Nat'l Tour Of A CHRISTMAS STORY, THE MUSICAL! Invites Kids To Audition Online

As A Christmas Story, The Musical! prepares to launch a five-city national tour for the 2011 holiday season, the show's producers, including Peter Billingsley, who starred as Ralphie in the original 1983 film, take their search for talented children to the internet. Young performers can now submit their audition by visiting www.achristmasstorythemusical.com/casting and following three simple steps:

1. Record a video of yourself singing a brief song that is rhythmic and that shows us your voice, high notes, and personality. A classic Broadway or a holiday song is suggested. We want to you to have a good time and show us your personality!

2. Get a recent digital picture or headshot of yourself and your resume. (If you don't have a resume, just prepare a brief paragraph about yourself in a Word Document.)

3. Go to www.achristmasstorythemusical.com/casting and follow the link to register with our online casting site, LetItCast®, and follow their instructions to submit your video, photo, and information.

Casting directors are seeking to fill the iconic lead role of Ralphie and his troupe of friends and classmates, including: Randy, Flick, Schwartz, Scut Farcus, Grover Dill, Mary Beth, and Esther Jane. Children, ages of 8 - 13, should be extraordinary actors, singers, and dancers. The production seeks young actors of all ethnicities who are 4' 11" and shorter. (Boys, your voice should not have changed yet.)

Online casting for A Christmas Story, The Musical!,is facilitated by LetItCast®, an innovative casting technology firm. Let It Cast allows actors to submit an audition video online,free of charge, while receiving the same level of privacy afforded any actor in a traditional casting session. The videos are only made available to the creative team and producers of A Christmas Story, The Musical!, Submissions should be no longer than 90 seconds and only one audition video is allowed

"We are pleased that we will be able to widen our search for young talent that we can consider for roles," says Stephanie Klapper, Casting Director for A Christmas Story, The Musical! "LetItCast® is a fantastic resource for having actors post themselves and their auditions online. It is simple, straightforward and easy to access."

A Christmas Story, The Musical! will rehearse in Chicago, October 10 before commencing a five-city national tour: Hershey, PA (Hershey Theatre, Nov. 8 - 13); Detroit, MI (Fisher Theatre, Nov. 15 - 27); Raleigh, NC (Memorial Auditorium, Nov. 29 - Dec. 4); and Tampa, FL (Straz Center, Dec. 6-11), before returning to The Chicago Theatre for performances Dec. 14 - 30, 2011.

For more information about the audition, visit www.achristmasstorythemusical.com/casting.

MORE ABOUT A CHRISTMAS STORY, THE MUSICAL!

This holiday season, America's #1 Christmas movie comes to life on stage as a hilarious holiday musical, A Christmas Story, The Musical! features a bright holiday score by composer/lyricist team Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and a book by Joseph Robinette based on the writings of radio humorist Jean Shepherd and the 1983 holiday film favorite. Acclaimed director/choreographer Warren Carlyle (Broadway's Finian's Rainbow, Follies at The Kennedy Center, An Evening With Hugh Jackman) will helm the production. Peter Billingsley, who starred as Ralphie in the original 1983 film, serves as a producer for the holiday tour.

After acclaimed, sold-out, record-breaking runs at Kansas City Rep in 2009 and Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre in 2010, A Christmas Story, The Musical! will launch a five-city National Tour for the 2011 holiday season with engagements in Hershey, PA (Hershey Theatre, Nov. 8 - 13); Detroit, MI (Fisher Theatre, Nov. 15 - 27); Raleigh, NC (Memorial Auditorium, Nov. 29 - Dec. 4); Tampa, FL, (Straz Center, Dec. 6 - Dec. 11); and Chicago, IL (Chicago Theatre, Dec. 14 - 30).

The story from a cherished movie classic that's enchanted millions is now a musical spectacular. In 1940's Indiana, a bespectacled boy named Ralphie has a big imagination and one wish for Christmas-a Red Ryder BB Gun. A kooky leg lamp, outrageous pink bunny pajamas, a cranky department store Santa, and a triple-dog-dare to lick a freezing flagpole are just a few of the obstacles that stand between Ralphie and his Christmas dream. Produced by the film's original Ralphie, Peter Billingsley, A Christmas Story, The Musical! is a holiday entertainment that captures a simpler time in America with delicious wit and a heart of gold.

A Christmas Story, The Musical! features scenic design by Walt Spangler (Desire Under the Elms); costume design by Elizabeth Hope Clancy (Passing Strange, The Goat or Who Is Sylvia?); lighting design by Tony Award winner Howell Binkley (Jersey Boys, Memphis); orchestrations by 2011 Tony nominee Larry Blank (Catch Me If You Can); musical supervision by Ian Eisendrath (5th Avenue Theatre's Sunday In The Park With George, West Side Story); dance arrangements by August Eriksmoen (Memphis, The Addams Family) and casting by Stephanie Klapper (Dividing the Estate, The Tempermentals) Peter Billingsley joins commercial producers Gerald Goehring (Frankenstein: The Musical), Roy Miller (West Side Story revival, The Drowsy Chaperone), Michael Mitri (Frankenstein: The Musical), Pat Addiss (Promises, Promises; Spring Awakening), Louise Beard, Richard Winkler, Mariano Tolentino, Dan Frishwasser, Tim Laczynski, Bartner/Jenkins Entertainment, Angela Milonas, Bradford W. Smith.

A CHRISTMAS STORY, THE MUSICAL! - 2011 HOLIDAY SEASON TOUR
November 8 - 13
Hershey, PA
Hershey Theatre
www.hersheytheatre.com
November 15 - 27
Detroit, MI
Fisher Theatre
www.broadwayindetroit.com
November 29 - December 4
Raleigh, NC
Memorial Auditorium
www.progressenergycenter.com
December 6 -11
Tampa, FL
Straz Center
www.strazcenter.org
December 14 - 30
Chicago IL
Chicago Theatre
www.thechicagotheatre.com

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