Earth Day, Oklahoma! auditions among upcoming Timber Lake events

From press release

MOUNT CARROLL, Ill.—Timber Lake Playhouse (TLP), northwestern Illinois’ non-profit professional summer theater, has announced some exciting events that are coming up this month and in May.

TLP Earth Day event

TLP will be working with the Mount Carroll Girl Scouts and local Cub Scouts Thursday, April 22, starting at 5 p.m. The Scouts and other volunteers will be meeting at Timber Lake Playhouse to rake the leaves around the theater. Any leaves collected will be gathered and bagged for the community to pick up for composting or to use for mulch. If anyone is interested in picking up the leaves, stop by TLP at 8215 Black Oak Road in Mount Carroll Thursday around 6 p.m., or contact Melissa at (815) 244-2035.

Also, Timber Lake Playhouse will be starting a recycling program this season. On Thursday, the local Carroll County 4-H Club will be placing recycling receptacles at TLP. The club will be picking up aluminum cans once a week during the summer at Timber Lake Playhouse. For information about 4-H or becoming an adult volunteer in the 4-H program, contact Leanne Rahn at the Carroll County U of I Extension Office at (815) 244-9444 or e-mail lrahn@illinois.edu.

Refreshments on TLP’s Earth Day will be provided by Shaw’s Food Pride. Materials provided by Campbell Center for Historic Preservation Studies and Schneider House Furniture.

TLP cleaning day

Timber Lake Playhouse invites the community to come out and help open up the theater for the summer. Saturday April 24, from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m., the TLP Board members, staff, Friends of TLP and local volunteers will be joining together to get the stage and facilities sparkling clean for the approaching summer. Refreshments will be provided by Shaw’s Food Pride.

TLP announces auditions for Oklahoma!

Timber Lake Playhouse is offering local children, teens and adults the opportunity to audition for ensemble roles in Oklahoma!.

Artistic Director James Beaudry will be directing the classic Rodgers & Hammerstein musical with new choreography by Will Taylor, who has appeared on Broadway in 42nd Street, La Cage aux Folles, The Producers and A Chorus Line.

Beaudry said, “TLP is a professional company, but we recognize the importance of giving our audiences an opportunity to explore the process of creating live theater for themselves.”

Auditions will be at 2 p.m., Sunday, May 2, at the theater. Anyone wishing to audition should bring a current photo and a résumé. Individual appointments will not be taken for this audition. Arrive at the Playhouse no earlier than 1:45 p.m. to sign in.

Because Oklahoma! is a dance-heavy show, anyone wishing to be considered MUST sing and dance. The first dance call will begin promptly at 2 p.m. It will be very simple, so people with limited experience are also encouraged to attend.

Everyone who participates in the dance audition will be asked to sing. Prepare 16 bars only of a song that best shows you off. Bring sheet music for the accompanist, if possible. You may also be asked to read from the script. No monologues are necessary.

Strong dancers will be asked to stay for a more advanced dance combination following the vocal auditions. Parents may not be in the room when their children audition, and no one unaffiliated with the Playhouse may observe auditions. Very strong singer/dancers may be considered for chorus roles in Curtains, as well.

Bus trip to see The Lion King

Tickets are still available for the bus trip to see The Lion King Broadway Tour in Madison, Wis., Sunday, May 23. The bus will leave from Mount Carroll early Sunday morning and arrive at the Overture Center for the Arts in Madison for the 1 p.m. performance. Cost is $120 per person and includes the bus trip and tickets to the performance, located in the second and third row of the mezzanine. Reservations can be made by calling (815) 244-2035 (TLP accepts Visa and MasterCard), by e-mail to mparsons@timberlakeplayhouse.org or by mailing a check or money order to Timber Lake Playhouse, P.O. Box 29, Mount Carroll, IL 61053.

More than 45 million people have discovered the wonder of the 1998 Tony Award-winning Broadway show inspired by the Disney movie by the same name. Now, the show travels across America to bring the brilliant costumes and puppets designed by Julie Taymor right into our back yards. For more information and a “sneak peek” of the tour, visit http://disney.go.com/theatre/TheLionKing.

For more information about Timber Lake Playhouse, call the Box Office at (815) 244-2035 or visit the Web site at www.timberlakeplayhouse.org.