Local tryouts & auditions

• "Billy Elliot The Musical" has open auditions for boys ages 9-12 on Saturday, Sept. 12, and for girls ages 9-12 on Sunday, Sept. 13, at the Lou Conte Dance Studio, 1147 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago. Boys must be a maximum height of 4-feet 10-inches and possess strong dance, ballet and/or tap skills and unbroken voices. Girls must have strong tap and good ballet skills. Girls should bring sheet music to sing. More information can be found at bebilly.com.

• The North Shore Choral Society has auditions by appointment for its 2009-10 season at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15, at Trinity Lutheran Church, 3637 Golf Road, Evanston. Call (847) 272-2351 or visit northshorechoral.org.

• Noble Fool Theatricals seeks young actors between the ages of 8 to 18 for its Youth Ensemble Show of "Disney's Sleeping Beauty." Open auditions are from 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 13, at Pheasant Run Resort & Spa, 4051 E. Main St., St. Charles. Visit noblefool.org/education or call (630) 443-0438.

• Auditions for the Improv Playhouse Teen Improv Ensemble are at 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 13, at 116 W. Lake St., Libertyville. Call (847) 968-4529 or improvplayhouse.com for more information.

• Illinois artists are invited to submit applications to the Illinois State Museum Artisans Program for arts and crafts (including folk, traditional, contemporary, ethnic and more). The deadline for submissions is Saturday, Sept. 12. Visit museum.state.il.us/artisans for details.

• General auditions for College of DuPage Student Theatre's fall productions of "Dracula" and "Plaza Suite" are at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11, in the Studio Theatre of the McAninch Arts Center, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn. Auditions for both shows are cold readings. Call (630) 942-4000.

• Artists are sought to enter "Recent Works 2009," the 28th Annual Juried Exhibit for Lake County Artists at the Robert T. Wright Community Gallery of Art at the College of Lake County. The deadline to submit entry forms is 3 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11, at 19351 W. Washington St., Grayslake. Visit gallery.clcillinois.edu or call (847) 543-2240 for exhibit rules and more information.

• Elgin Community College has auditions by appointment for Eduardo Machado's Cuban-American comedy "Broken Eggs" from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, in Room 284D in the Visual and Performing Arts Center, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin. Call (847) 622-0300.

• Albright Theatre Company has auditions for James Goldman's drama "The Lion in Winter" at 7:30 p.m. Sunday and Monday, Sept. 13 and 14, at the Batavia Government Center, 100 N. Island Ave., Batavia. Call (630) 406-8838 for more information.

• The Barrington Cultural Arts Center is a new organization holding an informational meeting for those interested in forming a Barrington community theater group at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 16, at the Barrington Area Library, 121-B Barrington Commons Court, Barrington. Visit barringtonculturalartscenter.org or call (847) 387-3583 for more information.

• The Des Plaines School of Dance seeks new members, ages 9 and above, for its in-house tap company Rhythm in Motion. Auditions are from 1:30 to 3:15 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, at the Administrative and Leisure Center, 2222 Birch St., Des Plaines. Dancers must be registered in a Des Plaines School of Dance tap class. Call (847) 391-5700 or visit desplainesparks.org for more information.

• The Des Plaines Park District Footlighters Theatre Company has auditions for actors, singers and dancers (ages 7-18) for its December production of "Scrooge The Musical" from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, at the Prairie Lakes Community Center, 515 E. Thacker St., Des Plaines. Those cast must pay a standard program fee between $80-$100. Call (847) 391-5700 to schedule an audition, or visit desplainesparks.org for more information.

• Noble Fool Theatricals Performing Arts Academy seeks teenagers ages 13-18 to audition for its Youth Ensemble's production of "It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play" from 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 20, and from 4 to 9 p.m. Monday, Sept. 21, at Pheasant Run Resort & Spa, 4051 E. Main St., St. Charles. Visit noblefool.org/education or call (630) 443-0438 for more information.

• Dancenter North seeks gymnasts, adult men and women and boys aged 8-15 to help fill out specialty roles in its production of "The Magic of the Nutcracker." Gymnasts must be no taller than 5 feet and their audition date and time is 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 20. Adults needed for the "Party Scene" audition at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 20. All auditions are at 540 N. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville. Call (847) 367-7970 or visit dancenter-north.com.

• High school and college students are invited to enter the Recycled Art Contest for the first-ever Cantigny Green Fair to be held on Saturday, Sept. 26. The deadline for entry is Monday, Sept. 21. Visit cantigny.org or call (630) 260-8266 for more information.

• The Buffalo Grove Arts Commission has auditions for young performers in second through eighth grade to perform in its fourth annual Little Limelight Cafe to be held at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16. Auditions are by appointment only and from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2, at Tripp School, 850 Highland Grove Drive, Buffalo Grove. Deadline for appointments is Friday, Sept. 25. Call (847) 459-2518 or visit vbg.org/arts.

• The 29th annual Carey Rose Winski Dance Scholarship Competition is at 11 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 4, at the Lou Conte Dance Studio, 1147 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago. The competition is open to any U.S. dancer between the ages of 13 and 18. Competitors participate in a one-hour classical warmup class and perform two three-minute solos in classical ballet and a modern style (no tap). For more information, write to the Carey Rose Winski Memorial Foundation Inc., 69 Woodley Road, Winnetka, IL 60093.

• Lukaba Productions' "Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival" is accepting applications until Thursday, Oct. 15, for its ninth annual festival at the Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. Details and application forms are at chicagosketchfest.com.

• The Volo Bog State Natural Area is seeking print entries for its 23rd Annual Nature Photo Contest. The contest is open to all amateur photographers who derive less than $5,000 of their gross income from the sale of nature photographs. The entry deadline is 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22. Visit FriendsofVoloBog.org for more information on categories and other details.

• Nov. 10 is the postmark deadline for Polarity Ensemble Theatre's Dionysos Cup, a Festival of New Plays. Four full-length plays are to be selected for staged readings in May 2010. There are no restrictions on subject or style. Visit pettheatre.com for more details.

• The 13th Annual Scotch Brand Most Gifted Wrapper Contest seeks entrants for its contest held on Friday, Dec. 4, in New York City at Rockefeller Center. Visit ScotchBrand.com for rules and requirements.