Auditions

• WhoAny New Prospect student in 3rd, 4th or 5th grade
• ExperienceNone needed
• The promiseEveryone who auditions and commits gets a part

Key dates

• AuditionsFriday, October 23 & Tuesday, October 27, 3:45 to 6:30pm. Sign up for a time slot.
• Audition packetDownload and print it, then bring it completed
• Cast listEmailed Wednesday, October 28
• First rehearsalThursday, October 29, 2:30 to 5pm
• Fee$200 per cast member, paid online or by check
• Every other dateKey dates on The Show

Start here

A lot of our cast every year have never performed before. Your child will not be asked to dance alone, and will not be asked to read anything they have not seen.

Auditions are Friday, October 23 and Tuesday, October 27, 3:45 to 6:30pm. SIGN UP FOR A TIME SLOT!

Each slot is five minutes. You will sign in with your PTA account to choose one, and you can come back to the same page to change it.

DOWNLOAD THE AUDITION PACKET! Print all five pages and fill them in at home. Your child and a parent both sign the Performer’s Contract, and a parent signs the media release.

What to bring

• Your completed audition packet, with every page filled in and signed
• The $200 participation fee, paid online or by check to New Prospect Elementary PTA. It covers about 75 hours of music, acting and dance instruction, plus a show T-shirt, poster, playbill, performance video and costume pieces. If you pay online, bring your receipt.
• A printed photo of your child, stapled to the Audition Information Sheet. A school picture is perfect.

Where do we go?

Auditions are in a classroom at the end of the K/1 hallway. Park in the front lot, then walk through the fence and in the door at the end of that hallway.

Check in at the table five minutes before your time slot so your child is ready at their time.

What to prepare

1. A one-minute monologue

   A monologue is one person speaking, uninterrupted, for about a minute. It should not be from How To Train Your Dragon, either the play or the film. We want to hear your child, not their impression of someone else.

   Good sources include the school library, a favorite book or a favorite movie. Or start with these monologue suggestions.

   • Memorize it. Reading from paper hides your face.
   • Practice it out loud, not in your head.
   • Know who the character is talking to, and look at that imaginary person.
   • Stay in character the whole way through, including the pauses.

2. One song from the show

   Choose one of these six. Each name links to its sheet music.

   • Hiccup: “What a Viking Can Do, Part 1”
   • Astrid: “Just Another Girl”
   • Toothless: “Finally Free”
   • Gobber: “No Turning Back”
   • Dragons: “Kill on Sight”
   • Red Death: “Way Up High”

   PRACTICE TRACKS AND SHEET MUSIC

   Practice your audition song

   Hear the whole song with a singer to follow, or with music only. Switch at any point and the song keeps its place.

   1 Pick your part

   Hiccup Astrid Toothless Gobber Dragons Red Death

   2 Pick a version

   Guide vocals Music only

   Audition cut: coming soon

   Pick a part to start.

   Practice with the accompaniment, not the guide vocals.

   At the audition your child will be given music only, with no singer to follow. Use the guide vocals for a day or two to learn the tune, then switch to the accompaniment and stay there.

   When your child sings, they should perform it, with faces, gestures and movement. We are listening to how their voice fits the show.

3. A song of your own choosing

   Optional: one verse and a chorus of anything your child likes. It is a chance to sing something we will not have heard forty times that afternoon. Skipping it counts against nobody.

   Bring your own accompaniment: an instrumental or karaoke version on a phone or tablet your child can start on their own.

What happens on the day

Your child comes in at their time slot, says hello, performs the monologue and sings. It takes a few minutes. Our Director has cast many of these shows and is very good with nervous children.

• Introduce yourself loud and clear.
• If you slip, keep going. No apologies.
• Take your time, and remember to breathe.
• Don't comment on your own performance or anyone else's.
• Have fun!

Everyone who auditions and commits to the rehearsal schedule gets a part. Not every part has lines or a solo. The script grows to fit the cast: the dragon groups take as many performers as we have. The audition decides which part your child plays, not whether they are in the show.

When are rehearsals?

Rehearsals start right after school, mostly on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Most end at 4:30pm, and the longer days are in gold. Please check every date before your child auditions.

The commitment

Rehearsals run from late October through the show in January. The full calendar is on this page, so your family can check it before committing. Please do check it. Every January rehearsal is required, and dropping out in December is hard on the child and hard on the show.

Where rehearsals happen

Rehearsals are at New Prospect, right after school. Tech week and both shows are at FCS Innovation Academy.

What we ask of parents

The play runs on parent volunteers. When you sign the Performer’s Contract, you agree to pick your child up on time, help at one rehearsal, join one play committee, and send in snacks, concessions or props if we ask. Tell us where you would like to help.

Show-week availability

Every cast member needs to be available for both performances. The Show has the current dates and venue.

Questions?

Email our Lead Play Parents, Jamie Jones, Brittney Cox and Lisa Gates, at NPEPlayLead@gmail.com.

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