In person auditions are strongly encouraged for the benefit of both you and our directing teams, however, we understand families sometimes have conflicts with our audition dates. If you would like to submit a video audition you may film a video of your student singing 60 seconds or less of a song of their choice and, if applicable, them dancing 60 seconds or less of a choreographed routine. The audition video should be emailed to the production coordinator for the specific show in which you are auditioning no later than the day of the audition by 12:00 noon. 

Casting a show is a complex process. We want to help you understand some of the factors that go into casting decisions.
There are some things you can do absolutely nothing about which may have a bearing on casting. These include your height, the height of others, your vocal range, what specific parts are available in a particular production, the sizes of previously constructed costumes as well as a myriad of other uncontrollable factors.
However, there are some things you can do that may affect the outcome of your audition.

• PREPARATION: Prepare the best audition that you can. For callbacks, research the show and learn about the parts. If sides are provided, work with them until your callback.
• BEHAVIOR: Directors want to work with people who behave well, and they may ask your Chapter Coordinator and others about you. Don’t harm your chances of being cast in a show by exhibiting poor behavior in class, at rehearsals, at shows, and even at auditions and callbacks.
• PARENTS: This is also good advice for parents.  Don’t harm your student’s chances by exhibiting poor character or behavior.   Your behavior is also factored into difficult casting decisions.
• VOCAL TRAINING: Take CYT classes and/or private voice instruction to improve your vocal range and performance.
• DANCE TRAINING: Lack of dance ability often keeps good singers and actors from getting parts in musical theater. Take CYT classes and/or dance instruction to improve your skills.    
• READINGS: Show the director good character development and appropriate emotion at callbacks.

Good advice:  do what you can do, don’t worry about what you can’t do, and leave the final decision to the Lord!

ATTENDANCE POLICY
Rehearsals & Performances
Cast members are required to be present and on time for all rehearsals. Arrive 10 minutes early. You will be asked to sign in at all rehearsals. At auditions you will have the opportunity on your forms to tell the Artistic Team about any planned absences, such as scheduled family vacations. If you have any unexcused absences, you will be taken out of the scene being taught, and may possibly be removed from the production. Note: Taking a cast member out of rehearsal early is the same as an absence and needs to be planned just like any other absence.

Cast attendance is mandatory for Tech Week and ALL performances. Arrive 10 minutes early for all call times. If you have an emergency, and will be late or will miss a rehearsal or performance, you must CALL your Production Coordinator. No emails or texts.

Important Note: Regardless of reason, excused or unexcused, if a cast member misses rehearsal (or is late for rehearsal or leaves rehearsal early), unless it was previously stated AT AUDITIONS - there is a strong possibility that they will be cut from any scenes that were rehearsed that day. This is NOT a punishment; it is simply a natural consequence of the pace of our rehearsal schedule. New material is learned each week and then we move on. We don’t have the time to back up and re-teach material for cast members who were not present.

Illness 
In order to have productive rehearsals, each student needs to be well enough to fully participate. If you student is sick or contagious with fever, strep throat, conjunctivitis (Pink Eye), Chicken Pox, flu, rash or a cold with excessive sneezing or coughing, keep them home. Please make sure your student is free of contagious illness for 24 hours before returning to rehearsals.

If your student needs to miss a rehearsal due to illness, they must call your Production Coordinator the day prior, or as soon as possible, to be excused. If your student misses rehearsal more than two times due to illness, it will be evaluated by the artistic team whether they will need to be pulled from a scene. This is not a punishment; it is the nature of the pace of our rehearsal schedule.

Inclement Weather 
In the event of inclement weather and/or poor road conditions, classes/rehearsals may be canceled for the safety of our students. Cancellations due to weather will be posted on our website: www.cytkc.org. Many times the weather may be dangerous in the mornings, but by class/rehearsal time, road conditions are fine. A decision will be made by 3pm regarding any cancellation of evening activities. If class/rehearsal is canceled for any reason, an email will be sent to all participants. Updates can also be found on CYT’s website: www.cytkc.org, as well as on our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages. We always encourage checking our website first for the most up-to-date cancellation information.
Please note: CYT Kansas City does not credit, refund, or pro-rate tuition for classes canceled due to inclement weather.

CHOOSING TO DROP A SHOW POLICY
It is the policy of Christian Youth Theater Kansas City that if an actor auditions for a show and is cast, they must accept the role they are given. If the actor chooses not to participate in the production following the cast list being posted, they may NOT audition for another area’s show in the same session. That actor will also NOT be considered for a principle role in the next production they audition.  In addition, this action may be considered in future casting decisions and any written references. Not only is dropping a show unprofessional, it is disrespectful to the directors, cast members, and above all to the craft of theatre itself.

PRODUCTION FEES
Production Fees are one of the five sources of income that support each production. The others are ticket sales, concessions, special activities and advertisements. Production Fees are the seed money to get the production rolling. Production fees are paid online, using your CYT account.

The Production Fee is a one-time fee per student of $175 (siblings $155). The Production Fee includes one (1) show shirt, one (1) DVD per family, and four (4) tickets to the show. Cast members are also expected to assist with ticket sales by inviting classmates, teachers, family, and friends to purchase tickets. We have tried to incorporate as many expenses into the fee as possible in order to cut down on other requests for money during the production process.

Special Arrangements
While we think the Production Fee is a great value, we understand that it can be a daunting amount, especially for families that have multiple children in the production. We do not want to prohibit anyone from being part of a CYT production. If you would like to discuss special arrangements/payment plan options, please contact the CYT office at (913) 681-3318.