top of page
ShowGraphic (2).png

Countdown To Opening Night!

MATILDA ~ ​The story of an extraordinary girl who dares to take a stand and change her own destiny. Inspired by the twisted genius of Roald Dahl, the Tony Award-winning Roald Dahl's Matilda The Musical is the captivating masterpiece from the Royal Shakespeare Company that revels in the anarchy of childhood, the power of imagination and the inspiring story of a girl who dreams of a better life. With book by Dennis Kelly and original songs by Tim Minchin, Matilda has won 47 international awards and continues to thrill sold-out audiences of all ages around the world.

Matilda is a little girl with astonishing wit, intelligence and psychokinetic powers. She's unloved by her cruel parents but impresses her schoolteacher Miss Honey. During her first term at school, the two forge a bond as Miss Honey begins to recognize and appreciate Matilda's extraordinary personality. Matilda's school life isn't completely smooth sailing, however – the school's mean headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, hates children and just loves to punish those who don't abide by her rules. But Matilda has courage and cleverness in equal amounts, and could be the school pupils' saving grace!

Packed with high-energy dance numbers, catchy songs and an unforgettable star turn for a young actress, Matilda is a joyous, girl power romp. Children and adults alike will be thrilled and delighted by the story of the special little girl with an extraordinary imagination.

Lap sitting is not permitted as every person must have their own ticket. No children under 3 will be permitted. No refunds or exchanges. All sales are final.

SHOWTIMES @ LCC

Friday, April 11 ~ 7:00 PM

Saturday, April 12 ~ 2:00 PM

Sunday, April 13 ~ 2:00 PM

MATILDA AUDITION INFORMATION

All those cast in MATILDA are required to become a KVTA member at some level (minimum $28) by the initial cast meeting/read-thru. One parent/guardian being a member of KVTA does cover the membership requirement for all family members 17 and under. Subscriptions paid during the 2024-2025 season will also fulfill this requirement. Failure to complete this requirement will result in the cast member being removed from the production.

Director: Courtney Stephens

Assistant Director: Gina O'Connor

Vocal Director: Bruce Heyen

Choreographer: Case Koerner

AUDITION AND CALLBACK DATES / LOCATION:

AUDITIONS: Saturday, December 7 starting at 9 am (time slots assigned based on age groups)

CALLBACKS: Sunday, December 8 starting at 12 pm

LOCATION: KVTA Studios  1 Stuart Dr  Kankakee IL 60901

PERFORMANCE DATES / LOCATION:

April 11, 12 and 13, 2025

Lincoln Cultural Center  240 Warren Ave  Kankakee, IL 60901

All auditioners must be 8 and older by auditions on December 7, 2024. Proof of age may be requested. All auditioners must complete an audition form, a conflict calendar, and sign KVTA's policy acknowledgement form. Cast members are required to provide the following personal items: shoes and socks. In addition, cast members may be asked to supply other items such as: leotards, tights, etc. Optional expenses include: a digital download from the production, a picture CD, apparel items, production party attendance, cast/staff chill times, etc. PLEASE NOTE: Child care is not available during rehearsals and performances. Cast and staff members are not permitted to bring their children, or any additional family members, to rehearsals. ​All rehearsals are closed to the public unless otherwise stated. All KVTA facilities are smoke-free, alcohol-free, and drug-free. Anyone found to be in violation of these policies may be removed from the production.​​

Audition Form can be downloaded here: MICROSOFT WORD   PDF

Conflict Calendar can be downloaded here: PDF

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR YOUR AUDITION TIME SLOT

  • Time slots are currently limited to 20 auditioners per time slot.

  • Additional time slots may be added, as needed.

  • The number of auditioners per time slot may be increased, as needed.

  • Children ages 8 to 14 should choose one of the time slots listed for their ages. If your child is 8 to 14 and cannot attend any of the audition times, please email the Director and we will come up with a suitable option for everyone involved.

  • All other time slots are open to anyone 15 and older. If you are 15 or older, and you cannot attend any of the audition times, please email the Director and we will come up with a suitable option for everyone involved. 

  • ALL AUDITIONERS MUST HAVE A COMPLETED AUDITION FORM AND CONFLICT CALENDAR. PLEASE PRINT OUT THE FORMS AND BRING THEM FILLED OUT TO AUDITIONS.

If you have already signed a policy acknowledgement form during our 2024-2025 Season, you do not need to sign this form again.

KVTA Policies: PDF

KVTA Policy Acknowledgement Form to be signed: PDF

All participants, on-stage or off-stage, will be required to sign KVTA's Social Media, Sexual Harassment, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policies. If said participant is under the age of 18, a parent or guardian will sign for the participant. Any parent or guardian signing for their auditioner agrees to instruct and provide information to their auditioner regarding KVTA's policies. An Emergency Card and Waiver of Liability must also be completed and signed in order to participate. These forms will be distributed when you first volunteer with KVTA. If you have any questions please email: kvta@kvta.org

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

The time has come to sign up for your Matilda audition! On behalf of the entire staff, we are very excited for our auditions in December! We want to thank all of you in advance for your interest in auditioning for our production. We know it is going to be a very difficult casting process because you are all going to be amazing! This is the full adult production, not the Junior version, so we encourage young people, teens, and adults to audition. Please come prepared to auditions by having your audition form and conflict calendar sheets already completed, by reading and understanding the information provided below, by preparing your character, and by practicing your song selection and dance audition ahead of time. Yes, please bring your CHARACTER to your audition! There will be many auditioners, so give us everything you have during your time with us.

