NEWSIES JR AUDITION INFORMATION

All those cast in NEWSIES JR are required to become a KVTA member ($30) 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. Memberships previously paid from July 1, 2026, to today's date also fulfill this requirement. Failure to complete this requirement will result in the cast member being removed from the production.

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Director: Courtney Stephens

Assistant Director: Gina O'Connor

Vocal Director: Darnell Crater

Choreographer: Case Koerner

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AUDITION AND CALLBACK DATES/LOCATION:

AUDITIONS: Friday, Dec 18, time slots beginning at 5:30 pm; Saturday, Dec 19, time slots beginning at 10:00 am

CALLBACKS: Sunday, December 20, starting at 1:00 pm

KVTA Studios 1 Stuart Dr. Kankakee, IL 60901

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​​PERFORMANCE DATES / LOCATION:

Lincoln Cultural Center 240 Warren Ave Kankakee IL 60901

There will be seven (7) mandatory performances of this production.

School Performances*: Thursday, March 18 & Friday, March 19 

(There will be two school performances* each day at 9:30 am and 12:30 pm.)

Public Performances: Saturday, March 20 at 2 pm; Saturday, March 20 at 7 pm; Sunday, March 21 at 2 pm

*Every young person cast in this production will be required to miss two days of school for the school performances. Every cast member will be required to have a permission slip signed by his/her teachers and principal during the first week of rehearsal. Failure to return this slip by the deadline given may result in the cast member being removed from the cast. 

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CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT SCHOOL SHOW RESERVATIONS!

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Questions may be emailed to the Director, Courtney Stephens, at: newsies@kvta.org​​

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All auditioners must be at least 6 years of age and no older than 17 years of age by March 18, 2027. Proof of age may be requested. Actors of any ethnicity / race are encouraged to audition for any part. 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, socks, and stage makeup. 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, unless prior permission has been given by the KVTA Board of Directors. ​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.

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If you have already signed a policy acknowledgement form during our 2026-2027 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​​​​​​​

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AUDITION INFORMATION:

Please sign up for an audition time HERE.

-  Time slots are currently limited to 15 auditioners per time slot. 

-  Additional time slots may be added and/or the number of auditioners per time slot may be increased, if needed.

-  If you cannot attend any of these audition time slots, please email the Director at newsies@kvta.org and we will come up with a suitable option for everyone involved.
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Audition Form can be downloaded here: MICROSOFT WORD   PDF

Conflict Calendar can be downloaded here: MICROSOFT WORD   PDF

CHARACTER BREAKDOWNS:
Follow this link to read the character descriptions to help you prepare for your audition.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN ATTACHMENT
 
CHARACTER READINGS:
At auditions, each auditioner will read ONE of the character reading selections provided in the links below. Each auditioner may read any ONE reading. Please bring your character to your reading! Other auditioners may be called at random to read for additional characters in each selection. Please feel free to ask if you have any questions.

AUDITIONERS SHOULD FAMILIARIZE THEMSELVES WITH ALL OF THE LINES IN A SCENE, BUT WE CAN ONLY GUARANTEE THEY WILL READ FOR ONE CHARACTER. THEY SHOULD PICK A CHARACTER TO READ THAT THEY FEEL BEST SHOWCASES THEIR PERSONALITY.

ACCESS CHARACTER READINGS HERE

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ADDITIONAL CHARACTER NOTE:
Please bring your best New York accent for your audition. We want each auditioner to at least attempt an accent. Thank you!

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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.

ACCESS SONG SELECTIONS HERE​

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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 - Coming Soon!

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TO THE AUDITIONERS:

"Now is the time to Seize the Day!" We are excited to return to New York City at KVTA! The time has come to sign up for your Newsies JR 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! Please come prepared to auditions by having your audition form and conflict calendar 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.

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ANTICIPATED REHEARSAL TIMES:​​

For the first few weeks of rehearsals, you can expect to have up to three rehearsals per week. While we may have a rehearsal or two in December, we expect to start rehearsing in January. During January and February, individual cast members can expect to have rehearsal no more than three or four times per week. During March, individual cast members can expect to have rehearsal up to five times per week. While we are learning vocals, choreography/movement, and blocking, not all actors will be needed at all rehearsals. Once we begin running the acts, rehearsals will be for the full cast. Tech Week Rehearsals scheduled for March 12, (13 & 14 - if needed and times will vary,) 15, 16, and 17 will start at 5 pm, and may end as late as 9:30 or 10 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.

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Please list all conflicts that you have during the following times: Monday-Friday, from 6:00-9:00 pm, Saturday from 9:00 am-8:00 pm, and Sunday from 1:00-7:00 pm. We will not rehearse during all of those time slots every week; those are simply the possible time slots. Conflicts will not preclude you from being cast; they are needed for us to develop a rehearsal schedule, which will be based on cast and staff availability. If at all possible, we would appreciate minimal conflicts in March. Attendance during Tech Week (March 12-17) is mandatory. 

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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. 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 newsies@kvta.org.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:​​

We will consider all genders for the newsboy roles. The newsboys will be required to provide their own boots for the production.

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Can a young person audition for both The Alibis and Newsies JR at KVTA? Yes, you can audition for both. Rehearsals for The Alibis must be a priority to anyone cast in both productions. The staff of Newsies JR will work closely with the staff for The Alibis to ensure both productions are successful.​

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We have taken the time to assemble a very tentative rehearsal schedule. An updated schedule will be provided after casting is completed, but this will at the very least provide you an idea of our rehearsal time frame and schedule. When completing your conflict calendar, please include ALL conflicts, even if it is on a date when we do not have a tentative rehearsal scheduled. This includes all weekends.

Click here for the TENTATIVE REHEARSAL SCHEDULE (Available after November 22)​

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CALLBACK INFORMATION:
Callbacks will be held on Sunday, December 20, 2026, beginning at 1:00 PM. Receiving a callback does not guarantee anyone a role in this production. Alternatively, not receiving a callback does not mean you have not been cast in this production. We encourage all auditioners to check the cast list on Sunday evening.

• For anyone new to the audition process, callbacks are only for select auditioners that the show staff members (i.e. Director or Assistant Director, Vocal Director, Choreographer) would like to see again.  If you are not called back, this does not mean that you will not be cast in the show.

• We MAY use your audition number when we post the callbacks. Please take note of what number you are given at auditions. 

• 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.

• Callback materials will be made available after all auditions have been completed.

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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 19, after all auditions have been completed, so it could be late in the afternoon. 

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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 20, after all callbacks have been completed, so it could be very late in the day. Thank you in advance for your patience as we will have many difficult decisions to make! 

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For those cast in the show, our PARENT/GUARDIAN MEETING AND CAST READ THRU will be held around January 1st, based on conflicts, at the KVTA Studios. This is a mandatory meeting. Parents/guardians are required to complete 10 hours of volunteer time for each cast member in this production.

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Further questions may be emailed to the Director, Courtney Stephens, at: newsies@kvta.org  Please include Newsies in the subject line.

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Break a leg!

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Sincerely,

The Staff of Newsies JR​