`Kids show off for the chance to be a star`

By Jennifer Hall
Herald Staff Writer

Some of Mercer County’s best ham’s strutted their stuff Monday night, glazing over the competition at the Missoula Theater auditions for “Snow White.”

Their antics earned them spots as assistant directors, bats, forest animals, creatures of the Black Forest, a finch, a frog, a fox, dwarfs, henchmen and a magic mirror in the production sponsored by Sharon-based Columbia Theatre Inc.

About 125 youngsters auditioned at Delahunty Middle School in Hermitage for the 56 parts. Older kids pulled stunts like dancing the Macarena to spell their names and give their age. But the younger the kids got, the quieter their voices were. Some were as young as 5½. As the older kids showed off, the younger ones stretched out to watch, but made sure they kept one foot on a line meant to keep the budding actors in order.

“Keep your toes to the line,” Kimberly Short, one of the team members for the production, reminded the kids. Ms. Short of Youngstown, along with Daniel Daming of Canfield, Ohio, work for the Missoula, Mont.-based theater company, which has been producing plays locally for about five years.

The team asked the kindergartners to raise their left hands. Some raised the wrong one while others had to check to be sure which hand was left. That brought a chuckle from the crowd of parents who gathered at the back of the room to watch the auditions.

Ten-year-old Michael Delaney of Hermitage did a front flip to announce his name and age. After he was awarded the part of Grouchy, he got “jiggy,” doing a little dance when they announced the role in the knockoff version of the traditional “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” “Yes -- I’m Grouchy,” he declared.

During one rehearsal of the line, “It is the theory that we can circumvent that,” many of the 8-, 9- and 10-year-olds stumbled over the words; others added an aristocratic accent.

And as the older girls recited the line, “You said it Baby, not me,” many pointed their fingers and emphasized some attitude with the push of their hips.

As Ms. Short and Daming began to make their choices to fill the parts, they moved children around the room. As the moving began, so did the whispers; the repeats at the audition knew something was up.

Rehearsal for those lucky enough to be chosen began Monday night and lines were to be memorized by today. The group will rehearse all week until the performances at 1 and 4 p.m. Saturday at Sharon High School. Tickets are available by calling 342-2787.

“It’s hard work, but it’s fun,” said Anna Anzio, 13, of Hermitage.“But if you like to do it, you put a little effort into it.” Anna, who landed the role of Foxy, has been in other productions for the Columbia and other groups.

Megan Wombacker, 13, of Hermitage, who won a part, was learning to say her character’s name: Phineas.

“You have to smile a lot and have fun,” she said about landing the role. “But this is going to be a lot of fun.”

Proceeds from the program will benefit Columbia Theatre Inc. and its programs. The organization, which sponsors art programs throughout the area, raises money for renovating the fire-damaged theater on West State Street in Sharon.

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Updated January 5, 1999
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