Virginia Rep’s Children’s Theatre of Virginia in Partnership with the
Shops at Willow Lawn Announce
Public Auditions for Madeline’s Christmas
The Search for Madeline (and 12 Little Girls in Two Straight Lines)
Will take place on Saturday, September 15
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Richmond, VA – Virginia Rep’s Children’s Theatre of Virginia in partnership with the Shops at Willow Lawn announce public auditions for the cast of Madeline’s Christmas on Saturday, September 15 at the Shops at Willow Lawn, 1601 Willow Lawn Drive, Richmond, Virginia, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The event will take place at the outdoor pavilion. Virginia Rep will double cast the youth roles for a total of 24 girls between the ages of 8 and 12. Roles will include Madeline and the eleven other little girls who attend Miss Clavel’s boardinghouse. All selected performers will be paid for their participation in the production.
Director Chase Kniffen loves public auditions as a way to identify new young talent in the area. Two years ago, he held a similar event to cast the children’s roles for The Sound of Music. “Hundreds of kids turned out that day along with friends and family, so it was really more than an audition, it was a festive public event.”
More than a few young actors have started out on a Virginia Rep stage. Rising 6th grader, Cooper Timberline, who is currently playing the young Clark Kent in the movie, Man of Steel, played Curt in Theatre IV’s The Sound of Music and Randy Parker in A Christmas Story. Taylor Richardson, who played Susan Waverly in Barksdale’s White Christmas, is debuting on Broadway this fall in the revival of the musical, Annie, as one of the orphans and the understudy for Annie. Chase Kniffen also began his career playing a Munchkin in Theatre IV’s ’93 production of The Wizard of Oz before touring the country and appearing on Broadway in the TONY-nominated revival of Peter Pan starring Cathy Rigby. He now serves as Associate Artistic Director of Virginia Rep.
Based on the beloved story by Ludwig Bemelmans with book and lyrics by Jennifer Kirkeby and music by Shirley Mier, Madeline’s Christmas is a timeless classic. In this festive holiday show Miss Clavel and the entire house catch the flu… but not Madeline. With the help of a magical rug salesman and a dose of holiday cheer, Madeline finds a way to nurse her friends back to health and get them to their families in time for Christmas. This heartwarming musical will open on November 30 and run through December 30 at the Children’s Theatre of Virginia at Willow Lawn.
Audition Details
Direction and Choreography by Chase Kniffen
Saturday, September 15 from 10:00am till 4:00pm.
Auditions will be held at the outdoor pavilion at The Shops at Willow Lawn
Rain location will be at the Children’s Theatre of Virginia at Willow Lawn (formerly Barksdale Theatre).
Casting 24 girls, ages 8-12 to play Madeline and the additional eleven little girls who attend Miss Clavel’s boardinghouse.
Sign up for auditions via e-mail at
casting@va-rep.org.
Those auditioning are asked to prepare one of the following standard children’s musical theatre songs:
Accompaniment tracks and lyrics are available for download at
www.va-rep.org.
Rehearsals will begin on or around October 29, 2012
Performance Dates: November 30 – December 30, 2012
About Virginia Repertory Theatre
Virginia Repertory Theatre, located in Richmond, VA, combines the talents and strengths of two nonprofit companies that shared facilities, resources, and management teams for over a decade. Now the heritages of Barksdale Theatre (founded in 1953) and Theatre IV (founded in 1975) live on in their new form, as Central Virginia’s flagship professional theatre company. Virginia Rep presents national caliber productions of the great dramas, comedies, and musicals as well as classics, contemporary works, and world premieres, always seeking to demonstrate the unique power of theatre to engage, enthrall, educate, and inspire. Productions are staged at four distinct venues: the Sara Belle and Neil November Theatre and Theatre Gym at the downtown Virginia Rep Center, Virginia Rep’s Children’s Theatre of Virginia located at Willow Lawn, and Virginia Rep’s Barksdale Season at Hanover Tavern.
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