Get Involved

Running to Places (R2P) is a youth community theatre company that brings together middle & high school students from across the area. We're in the business of youth development, helping raise our community's children and making excellent theatre in the process.

In R2P, you will have a great time doing theatre, learn a lot of practical skills you’ll use whether or not you ever do theatre again, make some great new friends, and make a difference to your community.

Is R2P committed to casting consciously? Does R2P value cultivating a diverse company in terms of race, ethnicity, sexuality and gender expression, religious identity, ability, and celebrating each other onstage and off?

In a word: YES.

Click here for R2P’s Diversity Policy, adopted by our Board of Directors (Sept 2019)

YES! Once upon a time there was a fee for participation – as much as $500 per student! 😳 But not anymore!

Participation in R2P is entirely FREE! As an organization, we have dedicated ourselves to our founding principle of universal accessibility and torn down all financial barriers to entry – from the students onstage and off to our audiences who we welcome at no cost!

This is only possible thanks to our generous sponsors and donors. We depend on the generosity of our community – friends, families, and neighbors. If you can spare a few dollars per month, please become an R2Patron today.

Working in theatre will give you skills and experiences in areas that you’ll benefit from your whole life including:

* Self-confidence

* Self-expression

* Working under pressure with a deadline

* Taking and assimilating direction quickly and gracefully

* Improvising when the unexpected (inevitably) happens

* Poise speaking in front of others

* Time management and self-discipline

* Valuing your contributions as an individual and to a team

Not to mention:

* Making tons of new friends

* Surrounding yourself with a supportive community that will celebrate you being you!

If you go on to pursue theatre, you’ll have training in acting, singing, dancing, plus an understanding of best-practices for the industry; if you are doing it just to have a lot of fun, you’ll get that, too!

First thing you have to do is just show up! Walking in the door to audition can seem scary at first, but we promise to be the friendliest people you’ll ever audition for. After that, you’ll need to show up as called for rehearsals and, of course, performances. We work fast – typically rehearsing a show in less time than a typical school show. You’re expected to put in work on your own time memorizing lines, practicing dances, etc. We’ll make sure you have the tools you need to do all that, though.

If you’re looking to be onstage, it takes auditioning; if you’re interested in working on other aspects of the production, it just takes letting us know. We don’t cut anyone and there is no fee to participate. (Although we rely on the generosity of our community to sustain our work, so donations are gratefully accepted).

* For R2P in general, be in grades 6-12. This round of auditions for Chicago specifically are for students only in grades 9-12 due to the show’s technical complexity and more mature themes.

Show up. That's it. Simply walk in the door for the auditions. No one is cut no matter how your audition goes. No experience? Fine. Forget the words? No worries, we’ve all been there. Explode in a ball of nervous flames? It’s all good – you’ll still be offered a place in a show, and we’ll teach you skills that will help it go better next time. Meanwhile – Just. Show. Up. :)

You are. You don't have to be perfect. You don't need any experience or special skills. You just need to show up.

But I'm nervous!

Understandable. It's okay to be nervous. We promise to be nicer than you are nervous. Just show up.

But I'm not as prepared for the audition as I should be!

So what! You'll get better at all this with some practice – and you will get practice once you're doing shows with us, which you automatically will be no matter how your audition goes as long as you simply… show up. :)

This round of auditions is to cast the legendary Broadway smash: CHICAGO! Due to the complexity of the material and some mature themes, this show is for those in grades 9-12 only. We will be doing an adapted version of the show specifically designed to be performed by younger actors. You are encouraged to do your own research and have a discussion at home before auditioning for this show.

The auditions will consist of singing, acting, and dancing.

The singing and acting will take place during individual 5-minute slots. You will sing roughly 30-60 seconds of a song of your choice (around 16-32 measures) and perform a 30-60 second memorized monologue. You may be asked to sing some scales, and we'll probably chat a little.

The dancing will take place in a group. As a group, you will learn a short dance combination suitable for dancers of all levels, rehearse it several times, and then perform it in groups a couple of times for the directors.

We may hold a second round of dance “callbacks” toward the end of the block, where we bring some folks back in for more advanced choreography.

You can choose songs from musicals (including movie musicals!) For ideas, ask your smartphone to “play some Broadway show tunes” or listen to The Best of Broadway on 91.7 WICB every Sunday morning from 10am-12pm. You can find monologues in plays, books, movies or TV shows. The library and the good old interwebs are great places to look.

In case you need a head start looking for materials, we've created a page with songs and monologues that you are welcome to use. There is neither any advantage nor disadvantage to using one of the pieces from the R2P website – we just want to take out as much stress for you as possible. PRO-TIP: Time your monologue by saying it OUT-LOUD — you'll be surprised how short a paragraph of text it takes to be in that sweet 30-60 second range.

