EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS: THE MEDIA THEATRE'S 'SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER'

The Media Theatre has "Saturday Night Fever: The Musical" live on stage now through June 9. The show is based on the classic 1977 film that catapulted John Travolta into super-stardom and kept disco alive with huge (and still relevant) hits from The Bee Gees.

It focuses on Tony Manero, a Brooklyn youth whose weekend is spent at the local disco. There he luxuriates in the admiration of the crowd and a growing relationship with Stephanie Mangano, and can temporarily forget the realities of his life, including a dead-end job in a paint store and his gang of deadbeat friends. 

Take a look at these exclusive photos and join the audiences who are "Stayin' Alive" by getting tickets at mediatheatre.org or call 610-891-0100. Group rates available. 

"Saturday Night Fever" is directed by Jesse Cline, with choreography by Christian Ryan, and music direction by Ben Kapilow. GET TICKETS

PHOTOS BY MAURA MCCONNELL

JESSE CORBIN IS TONY MANERO

JESSE CORBIN AS TONY, WITH MELISSA RAPELJE AS STEPHANIE

TONY (JESSE CORBIN) DANCES THE NIGHT AWAY

CANDY (TAMARA DELLA ANDERSON) PERFORMS AT THE DISCO

BOBBY (RONNIE KELLER) CONTEMPLATES HIS FUTURE

MORE DANCIN' FROM TONY (JESSE CORBIN) AND THE DISCO CROWD

TONY IS 'STAYIN' ALIVE' IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

TONY AND STEPHANIE FIND EACH OTHER ON THE DANCE FLOOR

MEDIA THEATRE 'MATILDA' YOUTH AUDITIONS APRIL 27

The Media Theatre is holding Youth Auditions for "Matilda: The Musical" on Saturday April 27 from 9am to 1pm.

Inspired by the twisted genius of Roald Dahl, the Tony Award-winning Matilda: The Musical is the captivating masterpiece that revels in the anarchy of childhood, the power of imagination and the inspiring story of a girl who dreams of a better life. 

Matilda is a little girl with astonishing wit, intelligence, and psychokinetic powers. She's unloved by her cruel parents but impresses her schoolteacher, the highly loveable Miss Honey. Matilda's school life isn't completely smooth sailing, however – the school's mean headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, hates children and just loves thinking up new punishments for those who don't abide by her rules. But Matilda has courage and cleverness in equal amounts, and could be the school pupils' saving grace!

The Media Theatre is holding upcoming auditions for youth roles and youth ensemble for their fall production of Matilda The Musical on Saturday, April 27 from 9am to 1pm.

(The Media Theatre will also seek a youth ensemble for "Elf: The Musical" at same auditions)

Those interested in should take a look at the breakdown below and prepare 16 to 32 bars of uptempo music (singing from the show is encouraged, but not required). Please bring sheet music in the appropriate key. There will be a movement/dance call, please bring clothes that are easy to move in.

The show performs October 2-27. Youth rehearsals will include two or three rehearsals in mid-to-late August, and regularly scheduled rehearsals will begin in September.

Seeking the following roles:

THE “LITTLE KIDS”

All  roles listed below must believably be able to play Ages 7 to 14 and have a strong understanding of solo vocal and dance technique. 

MATILDA (Female)(Can play Age 7-10): Preferably under 4’5”. A clever girl who is wise beyond her years. Very strong solo vocalist and clear acting ability. Major memorization required.  Ability to adapt dialect. Vocal range: A3 to D5.

BRUCE BOGTROTTER (Male)(Can play Age 7-14) Matilda‘s classmate. Preferably under 4’10”. Preferred unbroken voice. Strong vocal solo in “Revolting Children” song. Comedic acting.

Vocal range: C4 to E5.

LAVENDER (Female) (Can play Age 7-10) Matilda‘s classmate and friend. Preferably under 4’9”. Big personality. Strong dance.

