Houlton Star Bright Children’s Theatre announces auditions

    The Houlton Star Bright Children’s Theatre will be holding auditions for its annual production on Jan. 31, at the Court Street Baptist Church in Houlton. This year’s production will be “Goonie Bird Greene” based on the books by Lois Lowry and will be presented to the public on April 27 and 28 at the Houlton High School auditorium.
    “Goonie Bird Greene” is the story of a second grader with an unusual name, a flair for eccentric dressing and a gift for telling stories which, although seemingly unbelievable, are all “absolutely true.” Pamela Chernesky, who also directed Houlton Star Bright Children’s Theatre’s productions in 2010 and 2009 will direct the play. Chernesky brings a wealth of experience to this year’s production, having worked in theatre for many years as an actor and director and in various technical roles, as well as working as a K-12 Theatre and Visual Arts teacher.
    Auditions are open to all students in grades 2 through 12. Auditions will be held on Tuesday Jan. 31, from 2:45 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Any students wishing to audition for a part in the production must attend this rehearsal. There will also be opportunities for students to be involved in other aspects of the production, including stage crew, set building and painting, etc. Students interested in helping with these aspects of the play are also encouraged to attend the audition to sign up.
    Rehearsals for this year’s production will be held on Tuesdays and/or Thursdays during the months of February, March and April. (Most children will not be required to attend rehearsals on both days until the final weeks before performance.) All children will be required to attend final rehearsals during the week of the performance. There will be no rehearsals during the school vacation weeks. The final week’s rehearsals will take place at the Houlton High School auditorium. All other rehearsals will be at the Court Street Baptist Church in Houlton.
    The final production will be performed at the Houlton Southside School auditorium on the evening of Friday, April 27, and a matinee on Saturday, April 28. The Houlton Star Bright Children’s Theatre, founded in 1969 by students at Ricker College, is one of the oldest community children’s theatres in the country and offers live theater FOR and BY children to the Greater Houlton area. The Theatre is a non-profit organization supported by volunteer help and community donations.
For more information contact: Frank Sullivan (538-9416 or frank@rainbarrow.net) or Pam Chernesky (532-7072).