Join our Youth Theatre production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever this holiday season!
Audition Date: September 16, 2023, 9:30am-12:30pm
Location: Firehall Theatre, 213 Second St., Cobourg
Show Dates: December 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, including matinees
Rehearsals: Tuesdays 4:30 – 6:45, Saturdays 9:30 – 12:30; September 19 – December 5
Roles
Roles for ages 7 – 18.
Roles range from speaking roles to non-speaking roles for young children. Non-speaking roles will be in the pageant as a chorus; they may be asked to sing. Chorus roles will not have to attend all rehearsals.
Choose an audition time based on age:
9:30-10:30 – Ages 7, 8; Chorus
10:30-11:30 – Ages 9 – 11, younger children with speaking roles
11:30-12:30 – Ages 12 – 18, older children and adult speaking roles
Please arrive 15 minutes before your call to sign in.
To book an audition, please send your/your child’s information to Alina Adjemian.
Questions can be directed to Jack Boyagian, 905-396-4481.
Audition Requirements
Ages 7 & 8, Chorus
- Tell a joke that tells a story with a punch line. At least 15 seconds long.
OR
Tell us a description a fun experience you have had. - You will be asked to sing
“We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year
Good tidings we bring to you and your kin
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year”
- Memorize the following lines and act out the lines in two ways: “My mother doesn’t have any white sheets. Can I wear a sheet with balloons on them?”
- First: angry/upset.
- Second: cute and funny.
Ages 9 – 11, Speaking Roles
- You will be asked to sing
“We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year
Good tidings we bring to you and your kin
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year” - Girls – Memorize and act the following lines for the character, Alice. Imogene is mean, so let us hear that change in attitude in the quoted part.
“I didn’t dare raise my hand. Imogene would have killed me! She said ‘I’m going to be Mary in this play and if you open your mouth or raise your hand, you’ll wish you didn’t.’ And I said, ‘I’m always Mary in the Christmas pageant.’ And she said, ‘go ahead and then, and next spring when the pussy willows come out, I’ll stick a pussy willow so far down your ear that nobody can reach it and it will sprout there and grow and grow and you’ll spend the rest of your life with a pussy willow push growing out of your ear.’”
Boys – Memorize and act the following lines for the character, Charlie. Charlie is agitated, the Herdmans are bullies; he is commenting on his outburst in class of not liking the bullies.
“I don’t care what everybody else said. That’s what they really thought. All that other stuff is ok but the main good thing about church is that the Herdmans aren’t there, ever.”
Ages 12 – 18, Speaking Roles, Adult Roles
- You will be asked to sing
“We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year
Good tidings we bring to you and your kin
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year” - 12 & 13 year old girls – Memorize and act the following lines for the character, Alice. Imogene is mean, so let us hear that change in attitude in the quoted part.
“I didn’t dare raise my hand. Imogene would have killed me! She said ‘I’m going to be Mary in this play and if you open your mouth or raise your hand, you’ll wish you didn’t.’ And I said, ‘I’m always Mary in the Christmas pageant.’ And she said, ‘go ahead and then, and next spring when the pussy willows come out, I’ll stick a pussy willow so far down your ear that nobody can reach it and it will sprout there and grow and grow and you’ll spend the rest of your life with a pussy willow push growing out of your ear.’”
12 & 13 year old boys – Act out a scene. You will be asked to do both roles, please memorize both characters. Leroy is tough, Charlie is bullied.
Charlie: Hey Leroy, you give me back my lunch!
Leroy: Sure kid here. (hands him the bag)
Charlie: You stole my dessert again!
Leroy: how do you know?
Charlie: Because it wasn’t there.
Leroy: What was it?
Charlie: Two Twinkies
Leroy: that’s right. That’s what it was. (starts to leave)
Charlie: Hey Leroy! You think it’s great to steal my dessert everyday and you know what? I don’t care if you steal my dessert. I’ll give you my dessert. I get all my dessert from Sunday school.
Leroy: Oh yeah! What kind of dessert
Charlie: All kinds. Chocolate cake and candy bars and cookies…
Leroy: You’re a liar!
14 – 18 year old girls – Memorize and act the following lines for the character, Mrs. Armstrong. She is a know it all, annoying woman, and is being criticized for choosing the Herdmans.
“You’ll have to get someone to push the baby angels on, otherwise they get in each others way and bend their wings. Bob can do that and can keep an eye on the shepherds too. Oh another thing about the angel choir. Don’t let them wear lipstick.”
14 – 18 year old boys – Memorize and act the following lines for the character, Reverend Hopkins. He is very agitated.
“I have been on the telephone all day and I can’t make heads or tails of it. Some people say they set fire to the ladies room. Some people say they set fire to the kitchen. Vera Kendlekin says all they do is talk about sex and underwear.”
You may be asked to read a short scene from a script. No preparation is needed for this part.