Once we announce the titles and dates for the shows for our first season (as well as the locations we'll be running to for each), we're going to hold auditions that will be a bit different from what you might be used to. We're going to hold a massive audition that will cover the whole darn season.

In other words, you won't be auditioning for a specific role or even a specific show. You'll be auditioning for the company on the whole. And generally speaking, we'll be casting the whole season all at once.

We're hoping to have the problem of having 350 people show up to audition. It would be, shall we say, tricky to put that many people onstage at once. So you might get cast in the first show of the season. Or you might get cast in the second show of the summer. Or you might be selected to be a featured performer for the cabaret.

We want to get the maximum possible number of people involved. We want to give people opportunities to enjoy the spotlight who might not usually get to. So often, casting is tough because we feel like there are so many talented, committed artists, we could cast a show three times over. So we want to spread the wealth.

We also hope this process will give people a chance to plan the rest of their schedules. If you know you're cast in a summer show, but not a spring one, you can sign up for the club or team that meets in the spring -- without feeling conflicted about missed opportunities to explore all the things you are interested in.

I hope this all makes sense. It's a bit of an experiment and a gamble. We have no crystal ball to help us predict what kind of turn-out we'll get at an audition like this -- or how well it will work out. We'll see.

Meanwhile, I'm curious to know your thoughts about all this.

And keep telling your friends. The word of mouth buzz keeps growing. It's crazy and very exciting!

Hope your summers have been great. I know mine has been going way too fast. We're not ready to announce the names of shows we're planning to do just yet. (We still need to do things like get official permission from the companies who own the shows...) Meanwhile, I wanted to give you a taste of what to expect the season to be like. Here goes:

• January: a big high school musical -- big cast, big numbers, big fun.
  
• February: a cabaret-style variety show for middle and high schoolers -- songs, scenes, and dances from musical theatre, a chance for you to shine in your favorite numbers (perhaps from shows that we'd never be able to do a full production of, but that are great on their own). Mostly during the February break.
  
• April: a straight (i.e. non-musical) play -- high school age, mostly during the April break.
  
• June: a big, fun middle school musical.
  
• July: a big musical with middle and high schoolers together.
  
• August: ANOTHER big musical with middle and high schoolers together.
  

Are we crazy? Maybe a bit. We think we can do it. We know you all can, too. More details will come soon with info about auditions, rehearsals, locations, what you can do, etc. I'm going to try to get more regular with these updates, so stay tuned.

Meanwhile keep spreading the word. We can't believe how many people have already heard about this thing, but at this point, most people still haven't. Send them to the website and keep in touch.

~ Joey