Presented by

Come From Away

Grades 7-12

Get Tickets (coming soon) | Pre-Register Grades 7-12*

Students in grades 7 through 12 this school year: Join us for our Troupe Spring 2027 Musical: Come From Away! This show will be accompanied by a full live band, and we will perform at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in the beautiful Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater.

Come From Away is based on the true story of the time when the isolated community of Gander, Newfoundland, played host to the world. What started as an average day in a small town turned into an international sleepover, when 38 planes, carrying thousands of people from around the globe, were diverted to Gander’s airstrip on September 11, 2001. Undaunted by culture clashes and language barriers, the people of Gander cheered the stranded travelers with music, friendship, and the recognition that we’re all part of a global family.

Students must audition for this pre-professional advanced theatre group. 

Pre-Register Here!

* Full registration will be available later this fall.

Important Dates & Times

How to Prepare for Auditions (Required)
  • Fill out your student’s Registration Form.
  • Headshots and resumes are encouraged (but not required) and can be emailed to theatre@cfcarts.com at least 48 hours prior to your audition in PDF, JPG, or PNG format. If emailed late or in a different format, we may not be able to access your resume. Please do not bring hard copies to your audition.
  • Prepare and memorize a 16 to 32-bar selection from a musical theatre song. Please do not sing selections from any version of Come From Away. Please bring sheet music with full piano accompaniment, three-hole-punched, double-sided, and in a three-ring binder (please do not put music in page protectors.) An accompanist will be provided. Tracks may not be used. Students may not sing a cappella (without accompaniment.) If you need assistance locating appropriate sheet music, please contact us at theatre@cfcarts.com at least 48 hours before your audition (but preferably sooner!) and we will help you.
  • All auditioners will participate in cold readings from Come From Away. The script will be made available before auditions. Students do not need to memorize any part of the script or prepare a monologue.
  • Please bring a water bottle. Food and gum is not permitted.
  • Dance or athletic shoes required. No restrictive attire, open-toed shoes, flip-flops/sandals, heels, or skirts/dresses without leggings or shorts beneath.
  • Auditions, as well as rehearsals, are closed to parents and other visitors. For safety reasons, only students and approved staff/volunteers are permitted.
  • Students may choose to attend our Audition Prep Workshop on Wednesday, January 13, 5:30-7:30 PM at our audition and rehearsal location of First Congregational Church of Winter Park (225 S Interlachen Ave, Winter Park FL 32789.). Students will gain familiarity with the shows and characters, have the opportunity to participate in a mock partial audition and receive feedback, and participate in a Q&A session with casting staff. You can register your student for the Audition Prep Workshop on their Registration Form and use the links below to pay. We offer a sibling discount for this workshop! Payment links will be made available closer to the auditions.
    • 1 student - $20
    • 2 siblings - $35
    • 3 siblings - $50
Jan 13 | Audition Prep Workshop (Optional)

Want to snag a role in the Troupe for this pre-professional production? Students in grades 7-12 may choose to attend our Audition Prep Workshop, Wednesday, January 13, from 5:30-7:30 PM at our audition and rehearsal location of First Congregational Church of Winter Park (225 S Interlachen Ave, Winter Park FL 32789.). Students will gain familiarity with the shows and characters, have the opportunity to participate in a mock partial audition and receive feedback, and participate in a Q&A session with casting staff. We offer a sibling discount for this workshop! Select the Workshop on your Registration Form to attend, or to register later, email theatre@cfcarts.com.

  • 1 student - $20
  • 2 siblings - $35
  • 3 siblings - $50
Jan 16 - 17 | Auditions (Required)

How to audition:

Auditions will take place on January 16 and 17 (callbacks for selected students January 18) at First Congregational Church of Winter Park (225 S Interlachen Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789)

Students may audition for the Companies and Jr. Troupe Spring 2027 Play, The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood, and/or the Companies and Jr. Troupe Spring 2027 Musical, Disney’s Frozen Jr., at the same time if desired, although students will not be able to be in both Come From Away and the other two shows (auditioning also for the Companies and Jr. Troupe shows does not negatively affect your chances of being cast in Come From Away, and actors can be cast in both Companies and Jr. Troupe shows!) Please click the links for more information!

Audition blocks:

Audition blocks are listed below, and you can select which one your student will attend on your student’s Registration Form. Students must stay for the duration of their audition block.

  • Block A - Friday, January 15, 5:30-8 PM
  • Block B - Saturday, January 16, 9:30 AM-12 PM
  • Block C - Saturday, January 16, 1-3:30 PM
  • Block D - Saturday, January 16, 4-6:30 PM
  • Callbacks will be held for selected students on Sunday, January 17, sometime between 2-6 PM. Students will be informed of their callback status and exact call time by email no later than 10 PM on Saturday, January 16.
Jan 17 | Callbacks (Audition Follow-Up)

Callbacks will be held for selected students on Sunday, January 17, sometime between 2-6 PM. Students will be informed of their callback status and exact call time by email no later than 10 PM on Saturday, January 16.