HORTENSIA, ALICE & AMANDA (All Female) (Can play Age 7-14) Matilda‘s classmates. Preferably under 4’9”. Strong dance and vocal ability.

ERIC, NIGEL, & TOMMY (All Male)(Can play Age 7-14) Matilda‘s classmates. Preferably under 4’9”. Preferred unbroken voice. Strong dance and vocal ability.

THE “BIG KIDS”

All roles listed below must believably be able to play Ages 14-18. These teenagers must look visibly older than the “Little Kids”. These teenagers should already be trained in dance and voice and have a strong stage presence. 

MICHAEL WORMWOOD (Male)(Can play Age 10-16) Matilda‘s older brother. Not very bright. Age varies. Small spoken role. Limited dance and singing.

BIG KID ENSEMBLE (3 Male, 3 Female) (Must play Ages 14-18). Upperclassmen at school. Vocal solos. Trained singers and dancers.

Adult auditions to be posted a later time. Questions? Email Roger at rer764@gmail.com.

"Matilda" is directed by Jesse Cline; Music Director is Ben Kapilow; Choreography is by Christian Ryan.

2019-2020 BROADWAY SERIES AUDITIONS FOR ADULTS ARE MON/ TUES JUNE 3 AND JUNE 4

MEDIA THEATRE HAS 'VOCALIST' AUDITIONS MONDAY MAY 13

The Media Theatre is having “Vocalist” and “Vocalist Junior” auditions on Monday May 13 at 6pm. Seeking singers for “Vocalist” (ages 14-24) and “Junior” (ages 7-13). The contests are sponsored by Iron Workers Bank.

“The Vocalist” and “Vocalist Junior” are representative of the The Media Theatre’s mission of professional music theatre. The summer contest event sets the tone for The Media Theatre’s focus on musicals and music theatre education. It is produced by Media Music Theatre Company, the professional non-profit music theatre organization which has a full season each year with its Broadway Series and youth programming.

John Whitig, of Iron Workers Bank, at The Vocalist contest. Iron Workers Bank sponsors The Media Theatre's annual summer competition.

Auditions for “The Vocalist” and “Vocalist Junior” will be held Monday May 13 at 6pm. The competitions are held in front of large general public audiences for five weeks in July and August. The contest gives young performers in both age groups an opportunity to hone their skills by actually performing for live audiences, and then receiving feedback from Artistic Director Jesse Cline after performing.

Cline and guest judges, who appear on a rotation basis each week, judge each vocalist on a point system in the categories of Vocal Ability, Song Interpretation, and Stage Presence. Cline has an extra category, Individualism, which is based on each competitor’s overall unique ability.

The contest has produced several performers who have gone on to appear in professional productions at The Media Theatre and at other regional theatres, including Ava Briglia who was a top five placer during “Vocalist Junior” and was in Broadway’s hit show “Matilda”, playing the title role. Jamai, who is from Chester, PA, was also a contestant a few years ago and appeared on NBC’s “The Voice”.

Both age groups may audition on the same day and will be placed in the proper category according to their age. “The Vocalist” is for ages 14-24 while “Vocalist Junior” is for ages 7-13. The actual contests begin on stage in front of a live audience in July.

The winner of “The Vocalist” and “The Vocalist Junior” will receive a cash prize to assist in furthering their education or career. Iron Workers Bank sponsors the competition.

“The Vocalist” will take place for three-to-five weeks this summer starting July 10. (The length of the contest depends on how many contestants we have) 

“Junior” will have a competition starting on July 7. The contest will be either four or five weeks, dependent on how many contestants we have. 

There is a $25 registration fee for the auditions at The Media Theatre. All auditioning must bring sheet music for the pianist. Any audition song is acceptable for both age groups.

REGISTER HERE and use a credit card for the $25 fee, or register at the door the night of the auditions. No appointments; the auditions are held in order of ‘sign-up’. Please email Roger at rer764@gmail.com with questions, or call 610-891-0100.

