Put on your dancing shoes: Auditions taking place for the Civic Panto
“One of the best panto stories” is the next big project for The Civic’s Panto family for 2024!
On Sunday, August 11, the Civic is throwing open its doors for junior & senior chorus panto auditions for ‘Tickles and the Beanstalk’.
Registration for 6 – 11 year olds is 10am and from 12 pm for 12 – 19 year olds.
You don’t need to prepare anything; you will be taught a short routine by choreographer Alan McGrath on the morning and will perform that as your audition! All are welcome!
Rehearsals will kick off during the October midterm, as the 36 dancers that are picked from the auditions will be taught a short dance routine and will have to practice it over the midterm.
It will be produced & directed by Rob Murphy from the team that brought you ‘Jack & The Beanstalk’, ‘Snow White’, ‘Sleeping Beauty’, and ‘Cinderella’.
Always a sell-out, smash-hit, as Rob points out, they were inspired to keep going with the panto as last year’s ‘Cinderella’ was a “huge success.”
The Civic Panto team also “loves” working with Kevin Keeley, the lead actor in this latest production.
They typically know two to three years in advance what the current year’s panto will be; they spend the years building up to it, casting actors, and carrying out vital research for it.
Rob states that one of the big challenges of productions like this is having to “whittle down” the “absolutely unbelievable” talent they see whenever they open auditions for the child dancers to just 36.
The judges all try to be fair as they all run dance schools; Rob’s friend Aisling from Attitude Dance and Stage School in Athlone is one such judge.
The rehearsal process gets “intense” towards the end, but it is worth it; the children love it, and they are typically “bawling” on the last day.
Rob has many he would like to thank, stating the Civic are “like my family” and he would be “lost without them.”
He would particularly like to thank Artistic Director Donal Shiels and his staff for their support despite Rob “wrecking their heads,” Elaine Gallagher for her music, Alan McGrath for his teaching and dancing, the production team, the cast, the crew, and the ushers.