Jan 26 - May 7 | Rehearsals (Required)
  • All students will rehearse on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays as called, anytime between 5:30-8 PM (occasionally slightly later as needed, especially closer to show week), primarily at First Congregational Church of Winter Park (225 S Interlachen Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789) from Tuesday, January 26 through Friday, May 7 (all rehearsals in the month of May will have no conflicts accepted.) The full rehearsal schedule will be released by Friday, January 22. There will be no rehearsals Friday, March 12 through Sunday, March 19 due to OCPS Spring Break, and no rehearsals Thursday, March 25 or Friday, March 26 due to Easter weekend. All students will have two cast retreats on a Saturday that we will schedule around our students’ availability, so please include all Saturday commitments in your conflicts as these Saturday retreats will be no conflicts accepted.
  • Not every performer will be called to every rehearsal! A full rehearsal schedule will be released after auditions by Friday, January 22. The number of rehearsals required will depend on the size of your student’s role.
  • All performers must attend all rehearsals in the month of May, both Saturday rehearsals to be scheduled, and all tech and dress rehearsals as listed below. No conflicts will be accepted. All cast must attend all scheduled tech and dress rehearsals and performances or they will not be able to perform.
May 10 - 11 | Tech & Dress Rehearsals (Required)

Tech and dress rehearsals will take place on Monday, May 10 and Tuesday, May 11 at the rehearsal location, First Congregational Church of Winter Park (225 S Interlachen Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789) and Wednesday, May 12 and Thursday, May 13 at the performance location, the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts - Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater (445 South Magnolia Avenue Orlando, FL 32801.) Specific call and release times will be determined by the time the schedule is released on Friday, January 22, but students must have all evenings free and fully available on those dates from 5 PM onwards.

May 14 - 16 | Performances (Required)

Performances will take place on Friday, May 14 at 7:30 PM, Saturday, May 15 at 2:30 and 7:30 PM, and Sunday, May 16 at 2:30 PM at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts - Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater (445 South Magnolia Avenue Orlando, FL 32801.) Specific call and release times will be determined by the time the schedule is released on Friday, January 22, but students must have evenings free and fully available for all weekdays of show week from 5 PM onwards, and all day free and fully available on Saturday, May 16.

Audience members may purchase in-person tickets on the Dr. Phillips Center website starting in January 2026.

All cast must attend all scheduled tech and dress rehearsals and performances or they will not be able to perform.

Info

Tuition

There is a seasonal $35 registration fee per student, which covers all enrollments in Youth Theatre Programs from January through May 2027. Registration Fees are now a part of the overall tuition cost!

Tuition for all performers is $335 (scholarships and payment plans available; see below.)

There are four ways to cover tuition:

1.
Complete the tuition payment in full via the Payment Form. Troupe will receive an email with instructions following auditions for those selected - payment may not be made in advance. You may also bring cash or a check (made out to CFCArts) to your student’s rehearsal (please email theatre@cfcarts.com to confirm that you will be bringing payment in person.) Payment is due no later than Tuesday, January 26.

2.
Select the option on your Registration Form to set up a tuition payment plan of three installments. The first installment will be due no later than Tuesday, January 26, the second installment no later than Monday, March 1, and the third and final installment Monday, April 5. Students must have tuition paid in full to perform in the production. Installment payments may be made via the Payment Form or by bringing cash or a check (made out to CFCArts) to your student’s rehearsal (please email theatre@cfcarts.com to confirm that you will be bringing payment in person.)

3.
Complete the Financial Assistance Application as a part of your student’s Registration Form to be considered for a need-based scholarship for this program. Any remaining balance for your student’s tuition will be due no later than Monday, April 5. Students must have their remaining tuition balance paid in full to perform in the production. Payment of the remaining balance may be made via the Payment Form or by bringing cash or a check (made out to CFCArts) to your student’s rehearsal (please email theatre@cfcarts.com to confirm that you will be bringing payment in person.)

4.
CFCArts is a Florida Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES, formerly Gardiner Scholarship) direct pay provider, and the FES can be used to cover program tuition. Simply include your student’s FES ID number on their Registration Form and we will begin the process following casting.

      Financial Assistance

      CFCArts is a Florida Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES, formerly Gardiner Scholarship) provider, and the FES can be used to cover program tuition! CFCArts financial assistance is also available and can be applied for on your Registration Form.

      Service Project

      Central Florida Community Arts exists to serve and build community through the arts. With our mission in mind, our Youth Theatre Program students for each production have the opportunity to participate in a service project to benefit another non-profit organization in Central Florida - and to build friendships and bond with their castmates! These service projects are carefully selected to align with the message of the story that our students are telling on stage.

      For this production, we are proud to partner with OneBlood, a vital non-profit organization responsible for providing blood for those in need in our community. In the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, many Americans rushed to donate blood. Now, many communities host blood drives in remembrance, and we are honored to join that tradition. Stay tuned for details about our Big Red Bus blood drive!

      Casting Policies

      Please click here for a thorough review of our casting policies.

      Staff

      Click here to meet the Come From Away staff! (coming soon)

      Registration

      Please follow these steps to register your student.

      • Please register for an audition, or to participate without auditioning, by filling out the Registration Form.
      • Make the registration fee payment, and if applicable, payment for the Audition Prep Workshop via the Payment Form.

      Questions?

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