THE MEDIA THEATRE HAS A MUSICAL 'ALICE IN WONDERLAND' SUNDAYS AT NOON THRU MAY

Sundays at Noon through the month of May, Alice will chase a rabbit, fall down a hole, and get smaller and larger while meeting all types of crazy characters. Will you follow her? It's time for a new musical version of "Alice In Wonderland" at The Media Theatre, based on Lewis Carroll's classic. GET TICKETS

Ben Kapilow (Broadway World Award winner) wrote the brand new score to Tim Haney's revised script based on Lewis Carroll's tale.  Roger Ricker directs, and Carol Sorensen's bright costumes enliven the hour long show for all ages.

The show includes audience participation during the Croquet Game, and plenty of humor, plus a rap number from The Caterpillar (complete with an ensemble of bugs).

Media Theatre's New School students and Acting Class participants portray everything from the White Rabbit to Singing Flowers in this madcap adventure.

Tickets are $12 for children ages 12 and under; $15 for ages 12 to adults. Group rates available! 

Call The Media Theatre at 610-891-0100 or visit mediatheatre.org for tickets. 

THE MEDIA THEATRE HAS YOUTH AUDITIONS FOR 'MATILDA' MUSICAL APRIL 27

The Media Theatre has Youth Auditions for MATILDA April 27 from 9am to 1pm.

YOUTH AUDITIONS FOR ‘MATILDA’

MATILDA the MUSICAL – YOUTH AUDITIONS
director: JESSE CLINE
musical direction: BEN KAPILOW
choreographer: CHRISTIAN RYAN

The Media Theatre is holding upcoming auditions for youth roles and youth ensemble for their fall production of Matilda The Musical on Saturday, April 27 from 9am to 1pm. 

Those interested in should take a look at the breakdown below and prepare 16 to 32 bars of uptempo music (singing from the show is encouraged, but not required). Please bring sheet music in the appropriate key. There will be a movement/dance call, please bring clothes that are easy to move in.

REHEARSALS: Begin mid-August for the Youth Cast, continue through Oct. 1.
PERFORMANCES: Oct. 2-27

THE “LITTLE KIDS”
All roles listed below must believably be able to play Ages 7 to 14 and have a strong understanding of solo vocal and dance technique.
MATILDA (Female)(Can play Age 7-10): Preferrably under 4’5”. Clever girl who is wise beyond her years. Very strong solo vocalist and clear acting ability. Major memorization required. Ability to adapt dialect. Vocal range: A3 to D5.
BRUCE BOGTROTTER (Male)(Can play Age 7-14) Matilda‘s classmate. Preferrably under 4’10”. Preferred unbroken voice. Strong vocal solo in “Revolting Children” song. Comedic acting.
Vocal range: C4 to E5.
LAVENDER (Female) (Can play Age 7-10) Matilda‘s classmate and friend. Preferrably under 4’9”. Big personality. Strong dance.
HORTENSIA, ALICE & AMANDA (All Female) (Can play Age 7-14) Matilda‘s classmates. Preferrably under 4’9”. Strong dance and vocal ability.
ERIC, NIGEL, & TOMMY (All Male)(Can play Age 7-14) Matilda‘s classmates. Preferrably under 4’9”. Preferred unbroken voice. Strong dance and vocal ability.

THE “BIG KIDS”
All roles listed below must believably be able to play Ages 14-18. These teenagers must look visibly older than the “Little Kids”. These teenagers should already be trained in dance and voice and have a strong stage presence.
MICHAEL WORMWOOD (Male)(Can play Age 10-16) Matilda‘s older brother. Not very bright. Age varies. Small spoken role. Limited dance and singing.
BIG KID ENSEMBLE (3 Male, 3 Female) (Must play Ages 14-18). Upper classmen at school. Vocal solos. Trained singers and dancers.

Questions? Email Roger at rer764@gmail.com.

2019-2020 BROADWAY SERIES AUDITIONS FOR ADULTS ARE MON/ TUES JUNE 3 AND JUNE 4