The College of the Canyons Theatre Department will hold open auditions for students and community members interested in participating in the Spring theatrical productions.

Those productions include: “Delightful Disorientation: An Evening Of David Ives” directed by department chair and producer Paul Wickline; William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” directed by Stephen Whelan; and featured selections from the college’s annual New Works Festival directed by David Stears.

More than 50 roles are available for actors ages 15 to 60.

Preliminary auditions for all productions will be held from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 16 and Wednesday, Feb. 17 with callback auditions on Thursday, February 18th. Auditions will take place in the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center’s Black Box Theatre, located on the Valencia campus.

“We are excited about this semester’s productions and hope to see a large crowd at the auditions,” said theatre department chair and producer, Paul Wickline. “Fabulous roles are available for many ages and types in all three productions.  And you can’t beat the material; Shakespeare, David Ives and new plays by half dozen new playwrights. It doesn’t get any better than this.”

Participants should plan to attend only one audition time, with actors expected to arrive at 6:30 p.m. to complete paperwork and sign up for an audition time slot.

Actors may choose to audition for all productions or only the production they would prefer to participate in.

Callback auditions for those selected will be held from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 18, in the Black Box Theatre or the adjoining classrooms in Pico Canyon Hall.

Those auditioning for “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” are asked to prepare a 60 to 90 second verse monologue or soliloquy from Shakespeare of no more than 14-20 lines. While actors auditioning for “Delightful Disorientation” are asked to audition with a comedic monologue of no more than 90 seconds.

If an actor has prepared a classical piece “Midsummer Night’s Dream” and a comedic piece for “Delightful Disorientation” they will be given three minutes to present their monologues.

Participants auditioning for the “New Works Festival” may audition with any 60 to 90 second monologue and actors are encouraged to prepare the monologue carefully; the time limit will be observed.

Actors are strongly urged to prepare an audition monologue; however, if students do not have a prepared monologue, a piece will be provided for the actor to read at the audition. It is advised that actors should not audition if they don’t have a piece prepared.

Actors given roles in any of the productions are expected to enroll in the Theatre 190: Theatre Production classes in the spring semester.

For more information about the audition process, performance schedule and a breakdown of the roles available, click here.