The young ensemble of 2007’s A Christmas Carol. Photo by T. Charles Erickson.

Every year, between 100-200 young people (ages 5-13) come to McCarter to audition for our annual production of A Christmas Carol. It’s only August, and already our phones are buzzing.

The Young Ensemble is made up of 13 young artists from our surrounding community. Every year, the ensemble is made up of a mixture of returning artists (sometimes in new roles) and fresh faces. Because of union guidelines, all children must be thirteen or under, and so we’re always sad to see some of our A Christmas Carol family “graduate” from the company after their thirteenth year.

My first year at McCarter, I was the assistant director for A Christmas Carol, so I got to work with the Young Ensemble a lot. While it is an enormous time commitment for both the young artists and their families (rehearsals, previews, performances, etc.), I know it was a great experience for all, and I know it was one they’ll remember for a long time to come. Working on the show is like being a part of a wonderful, extended family for the holiday season (albeit an extended family that includes nearly 20,000 audience members).

This year, the sign-ups for auditions are being held on Wednesday, September 17th from 3:00pm-6:00pm at McCarter Theatre. At the sign-ups, children will be screened, measured, and given appointments for the actual auditions (which take place on September 24th and 25th, from 2:00pm-6:15pm). If you know of someone who might be interested in auditioning, send them over to McCarter on September 17th!

Posted by Adam Immerwahr, Producing Associate at McCarter Theatre.

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