Casting

Our Craft: Meeting Each Age Group with the Best Theater Experience

Inspirations Youth Programs exist to give youth a theater experience that is right for their age. We spend over 2000 hours per show crafting an original, full-length musical that we believe will meet them well, full of age-appropriate action, drama, humor, and songs. The young people take these shows on and put on an amazing performance.

Gender not an issue: Any Child can play Any Part in their Age Range

We invite any child to be considered for any role on stage if the part is within their age range (all students interested in lead or solo parts have a casting conversation or audition for placement). Some parts are designated female onstage, some male, and some unnamed, and we are fine with any child stepping up to these roles regardless of any gender identity they carry. That said, individuals preferring to be cast in only boy or only girl roles onstage (again, regardless of their own gender) will be cast as such.

Can young people really pull off these challenging roles?

“Torsti directs children with a rare energy, that 1st and 8th graders alike are completely captivated and engaged by his direction.”

— Former Teacher / Singing Coach Myra Hudson

Having worked in youth productions the past ~seven years, we have seen time and time again the acting ability, dedication, and memorization skills that children can bring—if given the chance. Here at Inspirations Theater we give these younger students the chance to step up to the roles that we feel they are truly capable of.

Read about the Child Experience

Our goals and considerations for the different age groups

High-School Aged

We recognize that some high-school aged students want to take on smaller and group roles, and some would like to audition for leads. Both are fine for Inspirations programs. In addition, we often look to high-school aged students to act as mentors and examples for our younger students, with some paid / tuition remission opportunities as well.

CHILDREN 12 to 14

Students 12 and older may be cast as leads or in group parts

Children twelve and up have usually begun to explore their individualism in the world differently than they did in their earlier years. Here they have the chance to take on strong characters and larger roles in the play. We find this opportunity (and challenge) can really meet this age group as they get to know and balance their budding sense of self. At times we also cast this age grup in group parts, as sometimes that theater experience best meets the needs of that particular individual. Some students this age at our camp will have both an individualized part (or parts) and one or more group parts. Occasionally, children in this age group get involved in working with and mentoring the younger students.

10 - 11 Year olds

10-11 year olds have a certain sophistication and awakening of awareness very different than their earlier years. They are often ready for different challenges than they were even a few years before. We strive to meet this age by giving them both fun group parts and smaller individual roles—a few spoken lines in a street scene here, a short solo or small group part there.

On occasion, 11-year olds are chosen for lead parts that typically go to the older students. This age also has lead parts at our 1-week Oregon camp.

Some of our younger students playing forest ruffians

8 - 9 year olds

We feel the 8-9 year-olds can thrive best when cast in group roles onstage: they do not need the spotlight of individual attention at that early age--even if they can be quite expressive as individuals, which we love to see! These students get to live into our group roles as a team, with occasional small-group emphasis. Sometimes 9-year olds will work with the 10-11 year olds in our 1-week program.

These students also will get a chance for more expression as they rehearse then put on our in-camp mini-production of the play, to which parents and friends will be invited.

HOW CASTING WORKS

—ALL students learn certain songs before the camp begins. I will send a list of those songs to parents, along with either CD’s or links to mp3s. In addition, we send the rest of the potential songs from the show so that students can be exposed to them, and links to the script so they can get to know the story.

Ages 12 and older:

Students aged 12 and up can either

express interest in a medium or lead role (or roles), or
ask to be considered for smaller parts and/or group parts instead.

Once camp begins, we will do the casting by the end of the first week of the program. Students will then work on their character’s lines and songs between then and the performance.

Ages 10 - 11

In our 2- and 3-week programs, our 10-11 year olds are dually cast: they play both group parts but also sometimes one (or more) smaller individual parts. These roles typically have one or more spoken lines, or sometimes some shorter song snippets, either solo or in a small group. Children this age might have more or less stage time based on their appetite and comfort.

In our 1-week camp in Oregon, depending on the child, ages 10 and 11 can step up to hold a small lead part for the performance.

AGES 8 - 9

Our 8-9 year olds are cast in group parts such as townsfolk, pirates, animals, and soldiers. They sing group songs and get to play in some choreography--a nice introduction to the theater. Sometimes a 9-year old will work with the next oldest group. Further, they get to help create our within-camp mini-show of the year's production, a treat for both the kids as actors, and the other camp members and friends/family who get to see it.

CASTING PROCESS UPDATE

This year we will be doing the casting for the shows the first week of the program. In past years, we have done it in early May.

The way it works:
—All students are asked to learn several group songs from the play before the program begins
—They are given access to the songs (CD or mp3.) and the script (online pdf.) upon enrollment to become familiar with the show
—The first few days of the program we go through the show, and students get to feel out which scenes, songs, and characters they are most interested in. Casting still varies depending upon age; see more on that here Students then submit their casting preferences to us.
— Casting is set by Friday of the first week of the program. Students then learn their lines and songs with gusto.
**Note: the final performances will still be spirited, though they will not benefit (as in past years) from students having entered the program already having memorized their lines. However, having seen multiple youth theater programs employ this model, we are confident that the final shows will be entertaining; and in our experience, the kids pick up the lines very quickly.

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