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It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play

Grades 3-12

Get Tickets | Register (Grades 3-12, auditions required)

Students in Grades 3 through 12 this school year: Audition for our advanced Youth Theatre Troupe Play: It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play

This beloved American holiday classic comes captivatingly to life as a live 1940s radio broadcast. With the help of an ensemble that brings a few dozen characters to the stage, the story of idealistic George Bailey unfolds as he considers ending his life one fateful Christmas Eve. We are thrilled to present this unique tale in partnership with Central Florida Public Media in a real radio and television station!

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

Register Here!

Important Dates & Times

How to Prepare for Auditions (Required Grades 3-12)

  • Fill out your student’s Registration Form. Headshots and resumes are encouraged as well, and can be emailed to theatre@cfcarts.com at least 48 hours prior to your audition in PDF 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.
  • All auditioners will participate in cold readings from It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play. There is no need to prepare a monologue or memorize any lines in advance. A script will be provided several days in advance of the audition for your perusal.
  • Please bring a water bottle. Food and gum are 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. (There will not be a formal dance audition but we do want our actors to be able to move safely.)
  • 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, September 25, 5:30-7:30 p.m. 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 show and characters, have the opportunity to participate in a mock acting 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!

Sept 25 | Audition Prep Workshop (Optional Grades 3-12)

Students auditioning for It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play may choose to attend our Audition Prep Workshop on Wednesday, September 25, 5:30-7:30 p.m. 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 show and characters, have the opportunity to participate in a mock acting 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!

1 student - $20, click to pay
2 siblings - $35, click to pay
3 siblings - $50, click to pay

Sept 28 - 29 | Auditions (Required Grades 3-12)

Auditions will take place on Saturday, September 28 (callbacks for selected students on Sunday, September 29) at First Congregational Church of Winter Park (225 S Interlachen Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789) and are mandatory. Please note that not all students will be selected to join the cast of It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play.

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 - Saturday, September 28, 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m.
  • Block B - Saturday, September 28, 1-3:30 p.m.
  • Block C - Saturday, September 28, 4-6:30 p.m.
  • Callbacks may be held for selected students on Sunday, September 29, sometime between 2-6 p.m. Students will be informed of their callback status and exact call time by email no later than 10 p.m. on Saturday, September 28.

Sept 29 | Callbacks (Audition Follow-Up)

Callbacks may be held for selected students on Sunday, September 29, sometime between 2-6 p.m. Students will be informed of their callback status and exact call time by email no later than 10 p.m. on Saturday, September 28.

Oct 5 - Dec 6 | Rehearsals (Required)

  • All students will rehearse on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays as called, anytime between 5:30-8 p.m., primarily at First Congregational Church of Winter Park (225 S Interlachen Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789) on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, from October 5 to December 6. (No rehearsals November 25-29 for Thanksgiving Break.) The full rehearsal schedule will be released on Wednesday, October 2.
  • Not every Troupe performer will be called to every rehearsal! A full rehearsal schedule will be released after auditions by Wednesday, October 2. The number of rehearsals required will depend on the size of your student’s role.
  • All Troupe performers should plan to attend all tech and dress rehearsals as listed below.

    Dec 8 - 12 | Tech & Dress Rehearsals (Required)

    Tech and dress rehearsals will take place from Sunday, December 8, to Thursday, December 12, at the performance location, Central Florida Public Media Studios, 11510 E Colonial Dr, Orlando, FL 32817. Tech rehearsals will be from 2-9:30 p.m. on Sunday, December 8 and 5:30-9:30 p.m. all other tech days.

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

    Dec 13 - 15 | Performances (Required)

    Performances will take place on Friday, December 13, at 7 p.m., Saturday, December 14, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., and Sunday, December 15, at 2 p.m. at Central Florida Public Media Studios (11510 E Colonial Dr, Orlando, FL 32817). Call time is 5:30 p.m. on Friday, December 13, and 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 14, and Sunday, December 15. Students are released following costume, prop, and set reset on Friday and Saturdaym December 13-14, and following a complete strike and load-out on Sunday, December 15 (Please note that this may take the entire evening.).

    Audience members may purchase in-person tickets on the event page.

    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 August to December 2024. Click to pay.

    Tuition for all performers is $225. There are four ways to cover tuition:

    • Complete the tuition payment in full online (a link will be sent out), or by mailing a check (made out to CFCArts) to PO Box 720517 Orlando, FL 32872 (please email theatre@cfcarts.com once check is posted.) Payment is due no later than Tuesday, August 20.
    • Reach out to theatre@cfcarts.com to set up a tuition payment plan of two installments of $112.50 each. The first installment will be due no later than Tuesday, October 1, and the second and final installment no later than Friday, November 4. Students must have tuition paid in full to perform in the production. Installment payments may be made online (a link will be provided) or by mailing a check (made out to CFCArts) to PO Box 720517 Orlando, FL 32872 (please email theatre@cfcarts.com once check is posted, and be sure to set up your payment plan with us first; checks cannot be accepted at rehearsal.)
    • Complete the Financial Assistance Application as a part of your Registration Form prior to your audition 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, November 4. Students must have their remaining tuition balance paid in full to perform in the production. Payment of the remaining balance may be made online (a link will be provided) or by mailing a check (made out to CFCArts) to PO Box 720517 Orlando, FL 32872 (please email theatre@cfcarts.com once check is posted.)
    • 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 your Registration Form prior to your audition, and we will invoice FES on your behalf for this program.

    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 excited to partner with Nathaniel’s Hope, an organization which celebrates kids with special needs (our VIPs). Our cast members will be helping Nathaniel’s Hope set up Nathaniel’s Toy Shop, a pop-up Toy Shop, which has opened each December to kids with special needs (our VIPs) and their families in financial need to “shop” for free toys to give their children a joyful Christmas!

    Casting Policies

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

    Staff

    Click here [link coming soon] to meet the It's a Wonderful Life staff!

    Registration

    Please follow these steps to register your student.

    Questions?

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