We'll be looking for you to be audible, interesting, and confident. Even if you're nervous, pretend you're not (it's about acting after all!), and we won't know the difference. You should know who you are talking/singing to and why. What are you trying to convince them of? What effect do you want to have on them by saying this? A song is just a monologue that you act while singing – remember that it’s not just about the notes, but also how the character feels. You should have your songs and monologue memorized. During the dance audition, sure we are interested in dance ability, but also a good attitude, the willingness to learn, and a commitment to trying.

We typically rehearse on Sundays from 1-9pm (with a 45 minute dinner break) and Tuesday/Thursdays from 5:30-9:00pm. HOWEVER – most people are not called for most of the time – we only call people for the specific things we’ll be rehearsing at any given time. So for example, we might call you from 2:30-3:45pm to rehearse the number we’re working on, but you wouldn’t be called for the rest of the day if you’re not in the scenes/songs we’re working on during those times. These rehearsals generally go on for about 9 or 10 weeks.

The week of the show, everyone is call for the full time. Tech week rehearsals usually consist of a few hours on the Saturday before the show to “load-in” (setting up the scenery, bringing in the costumes, etc.) and then 1-9pm on Sunday. Weekdays are generally daily rehearsals from 5:00-9:30pm until the show opens.

We let people know the schedule as we go along – publishing the schedule too far in advance is only a recipe for schedules getting out of date when things we work on take longer than expected, when conflicts appear, or because we shift priorities of what to work on next. You should be able to attend all or most rehearsals that you are called for, including ALL technical rehearsals and performances, including post-show strike (where we take everything apart and put it all away).

We’re recommending auditioning in person if possible – we’ll be able get a better sense of you in the room, since theatre is all about performing live, after all.

If you’re not able to make it, you may submit a video. Please email info@runningtoplaces.org for more information on how to submit an audition by video.

We’ve been doing this for a long time. We will consider your strengths and the needs of the shows across the season. If you let us know that you’re only available for one show, and we think that show isn’t a good fit for you, we may offer you a place in a different show. It's our job to put people in the places we feel they will have the most success, and that might even mean offering you a place in a show that you didn’t expect.

Yes. We don't cut anyone and work hard to find the best match for each person within the season. Everyone is offered a place in at least one performance per season. You don't necessarily get to pick which show you are offered. We do our best to find the place where we feel you will have the most success.

Because this is a late-in-the-season audition and there is only one show left in the current season, not everyone who auditions will be offered a spot in this production. Additionally, actors in grades 9-12 from the casts of JAMES, BIG FISH and PINOCCHIO may be cast again – but are not guaranteed so during this current season. However, anyone who is not cast this round will not need to re-audition again in the summer – you will be automatically moved forward to casting or callbacks for next season.

Callbacks are another round of auditions in which we have people sing and/or read material for particular roles from shows being cast. A callback for one role might actually serve for several similar roles in a show, so being called back for a particular role doesn’t mean you are auditioning just for that role.

If you do not receive a callback it DOES NOT mean you are not cast in a show. We only have so much time for callbacks, and we use it to find out what we don’t yet know and need to figure out in terms of appropriate castings. We also sometimes call people back for a variety of educational reasons, such as gaining the experience of auditioning alongside others. Please do not try to read too much into callbacks – there are lots of reasons why someone is or is not called back for a particular role, or at all.

Callback will be held on March 24, 1-5pm at the Just Be Cause Center (1013 West State St., Ithaca - directions)

Don't envy the people doing the casting. While it's a wonderful job (getting to see and hear courageous young people lay it all on the line is inspiring beyond words), we know that it also means breaking hearts from time to time.

Paramount for us is putting everyone where they will have the most success. It's not unusual for an ambitious, capable, and brave young first-timer to wonder why they didn't get a lead role or even a callback. Please know this:

We would never want to make someone happy the day the list comes out, nervous as rehearsals approach, anxious about struggling with the role, scared for the performances, and then sad and regretful after it's all done. We want everyone to succeed, whatever shape that happens to take.

You bet! You’ll have opportunities and invitations to help with sets, costumes, props, stage management, concessions, etc. You're not required to, but ask anyone who has – it’s a ton of fun, and you’ll learn a lot in the process! You can indicate areas of interest when you sign up to audition – but we always cast you first and then look at these areas of interest. If working on the production/tech side is your main thing, fill out the form below!

You should be prepared to tell us who you are and what your pieces are from. A complete summary of the play or situation isn't necessary. (Honestly, sometimes we’re asking just so we can write it down and jog our memory when we’re reviewing our notes later.)

Do your best to be prepared. (Although more important than being perfectly prepared is simply showing up!)

And remember, we're rooting for you to do great! We know that auditions can be nerve-wracking. (Believe us, we've done them, too!) Just keep in mind we want to see and hear everyone do well -- we're your biggest fans!