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The Court House Players

Community Theater

Auditions for Crickets on a Hill are this Sunday, January 18

Crickets on a hill logo social
Auditions for Crickets on a Hill will be at 3 p.m. on Sunday, January 18, at Cobbs Creek Art Center, 61 Cobbs Creek Lane, Cobbs Creek.

People aged 12 and older who would like to audition for a singing role must be ready to sing about 1 minute of a prepared song that shows their voice and range. Bring Karaoke-type background music on a CD, iPod, or cell phone. There are also non-singing roles. See link below to complete audition form, or get one at the door on the 18th.

We're excited to announce that Courthouse Community Orchestra is collaborating with CHP and the VA250 Committee on this production.  Dave Shuber, who collaborated with Judy Ward on the original show and has since orchestrated the music, recently guest conducted the orchestra during its introduction to the music.  A clip from that rehearsal, featuring parts of two different songs, can be seen here.

Crickets is a peek into local colonial life, populated by fictional and factual  characters. It is being performed as part of Mathews County's VA250 celebration.

The show tells of driving out the last Royal Governor of Virginia in the first skirmish after the Declaration of Independence was signed--a land/sea battle that took place on what is today Mathews  County soil.

Judy Ward’s original story centers on Ethan, a young man torn between his love of Virginia and a future at Oxford Law School in England. Also weighing on his mind is his budding romance with Amy. The young couple is surrounded by community members, British soldiers, and Virginia Militia men.

In this new expanded version, additional characters have been added, creating more opportunities for women and children to participate. Youth from 12 and up will have active roles throughout the production, with limited opportunities for children in the 6-11 range. And, as in the original, MEN of all ages are needed.

Colonial Kingston Parish had a significant number of African Americans, as it does today. There were also black men among the British Troops, fighting for promised freedom. Although one of the central characters in this story is a free black man, most people of color during that period were enslaved. This story has no depictions of slavery, no glimpse of work on the plantations of the day. However, people of color would certainly have been present in the general community scenes. We would like for our fictional players to represent that aspect of the very real history.

The online audition registration form for Crickets on a Hill is available here.

Click here for more information about the show.

Audition guidelines

CHP holds open auditions for all of its productions, and we encourage new and experienced actors to try out. We do NOT pre-cast our shows because we want to give everyone a fair shot. Click here for a list of tips for auditioning for our Musicals and Plays.

Audition dates and times are announced on this website and via email, Facebook and the newspaper.

If you would like to stay up-to-date on audition opportunities, join our email list or Facebook page, linked at the bottom of the page. If you have a conflict with the audition date listed, please contact us to see if other dates are available. As always, feel free to contact us any time with questions you may have.

We look forward to seeing you in our next production!