Public invited to audition for spring MC Theatre production of ‘Oliver!

Jan. 12, 2024

Shower singers and kitchen dancers, take note: An opportunity to possibly be a part of a Maryville College Theatre production arises next week.

The MC Theatre Department, under the guidance of Visiting Lecturer Andy Vaught, will hold general auditions for Lionel Bart’s “Oliver!” from 7-10 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, Jan. 22-23. Originally scheduled for Jan. 17 and 18, the open auditions were postponed due to inclement weather and hazardous road conditions. Callbacks will take place Jan. 24 and 31, Vaught said, and the open call for actors, singers and extras requires no previous stage experience.

“‘Oliver!’ is classic melodrama — the story of a young orphan who finds a better life through trial,” said Vaught, who added that the stage musical is based on the classic novel “Oliver Twist” by Charles Dickens.

“We chose it because it allows us to bring in a large, important segment of the community — younger actors,” he added. “We’re partnering with the Broadway Center for the Arts (in Maryville) to introduce them to both the play itself and to Maryville College. And for me personally, it’s my first musical on this big (Clayton Center for the Arts) stage, and it’s great to do one this well-known.”

With book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart, “Oliver!” opened in London in 1960, enjoyed a record-breaking run in the city’s West End theater district, was successful on Broadway, and was adapted for a 1968 film that won six Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

“It’s a musical people know, know even if they don’t know they know it,” Vaught said. “Songs they may not know from the title, they’ll recognize in this context. And to open it up to the community is awesome. We want those people interested in taking part to come out for auditions, and maybe they’ll get a chance to dress up and have a good time creating this world.”

Auditions will take place in the Haslam Family Flexible Theatre of the Clayton Center for the Arts on the MC campus. Although no previous theater experience is necessary, those auditioning will be required to read scenes from the play, and to bring in one song they intend to sing with accompanying sheet music. (Songs will be provided to those who don’t select one.) Rehearsals will begin March 3, and the show will be staged April 18-21 in the Ronald and Lynda Nutt Theatre of the Clayton Center. 

Auditions are by appointment; email Vaught at andy.vaught@maryvillecollege.edu to schedule a slot.

“Maryville College is always interested in finding ways to bring the community in to be a part of what we do,” Vaught added. “For those who want to come audition for us and help us tell this story, it’s a big opportunity for them to see how Maryville College represents a place where people are accepted, people are welcomed, and people are treated well. That’s a big theme of our 2023-24 season.” 

Maryville College is a nationally-ranked institution of higher learning and one of America’s oldest colleges. For more than 200 years we’ve educated students to be giving citizens and gifted leaders, to study everything, so that they are prepared for anything — to address any problem, engage with any audience and launch successful careers right away. Located in Maryville, Tennessee, between the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the city of Knoxville, Maryville College offers nearly 1,200  students from around the world both the beauty of a rural setting and the advantages of an urban center, as well as more than 60 majors, seven pre-professional programs and career preparation from their first day on campus to their last. Today, our 10,000 alumni are living life strong of mind and brave of heart and are prepared, in the words of our Presbyterian founder, to “do good on the largest possible scale.”