• Teen Ensemble: Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

• Youth Ensemble: Wednesdays from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m.

• Leads: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and/or Thursdays from 6:00/6:30 to 7:30 p.m. as needed in addition to their assigned ensemble rehearsals. Detailed rehearsal calendars with specifics on which leads are called to which leads rehearsals will be made available throughout the rehearsal process. 

• Full Cast: Beginning in October, full cast rehearsals are added every Friday from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Leads are often asked to stay until 8:00 p.m. to receive additional instruction.

• Once we load in to the theatre/venue in early November, technical rehearsals are often held Tuesday through Saturday with extended hours and are subject to change depending on Veteran's Day.

• Dress rehearsals are held beginning Monday of performance week from 4:30-8:30 p.m. Leads and crew are asked to stay until 9:30 p.m.

• Performances typically run Wednesday or Thursday through Saturday the week before Thanksgiving. Call times are announced closer to performance week. 

A mandatory cast and parent information meeting will be held in mid to late August to prepare everyone for rehearsals, our parent volunteer needs, how to support our theatre boosters, and more. That date will be set and advertised over the summer after the show is cast.

We may offer a preshow option for the fall show. This will be a 15-minute vocal and dance medley performed before the main production. (For example, in 2023, we are offering a preshow for 9th-12th graders. This preshow rehearses on Wednesdays from 4:30-6:30 p.m. The cast of this 2023 preshow is also asked to be the backstage crew for the main production.)

What if I have conflicts?

Three pre-approved absences prior to November are allowed for the fall show. We expect students to attend all required rehearsals unless absences have been approved by the directing team ahead of time and as soon as possible. While we do our best to schedule around pre-approved absences, understand that you are not guaranteed to be included in the scene, song, or dance being taught while you are out.

• By committing to the production, you are agreeing to schedule personal commitments (like vacations, birthday parties, etc.) around our rehearsal schedule.  

• All conflict requests (like school functions, sports activities, dance classes, etc.) should have been submitted on your audition form. 

We do understand that since auditions are BEFORE the school year starts you won’t know all of the exact dates of your students’ conflicts.  That is why we will accept school-related conflicts ONLY after the school year has started.  We also understand that teachers can add conflicts at the last minute.  Here are our rules on conflicts:

• We NEED to know about school-related conflicts AS SOON AS YOU DO in order to work with you on them. 

• Planned sporting events or fall concerts where venues are reserved like formal dances and big game days are probably already scheduled, or you will know early in the semester if you are supposed to be there or if you want to go, so don’t wait until the week of the event to tell us you HAVE to be there and will be missing rehearsal completely. 

• Check in with your teachers, coaches, directors, etc. early and ask them if they already have dates or schedules. Things might already be confirmed but not announced yet. Do your due diligence! 

• Just because it is a school-related conflict, doesn’t automatically make it an excused absence…we need to discuss it and try to find a workable compromise. 

• If the conflict is for a grade, we understand that and will take that into consideration.  We will also check in with your teachers to verify. 

• If you are in a show at your school at the same time, fantastic! Congratulations! You need to make sure you are communicating our rehearsals as a conflict with them understanding that you committed to our show already.  You are responsible for working out a compromise if our rehearsals are at the same time.  If your directors/instructors would like to speak with us, we are happy to chat and work with them. 

TCOE Theatre Company's Conflict Appeals Policy:

We take great effort to make a detailed calendar that allows students to only come to rehearsal when we are working on material in which they are involved. For this reason, if a student requests to be absent from a rehearsal or performance date, and if this request was not submitted by callbacks, then the absence may not be excused and the student may face adverse action including being replaced by another student for the performance and production. Requests for absences received after callbacks may or may not be approved based on the discretion of the directors. In determining whether to grant the request for the absence, the directors shall take into consideration factors including, but not limited to: (1) whether the absence is school related; and (2) the impact of the absence on the rehearsal process and the rest of the production. If the directors deny the request for an unscheduled absence or absence date change, the student or the parent/guardian may appeal in writing the directors’ decision to the County Superintendent or his designee. The appeal to the County Superintendent or his designee must be filed within three (3) business days of the directors’ decision to deny the absence. The decision of the County Superintendent or his designee on appeal shall be final.

When and where is the fall show?

Our fall show typically performs the weekend before Thanksgiving break.  Due to wanting to explore different venues and learning opportunities for our students, the fall show venue maybe in a different location each year.  Current and past venues include: LJ Williams, Rotary Theater, the TCOE Mooney Conference Center, or the ERCLC amphitheater.

Okay, I'm in! How do I audition?

Auditions for fall shows will be in-person sometime in June. Check the callboard for the most up-to-date information.

Auditioning for a fall show is different from a TCOE summer show.  There will still be a singing, acting and dance audition…but:

• All students perform the same audition song and dialogue. This is called a cattle call audition.  We will provide you with the song selection and dialogue excerpt from the fall show material for you to perform at auditions. 

• We will go through the song and dialogue as a whole group several times before we start calling you up individually to audition. 

• You will also learn a short combination onsite and perform it in small groups for your dance audition.

Everyone must participate in all three disciplines involved in the audition (singing, acting, and dancing) in order to be considered for casting. The directors and audition panel fully understand that students have strengths and weaknesses and varying levels of experience and confidence in the three disciplines. Do not count yourself out because you consider yourself a weak dancer or have little experience singing. There are plenty of roles in every show that are not dance-heavy or don’t necessarily have a vocal solo. Just try your best and learn from the experience no matter what happens! Have fun and “fake it till you make it!”

What about callbacks?

There will be callbacks by invitation only for students that we wish to see more from. At the end of each day of auditions we will be letting students know if they will be invited to callbacks OR we will be sending out an email to students.  

• It is VERY important your email is legible on your audition form.

• If we give you callback material early, look at it!  Know it!  We can tell if you haven’t spent any time on it when you come to callbacks.  That also tells us something about you.

• Always remember, just because you didn’t get a callback doesn’t mean you didn’t get cast or didn’t get a role.  Callbacks are just those we want to see more from.

• Callbacks are closed to the public/parents/guardians.

Any audition tips?

• Please dress nicely and modestly. Have your hair styled, and pulled back off of your face. Keep your accessories to a minimum. 

• Dress in something that you can also dance in, since your dance audition will happen at the same time as your singing and acting.

• Bring jazz/ballet shoes, character shoes or flexible sneakers to change into for the dance audition. No sandals. 

• Do your homework ahead of time. Study up on the show you are auditioning for. Know who the composer is, the writers, the original choreographers…use that knowledge to your advantage!

• Treat your auditions like it’s a performance. Don’t focus on what the directors are thinking. This is your chance to share who you are and what your unique voice does. Just do the best job you can and have confidence! 

• We want to learn more about YOU in your audition. Do not try to copy other famous actors, singers, or dancers. Be you and do what you do best! Be proud of yourself!

• We have all had the experience of going to an audition and not being completely happy or content with the end product. We can always find something to nitpick and might spend hours upon hours tearing apart the work we did. Do not fall into that trap! The directors and audition panel are not looking for perfection. We are looking for a confident and capable performer who entertains us!