Fox Valley auditions

To submit a listing, fax to (847) 608-0849 or e-mail foxvalley@dailyherald.com

To take the first leap onto the road to stardom, the Fox Valley can be a great place to step off. The following auditions have been set.

FCC Players: On Sunday, Aug. 24, from 7 to 9 p.m., auditions will be held at the First Congregational Church of Huntley for the FCC Players' fall dinner theater production, the heartwarming comedy, "You Can't Take it With You" by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. The performances will be in the evenings on Nov. 8-9 and during the afternoon on Nov. 16. Sheri Storer will be the director; the assistant director will be Joey Dybdal. Everyone is welcome to audition; no appointments or monologue are necessary. All roles are available. Bring an accurate list of rehearsal conflicts. Rehearsals will be two or three times a week for lead roles and approximately once a week for minor roles. The church is at the corner of Main and Church streets in downtown Huntley. For information, call Sheri at (847) 669-3691 and e-mail her at sherifcc@juno.com.

State Street Dance: State Street Dance Studio, 9 N. Fourth St. in Geneva, will hold auditions for its annual production of "The Nutcracker." Auditions for the Tchaikovsky classic holiday ballet will be held at the studio on Aug. 24.

Auditions will be held at: 11 a.m. for children ages 5-6, noon for ages 7-8, 1 p.m. for ages 9-11, 2 p.m. for ages 12 and older, and 3 p.m. for adults auditioning for party scene parents, Mother Ginger, Drosselmeyer, maids and butlers. Adults do not need to have any previous dance experience for this show. Adult actors are highly encouraged to audition for this production. Plan to arrive 20 minutes prior to audition time and dressed in ballet attire. Call (630) 232-0444 to register for the auditions.

All dancers cast in "The Nutcracker" must be registered for a class at State Street Dance Studio throughout the rehearsal and production period of the show. There will be a non-refundable participation fee of $275 that will cover the cost of costume rental, rehearsal time, and production costs. Rehearsals will be Sundays from 1 to 6 p.m. beginning on Sept. 7, excluding Nov. 30. There will be tech and dress rehearsals on Dec. 17-19. All rehearsals are mandatory. Dancers that are not available for all dates will not be considered for this performance.

State Street Dance Studio will once again be performing the complete ballet with all scenes played live by the Kane Community Opera orchestra, under the direction of Steve Hanson.

Performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 20 and 2 p.m. Dec. 21 at the Norris Cultural Arts Center.

For information, call the studio at (630) 232-0444 and visit online at www.statestreetdancestudio.com.

McHenry County Youth Orchestras: Auditions for the 2008-2009 season will be held from 3:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 2 at the Dole Mansion, 401 Country Club Road, Crystal Lake. For audition requirements, visit Web site www.mcmusic.org. There is no audition fee. Rehearsal and concert schedules also can be found on the Web site. Rehearsals take place in the Sage Gallery at the Dole Mansion, also known as Lakeside Legacy Arts Park. Most of the concerts are held at the Raue Center for the Arts in historic downtown Crystal Lake, just a block from the train station. The Symphony Orchestra, the advanced full orchestra, is planning a tour to Spain in June 2009 and you still have time be a part of this wonderful tour. If you are interested in scheduling an audition, call Cathy at (815) 356-6296.

Noble Fool: The Noble Fool Theatricals Performing Arts Academy invites local youth ages 11 to 18 to audition for a role in the youth ensemble's fall production of "Godspell" at Pheasant Run Resort, 4051 E. Main St., St. Charles.

Open auditions will be held on the Preservation Hall Studio Stage at Pheasant Run from noon to 5 p.m. Sept. 7 and 5 to 9 p.m. Sept. 10. No appointment is necessary.

Interested children should prepare and memorize a one-minute monologue and 16 bars of a song that best displays their talent. An accompanist will be provided, so children should bring sheet music. Everyone will be taught a dance combination at the audition; previous dance training is helpful but not required. Children may also be asked to do a cold reading from the script. Everyone should bring a headshot and a resume to the audition.

The NFT Youth Ensemble will present "Godspell" for the public between Nov. 29 and Dec. 20 on the main stage at Pheasant Run. The director is St. Charles resident Tracy Whiteside, and musical director is Kenneth H. Jones of Wayne.

The NFT Youth Ensemble is an exclusive, audition-only education program for the best and brightest young talent. Participants are responsible for memorizing lines, music and choreography.

The Noble Fool Performing Arts Academy is a non-profit organization. The academy features some of the Chicago area's most respected teachers, directors, actors and musicians. Classes are for adults, children and business professionals looking to learn from the people who are working at what they love to do.

For information on the NFT Performing Arts Academy or the audition, visit www.noblefool.org/education, call (630) 364-0550, or email education@noblefool.org. Additional theater information may be obtained at www.noblefool.org.