Children go through tryouts for 'Wizard of Oz'

Nerves were humming and toes tapping Saturday morning in On Cue Performing Arts Studio in Cape Girardeau.

Parents and children warmed up voices, rehearsed dance moves and chatted with each other as they waited to be called. A photo booth allowed auditioners to pose and play before their auditions with the panel, which is casting actors for a local production of “The Wizard of Oz.”

On one side of the room, Alexandra Gilmore, 11, rehearsed while wearing a T-shirt reading “#Hamilnerd.”

“I’m very nervous. I’m sure everyone is,” she said. “I hope I’ll do good. I just want a decent part.”

Gilmore said she has “put in lots and lots of practice — singing, reading lines. I also take private sessions with an acting coach at Between the Scenes in Jackson.”

This is not her first audition. She has experience in several shows locally, including a production of “Hamilton.” Her prepared pieces for the audition included a monologue and song from the Lin-Manuel Miranda musical, “which was great, because I put a lot of time in practicing those.”

Stella Wright, 12, said she wore her hair in braids because she’s auditioning for the part of Dorothy.

“There are lots of songs to choose from, so I picked one I liked. I do a lot of warm-ups, and I take private lessons at Between the Scenes in Jackson,” she said. “I’ve been doing musical productions since I was 9 or 10. I’ve been with On Cue since their first show.”

Mila Graf, 11, said she hopes to be cast as a munchkin.

“I’ve been in a lot of shows: My mom’s the director,” she said. “My favorite part’s the actual show, dressing up, having a lot of fun. I really like it.”

After his audition, Ashton Reed, 13, said, “I think I did pretty good. I’m pretty positive I’ll get a good role.”

He said he has been taking lessons at On Cue for tap dance, and he enjoys them.

“It’s exciting. It’s a good workout, and I can really let go of stress from the school day,” he said.

Although he said he has never been in a production of “The Wizard of Oz,” he has performed in several local productions, including “The King and I” at Southeast Missouri State University’s River Campus and would like to pursue a career in performance.

“I’m definitely thinking about it,” he said.

Amanda Rhodes, production manager, said they’ve seen about 50 people during the two-day audition process, including 29 on Saturday.

“It’s great to see so many kids interested in the arts, and it’s awesome to see people coming back to audition for each show and watch them grow as performers,” she said via text message. “I personally am really looking forward to working on the costumes. We are going steampunk with the style, so it should be visually awesome. We have a great cast put together, and they should be a lot of fun to work with.”

Steampunk takes Victorian-period style and blends it with mechanical elements — as if everything were still steam-powered — to create a distinct fantasy aesthetic different from the classic “The Wizard of Oz.”

“It’s exciting for me to be working on this production,” said Megan Steck, assistant director.

This is her fourth production with On Cue, and she said,

“I’m looking forward to the steampunk theme. I think it’ll be really neat for this story,” Steck said. “It’ll be great to see how this goes.”

Bri LaFont, 12, said she tried out for On Cue’s production of “Annie Jr.” last year, but was not cast.

“I think I did OK in my audition,” she said. “If I get cast, I think any part’s fine. This is just so fun.”

Performances will be March 17, 18, and 19. Tickets will go on sale Feb. 1.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630

Pertinent address:

16 N. Spanish St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.