Auditions set for new competition

If you’ve ever had a hankering to demonstrate your singing, dancing, juggling – or other talent – on-stage, there’s an opportunity coming up.

TALENT MARQUETTE is a talent competition for youth and adults sponsored by Lake Superior Youth Theatre and The Kaufman Auditorium.  The goals of this competition are twofold:  to showcase the remarkable amount of talent in the Marquette area by having an audience-judged talent competition and to raise money for both LSYT and for the fledgling Kaufman Players based at Kaufman Auditorium.  The funds raised at this event will be used to support the programming offered by these groups.

Talent Marquette LOGO 2

Lake Superior Youth Theatre, headed by Nikke Nason, has produced dozens of top-flight youth theatre productions including “The Little Mermaid”, “Beauty and the Beast”, “Cinderella”, “Honk Junior”, and many more.  Hundreds of area youth have gotten their first taste of theater under Nikke’s tutelage and many have gone on to perform at the high school and college levels and beyond.

The Kaufman Players is a new group geared toward  “graduates” of LSYT.  The Kaufman Players will produce community based productions at Kaufman Auditorium with an emphasis on participants high school aged and up.  The Kaufman Players will offer quality community based theater opportunities to adults, filling a niche currently unaddressed in the City of Marquette.  The Kaufman Players’ initial production will be “Ebenezer Scrooge” December 19-21.

“I am so excited that Kaufman Auditorium is going to host this event”, said Sara Cambensy, director of Kaufman Auditorium.  “There is so much talent in the area, I can’t wait to see who auditions.  We are also going to have a Gold Ticket seating and pre-show reception in the courtyard.  Regular tickets will be $10.00 each and Gold Tickets including premium seating and the pre-show reception will be priced at $25.00.  And I am doubly excited to produce ‘Ebenezer Scrooge’ here at Kaufman.  The community has been asking for ‘Ebenezer Scrooge’ to return and we are happy to be able to do that here at Kaufman.”

TALENT MARQUETTE is open to all area residents, aged 6 & up.  There will be four categories to compete in:  Youth Solo, Youth Group, Adult Solo, and Adult Group.  Any type of act is encouraged to audition.  Jugglers, singers, string ensembles, jazz bands, dramatic reading, solo or group dance routines, all are invited to participate.  The format will be much like the hit TV show “America’s Got Talent”, with auditions in front of a panel of celebrity judges including Adam Whitington determining which acts move on to the “live show” on Wednesday October 9th at 7 p.m. at Kaufman Auditorium.

Auditions are Friday, September 20th at 6-9pm and Sunday, September 22th at 3-6pm and will be held at Kaufman Auditorium.  Acts that move on will have one rehearsal at Kaufman and then compete in front of an audience.  The audience will be the final judge of which acts are the winners.  There will be a cash prize for the winner in each category.

There will be a nominal entry fee of $10.00 for Adult Solo acts, $5.00 for Youth Solo acts, $25.00 for Adult Group acts (up to 4–$5.00/person above 4), and $15.00 for Youth Group acts (up to 4–$5.00/person above 4).

Audition forms will be available to download at www.lsyt.org and must be returned at audition time.  Time slots can be scheduled online at

http://www.mysignup.com/talentmarquette or by calling (906) 362-6453.  Acts must provide own music/accompaniment.  A CD player and piano will be available.

For more information, please contact Marty Martello @ 906-869-3156 or martymartello@gmail.com or Nikke Nason @ 906-362-6453.