AUDITIONS TODAY, SATURDAY FOR DANCERS AND ACTORS

Got an itch to dance or act on stage?

Auditions will be held today and Saturday for an original theatrical ballet that will be performed in December. It will benefit the Community Counseling Center.

The production, entitled "Carol's Dream," is a take-off of the traditional Christmas Carol. It was written by Cape Girardeau native Dana Goodin Vanoni, who works as a professional dancer and teacher in northern Italy.

Vanoni returns to Cape Girardeau each year to visit her family and give local workshops. She is in town through next week to help with auditions and rehearsals. She will return for the production in mid-December.

Vikki Courvoisier of Cape Girardeau, one of the acting directors, said they would like to involve as many local residents as possible in the performance. She will be assisted with rehearsals in the coming months by Cindy Wyatt, who directs the theatre program at Central High School.

"There's no set number we will cast," Courvoisier said. The cast numbers will depend on the individuals that audition, she said.

Those who wish to audition need not reserve a spot in advance. They should simply attend their appropriate age and experience audition at Cape Central High School auditorium.

The audition schedule is as follows:

Today

4-5 p.m.: Males and females from age 8 to 16 with or without dance experience. These are parts for Tiny Tim, young Scrooge and other epic and modern day Christmas scenes.

5-6 p.m.: Males and females from 10 to young adult with or without dance experience. These are phantom face parts that involve movement and acting.

6-6:45 p.m.: Males and females from ages 10-13 with jazz and modern dance experience, or cheerleading or gymnastic experience. This would be for parts of phantom faces and future Christmas dancers.

6:45 to 7 p.m.: Males and females from ages 14-18 with jazz and modern dance experience, or cheerleading or gymnastic experience. This would be for parts of phantom faces and future Christmas dancers.

Saturday

10 -11 a.m.: Males and females from 10 to young adults with ballet and/or Pointe experience. Parts would be Christmas past dancers, Christmas present dancers and skaters.

11:30 to 1: Adult mimes and actors for the parts of Scrooge, Bob Marley, Bob Cratchit, narrators and adult walk-ons.

Courvoisier said the only talking parts in the production are those if the narrators.

"We are really hoping for a large involvement from the area communities, not just the dance academies," she said. As such, they'd like to see a large crowd at the auditions today and Saturday.

"Carol's Dream" will be performed in two dress rehearsal matinees for area school children on Dec. 16. There will be three main performances: evening shows on Friday, Dec. 17 and Saturday, Dec. 18; and an afternoon performance on Sunday, Dec. 19.

A number of rehearsals will be held next week before Vanoni returns to Italy. In her absence, Courvoisier and Wyatt will direct the rehearsals.

Kendal Blattner of Cape Girardeau, a ballet instructor from the Academy of Dance Arts will serve as dancing rehearsal director. She also teachers dance at Southeast Missouri State University.

For more information, persons can contact the Larry Essner at the Community Counseling Center at (573) 334-1100.