**11th October 2025: All Children auditions have now entered recall stages and are in the final stages of casting. Thank you to everyone who’s auditioned so far – we’ve loved you sharing your talents with us**
Children’s auditions
For the Kids: Your Big Audition!
We’re so excited to see you at the auditions!
This musical is packed with incredible kid characters like Charlie Bucket, Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt, Violet Beauregard, and Mike Teavee. It’s your chance to show us what an awesome performer you are.
You must be aged 9 to 18 years old on the 1st April 2026 to audition.
Get Ready to Shine!
Your first-round audition will be in person on Sunday, October 5th, 2025, in Cambridge. You can book a slot at either 11am, 1:30pm, or 4pm.
If we’d like to see you again, we’ll invite you to a special recall audition on Saturday, October 18th, or Sunday, October 19th. These will happen between 12pm and 7pm, so make sure you’re free on those days. We’ll send you everything you need to prepare ahead of time.
Once you get a part, you’ll be on one of two teams. Each team will get at least three chances to perform on stage during the show’s run in April. You’ll also get to be an understudy for the other team, which means you’ll be ready to jump in and perform if anyone from the other team needs a break. It’s a very important job!
For the Adults: Information on the Children’s Auditions
Thank you for your interest in our production. Below are the key details regarding the children’s auditions.
Audition Requirements
Children must be aged 9 to 18 years old on the 1st April 2026 to audition.
Audition and Recall Schedule
Recall auditions will take place on Saturday, October 18th, and Sunday, October 19th, from 12pm to 7pm. It is essential that your child is available to attend the recalls on this weekend if invited. While we will do our best to accommodate time preferences, we cannot guarantee specific slots. If your child is invited to a recall, we will send the necessary materials in advance.
Performance and Understudy Information
There will be two teams of children for this production. Each team is guaranteed to have at least three performances. Performance dates will be assigned to each team once the cast list has been announced, allowing families and friends to purchase tickets in advance. We anticipate high demand for some performances, so we recommend booking early.
During the production week, children will serve as understudies for the opposite team. While there is no requirement for children to be at the theatre when they are not performing, we ask parents and carers to ensure their children are well-rested and can be brought to the theatre if needed.
Rehearsals
Rehearsals for all adults & children will start from 2nd January 2026 on the following days:
Wednesdays & Fridays, 7pm – 9.30pm
Sundays, 11am – 5pm (mostly in January and March towards show time)
There will be a full-day (10am – 5pm tbc) rehearsal for Children on Friday 2nd January 2026 that all Children must be available to attend.
Please do think carefully before auditioning if you can commit to our rehearsal schedule. We recognise that life can get in the way, but we do expect cast members to be able to attend all rehearsals.
Production Fees
Children Production fees will be £200. A souvenir t-shirt, programme, poster and water bottle is also included with the production fee, in addition to memorabilia production photos from the dress rehearsal.
We want every child who dreams of being on stage to have that chance. While there is a £200 performance fee, we also recognise that this can be a substantial amount. Please know that we have bursaries available for families who may find the fee difficult to manage. If your child is offered a role in the production we encourage you to contact us to learn more about how we can help.
What your child will get:
- Weekly rehearsals and training over 12 weeks with a professional Director, Choreographer & Musical Director
- Chance to perform on the Cambridge Corn Exchange stage in front of 1100 audience members at each performance
- Performance in a fully-stage production
- Cast T-Shirt, Souvenir Programme, Souvenir Poster, and dress-rehearsal photos
- Licensed chaperones during show week to look after and supervise your child
Our commitment to an inclusive cast
Our stage is for everyone. We want our productions to reflect the diverse people in our communities, so we especially welcome performers from the Global Majority, as well as trans and non-binary artists. Talent doesn’t come in one shape, age, or style, so we’re excited to see applications from people of all generations and from those who are neurodiverse. What matters most to us is creating a cast that feels authentic, welcoming, and inclusive in our mission to produce professional quality theatre with the local talent here in Cambridge and surrounding areas.