditions@theshedd.net.

Additional casting protocols 

The Shedd Institute assesses actors for its musical theater productions on an ongoing basis, and often casts by invitation bases on past auditions or work with an actor. It offers open in-person auditions and, at times, separate auditions for youth under 16, approximately every six months.

Each audition focuses on several upcoming productions and often the majority of roles in a show are filled up to six months before we go into production. Our open auditions afford the best way for actors unknown to The Shedd creative team or actors who wish to keep in front of that team to do so.

Actors who cannot participate in the most immediate Shedd production are strongly advised to audition in order to be in the best position for favorable consideration for roles in subsequent productions. If you choose not to or cannot audition but still have interest in being a part of our productions, you still need to fill out this online audition registration indicating your interest.

Suggestions for successful auditions

The three musicals in the Shedd’s 2024 season are from two distinct periods in the history of musical theatre: GIRL CRAZY (1930) lies smack in the middle of the Golden Age of Musical Comedy (1924-42). HELLO, DOLLY! (1964) and OLIVER! (1960) are right in the middle of the Golden Age of Musical Theater (1943-65). Each show suggests its own approach to acting, singing and dancing consistent with the era of its creation and the especial vision and artistic leanings of its creators. Keep this in mind as you prepare for your audition. We recommend that you DO NOT prepare songs or monologues from the post mid-1960s period, and that you choose arrangements that are in a classical musical comedy/musical theater style.