Audition FAQ

Fun! We want each actor and their family to know they are joining the ROYAL family when they participate in one of our shows.

Our mission is to create a lifelong love of the performing arts with each actor we work with, and we strive to make each actor feel valued, accepted, and encouraged. Actors will be challenged at rehearsals to learn to think on their feet, speak and sing in front of others, and develop how to handle themselves with poise in a variety of situations.

Being a part of a ROYAL show is a commitment – for both the actor and their family.

• Rehearsals are held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and Sunday afternoons. A full schedule will be shared within the first two weeks of rehearsals. Actors will have rehearsal based on their role and when specific scenes are being rehearsed.
• During tech week (the week before the show), rehearsals are held each night.
• Parents are asked to volunteer at least 8 hours on pre-production jobs (set painting, set building, costumes, props, parent monitoring, etc.), as well as for 3 volunteer time slots during the tech week/show week (ticket sales, ushers, concessions, front of house roles, and green room monitors). We also require one parent from each family to help with set move in and set strike. Parents who cannot make this commitment should not have their actors audition.

• Be you!
• Eye contact
• Energy
• Expressiveness
• Professionalism
• Ability to work with others
• Ability to take direction
• Respect for fellow actors and staff

We ask each actor to sign up for an audition appointment, and fill out and print the resulting audition form. On the day of your audition, please arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled time slot to check in. We may ask you to bring your completed audition form and a current headshot (photo does NOT need to be professional, and will not be returned), or we may have you complete all of the audition paperwork (including the headshot) online. Be sure to follow the audition sign-up instructions for the specific show you are pursuing.

The Auditions page will have specific information for the current show, so be sure to look there for the current show’s requirements. However, typically for our musicals, we ask you to prepare a 45 second monologue and a 45 second song with an accompaniment track.

There will be a CD player and speaker connection for phones and mp3 players. Have the music cued up to where your singing would begin. Choose a song that showcases your voice. No pop songs, and no songs from the show. For some shows, we will have a pre-set list of songs from which you will choose. Because audition requirements vary, be sure to follow the instructions provided for the show you are pursuing.

Those in the room for your audition may include our Director, Musical Director, and Choreographer. The Production Manager and a ROYAL Board Member are also in the room to ensure the process is fair and consistent for each actor, but they do not participate in the casting of the production. The Directing Team will observe how well they can hear, see, and understand each actor, along with how you cooperate with and listen to the other actors. Do your best! The Team wants every actor to do well.

No, ROYAL does not require previous experience nor do we require that you take our acting classes in order to be in a ROYAL production.

We welcome students of all experience levels to audition. Students who have more experience or better stage presence are more likely to be cast, but we typically have 15-20 new actors in each production. Acting, singing, and dancing takes practice. You will learn many new skills during a production, but we also offer acting, singing, and dancing classes and summer camps as a way to gain experience.

Some shows may not require callbacks, so be sure to read the audition instructions for the show you are interested in to learn if they will be required. For the shows that do include callbacks, the Directing Team will select some actors to come back to read, dance, or sing for a variety of roles after the first two days of auditions. If your actor is called back, he/she must be available both days. Your actor may be finished before the ending time, but it is not guaranteed. Have the actor bring a quiet activity to keep busy since he/she will likely have periods of downtime.

Some actors may dance, read, or sing multiple times for several different characters and others may only dance, read, or sing once. This is the Director's prerogative and it is the nature of callbacks.

If you have any additional conflicts that you did not list on the Audition Form, be sure to bring them to Callbacks and provide them at check-in. It is important that we know all potential conflicts for creating the most efficient rehearsal schedule.

PLEASE NOTE: An invitation to callbacks does not guarantee a part in the show.

Typically, the cast list will be posted on the Monday after auditions and callbacks end. Actors are asked to Accept or Decline their role no later than 5PM Friday of that same week. The dates for the cast list announcement and acceptance/decline deadline will be provided with the audition information for each show.

If your name isn't on the list, we hope you'll come back to audition for a future show.

We audition between 150-200 performers for each show, and typically, we are only able to cast 40-65 actors. We would love to have a role for every performer who auditions, but it just isn't possible. Talent is a factor, but we also look at the needs of the show and a variety of characteristics when considering who is the right actor for each role including singing, dancing, acting, height, and rehearsal availability.

We welcome students of all experience levels to audition. Students who have more experience or better stage presence are more likely to be cast, but we typically have 15-20 new actors in each production. We do all we can to make the audition process fun, encouraging, and fair to all involved. We do encourage actors who are not cast to consider volunteering for our backstage crew as well as auditioning for future shows.

Rehearsals are held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and Sunday afternoons.

Those cast in a production will pay a $300 participation fee which covers the cost of: a souvenir show t-shirt, garment bag for your costume/s, meal between Saturday shows, a one line personal ad in the playbill, and the main parts of your costume. Actors may be asked to supply specific accessories or generic pieces (ex. socks, tights, shoes, etc.)

In addition, parents are asked to volunteer at least 8 hours on pre-production jobs (set painting, set building, costumes, props, parent monitoring, etc.), as well as for 3 volunteer time slots during the tech week/show week (ticket sales, ushers, concessions, front of house roles, and green room monitors). Parents who cannot make this commitment should not have their actors audition.

A mandatory parent meeting will be held within the first week of rehearsals, and then about one month before the show.

All currently known conflicts between auditions and the show dates should be listed on the audition application. No absences are permitted during tech week or performances unless an emergency or illness occurs. Any additional excused absences not listed on the audition form after the first 2 weeks of rehearsal must be for school functions required for a grade. These must be shared with the production manager as soon as they are known. Having a large number of conflicts may restrict someone from being cast in the show, or cause a change in roles. Our shows are an ensemble effort, so when one person is missing from rehearsal, the absence is felt by all.

Definitely! Those ages 13 and up are welcome to volunteer as part of our stage crew for our musicals. Email our Production Manager for more information.