Bendigo Theatre Company’s youth theatre program Tribe are preparing to host auditions for their debut production.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The newly established youth theatre group will present the musical Barnum later in the year with auditions to be held from June 2 to 4.
Barnum follows the story of real-life showman PT Barnum who founded Barnum and Bailey Circus and known for promoting celebrated hoaxes.
Director Vanessa Bate said the show features a lot of different skills.
“With a show like Barnum, there is singing and dancing but the circus skills are important too,” she said.
“So things like juggling, unicycle riding and baton twirling will give performers who can do that a chance to show off their skills.”
Since forming earlier in the year, Tribe has had a lot of interest from students.
“There is a huge amount of young people in Bendigo who are excited for opportunity to perform and we need more opportunities for them,” she said.
“Performers should book for a singing audition and a dance/circus skills audition. They need both because, the company and ensemble is incredibly significant.”
The role of Barnum is a challenging one with Bate hoping she can find someone who is full of energy and charisma.
“It's a demanding role for a young male. It’s a big sing and he never really leaves the stage,” she said.
“Barnum needs great presence and charisma. We want him to walk out on stage and have everybody wanting to look at him.”
Bate has previously worked in youth theatre over 11 years in Melbourne.
“Theatre is amazing for young people and it’s good to get them away from their screens and iPhones and get them communicating, collaborating and learning new skills.
“When I arrived in Bendigo two years ago, I was aware of Nexus and thought ‘fantastic a youth company who do really good productions’ but we need more opportunities.”
As well as mentoring and teaching teenagers on stage, Tribe will be able to guide interested youth through the technical and visual aspects of the theatre.
“There are a lot of young people who don't want to be on stage but are interested in (backstage aspects),” Bate said.
“We want to give young performers some grounding and mentoring and be able to feed them into other theatre companies.”
Visit https://bendigotheatrecompany.org or find BTC Tribe Youth Theatre on Facebook for audition details.
Performers will need to be aged under 19 on the day of auditions.