You won’t have to trade any magic beans to be a part of the upcoming production with Cochrane Vision Theatre.
The theatre group is holding auditions for its upcoming production of Jack and the Beanstalk.
The first audition was held July 16 and the second and final audition will be held July 30 at the RancheHouse theatre, running from 7 – 8:30 p.m. for people under 16 and from 8:30 – 10 p.m. for anyone over 16.
Lucy Mills is the vice president of Cochrane Vision Theatre and will be directing Jack and the Beanstalk. She has been with Vision Theatre for six years and hails from England.
“I think there are so many talented people and people who are interested in learning to do it,” said Mills of people in Cochrane being interested in being part of a production.
“Cochrane is actually quite a large town now. Certainly in England, I know every little village had their own little theatre groups. There is always a frustrated star somewhere,” she said.
This year, the theatre will be performing a pantomime, which Mills described as an English theatre tradition dating back to the 15th century, where amateur groups perform plays that have singing, dancing, comedy and the lead male is typically played by a female and vice versa.
She said they typically deal with good versus evil, heroes and villains, princesses and evil queens. In this case, it is a cruel giant and the hero Jack.
Mills said they are using a script from one of the top English pantomime scriptwriters, Ben Crocker, who she typically uses for her productions.
Auditions are for anyone – young and old, experienced and completely new to theatre. Mills said they have had children as young as three and adults in their mid-70s in previous productions.
“We do have some people who have done professional acting, and they just tend to help the ones who didn’t. The whole premise is that we want it to be a community thing,” she explained.
Mills said that they are always looking for people who may not necessarily be interested in being onstage, but rather behind the scenes. From painting the sets to sewing a button on a costume – they are always looking for help.
“This year, we are particularly looking for anyone who would like to do the sound technician and the lights,” she said.
Mills said that the younger children who try out always get a part in the chorus, and that the auditions for them are done in groups to avoid intimidation.
“It’s very good for the children,” Mills said. “The confidence it gives children in singing and acting is tremendous, and it does it for teenagers and older people as well. It can be the starting blocks for some of the younger people.”
Mills explained that they like to have the parts cast by the end of July, because they usually take part in the Cochrane Labour Day Parade.
Most of the lead roles go to adults because rehearsals are twice a week and Mills said that is sometimes harder for younger children to commit to. Rehearsals will be Wednesdays from 7 – 10 p.m. and Sundays from 4 – 7 p.m. Sundays will mostly be for the children.
The production will run the weekend of Dec. 5 - 7 and the following weekend Dec. 12 – 14.
For more information, visit the Cochrane Vision Theatre’s website at cochranevisiontheatre.com.