For the first few months of rehearsals, you can expect to have up to three rehearsals per week, with rehearsals typically beginning at 6 pm. While we may have a rehearsal or two in December, we expect to start rehearsing in January. Tech Week Rehearsals scheduled for April 4, 7, 8, 9, and 10 will start at 5 pm, and may end as late as 10 or 10: 30 pm. We will do everything in our power to end as early as possible each evening. However, with all of the added technical elements, certain scenes may require extra time and attention. We thank you in advance for your patience. During March and April, the rehearsal schedule will increase to four or five nights per week. The amount of time you will be at rehearsals will vary depending on your role. We may add a few weekend rehearsals, if needed. We want you to be aware of this information before you decide to audition. Rehearsal dates are subject to change. We want to have all of the cast at ALL of our final tech rehearsals, so please be open and honest when completing your conflict calendar. These mandatory tech week rehearsal dates are April 4, 7, 8, 9, and 10. Please be sure to list all of your conflicts from the audition date through the final performance date. If you have any questions about the information provided here, please email the Director, Courtney Stephens, at kvtamatilda@gmail.com.

 

We are looking to cast 25-35 people of all ages. There will be a youth ensemble and a teen/adult ensemble. Both ensembles will sing and dance. We would like to have pit singers, as well. Pit singers will sing offstage throughout the production.  Pit singers do not need to complete the audition dance.

 

While you may think there are not roles for older teens in this production, we beg to differ. We would love to have performers of all ages.

Can a young person, age 17 and under, audition for both Shrek JR and Matilda at KVTA? Yes, you can audition for Matilda first as these auditions will be before the Shrek JR auditions. However, if you are cast in Matilda, you cannot audition for Shrek JR. With only a few weeks in between these two productions, you'll have to choose one or the other as you cannot be in both. If you audition for Matilda and you are not cast, then you should absolutely 100% audition for Shrek JR!

This script very closely resembles Matilda the Musical that is now streaming on Netflix. You can also find inspiration for your character from the original Roald Dahl book, Matilda.

CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS:
Follow this link to read the character descriptions to help you prepare for your audition.

CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS ATTACHMENT

SONG SELECTIONS:
At auditions, each auditioner will sing ONE of the song selections listed below. All auditioners may choose to sing ANY selection, even if they are not interested in that character. If you marked on your audition form that you are only interested in a certain character, we recommend you sing the song listed for that character if it is listed below. (ex. If you would only accept Miss Honey, we recommend that you sing My House.)

MIRACLE (All) - MEASURES 1-42

WHEN I GROW UP (All) - MEASURES 15-43

SMELL OF REBELLION (Trunchbull) - MEASURES 83-90 AND 113-130

MY HOUSE (Miss Honey) - MEASURES 59-92

DANCE:
Each auditioner will perform the audition dance. The audition dance has been recorded for the auditioners to learn on their own before the auditions. We will not teach the dance at the auditions. All auditioners are expected to learn their audition dance before the audition and perform their dance without instruction at auditions.

AUDITION DANCE VIDEO LINKS ADDED BELOW!

INTRODUCTION VIDEO

LEVEL 1 SLOWER VERSION (FOR PRACTICE)

LEVEL 1 FULL SPEED VERSION (THIS IS THE AUDITION TEMPO)

LEVEL 2 SLOWER VERSION (FOR PRACTICE)

LEVEL 2 FULL SPEED VERSION (THIS IS THE AUDITION TEMPO)

 

DANCE REHEARSAL DATES FOR 2024: DECEMBER 9, 11, 16, 17, 20, 23
 

Great news! We want everyone to feel confident with their audition dance for Matilda, so we have added a dance workshop at the KVTA Studios (1 Stuart Dr Kankakee) on Sunday, December 1 at 1 pm. We encourage everyone ages 8 and up to audition for this production! While we will have some featured dancers, we need dancers of all skill levels, ages, and genders. Please ask if you have any questions or concerns. You do not have to be an expert dancer by any means for this production. Here is a short video of the Broadway cast which shows you this production is meant for older teens and adults, too. From 1:25 seconds through the end of this video you see snippets of the teen/adult ensemble. They’re incorporated throughout the show. Come join us December 1 to help prepare you for your audition.

Broadway Cast Video: https://youtu.be/qZdRBpg44Rg?feature=shared 

CALLBACKS:
Sunday, December 8 beginning at 12 pm 
• For anyone new to the audition process, callbacks are only for select auditioners that the show staff members (i.e. Director, Assistant Director, Vocal Director, and Choreographer) would like to see again. We will post a callback list on Saturday, December 7, after all auditions have been completed. The time of the posting for the callback list will be dependent upon how late we audition on Saturday. Your patience is greatly appreciated!
• If for any reason you cannot make this callback date, PLEASE email the Director before your audition, or tell the board member working the check-in table at auditions.
• If you are called back, it is highly encouraged that you make every effort to attend the callbacks. 
• 
Additional readings may be provided at callbacks.
• Additional songs may be taught at callbacks.

• An additional dance may be taught at callbacks.

• More information regarding callbacks will be provided after all auditions have been completed.

CALLBACK LIST:
The callback list will be posted on the KVTA website at http://www.kvta.org and on the KVTA Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/kankakeetheatre on Saturday, December 7, after all auditions have been completed, so
it could be late.

 

CAST LIST: 
The cast list will be posted on the KVTA website at
http://www.kvta.org and on the KVTA Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/kankakeetheatre on Sunday, December 8, after all callbacks have been completed, so it could be very late in the evening. Thank you in advance for your patience as we will have many difficult decisions to make! 

 

For those cast in the show, our CAST READ THRU and PARENT/GUARDIAN MEETING will be held at a future date in December. This is a mandatory meeting.

Further questions regarding auditions, callbacks, or casting may be emailed to the Director, Courtney Stephens, at: kvtamatilda@gmail.com  Please include Matilda Auditions in the subject line.

Break a leg!

Sincerely,

The Staff of Matilda

bottom of page