The Young Company Winter Festival is an 8-to-10 week long program where students rehearse and perform a fully produced musical! “Fully produced” means the show is staged, choreographed, and memorized and includes design elements like set, costumes, lighting, and props.

This year, we are excited to bring back our pre-COVID age group overlap model, where our students in Act 1 – Act 3 (grades 4-12) will have the opportunity to be cast in one of two shows. In keeping with our mission, our teaching artists and the Education Department put a lot of thought into casting, putting students in roles that will help them grow as an artist. 

Our titles this year are: Wizard of Oz: Youth Edition (grades 1-6), Beetlejuice Jr. (grades 4-9), The Addams Family: School Edition (grades 7-12), and Alice by Heart (grades 10-12). 

Following auditions and callbacks in November, this program runs December 1, 2025 – February 8, 2026. 

Each show will rehearse three days a week: two weekdays, and one weekend day. Depending on the requirements of the show, some actors may not be called to every rehearsal.

During the final two weeks of the program, shows will begin tech rehearsal, where students begin rehearsals on the stage to add lights, costumes, props, and sound to the production. The schedule for tech rehearsal is different from the rehearsal schedule and these rehearsals are mandatory. All actors are required to be available for spacing, tech, dress rehearsals, and performances.

The final weekend of the program ends in three public performances of each title for family and friends to attend! We are excited to feature two performance weekends for WF ‘26! Wizard of Oz and Beetlejuice will perform January 29th – January 31st. Addams Family and Alice by Heart will perform February 6th – February 8th.

*Please use the calendar button at the top of this page for show-specific scheduling.*

Auditions and callbacks are a chance for the production teams to see what each student can bring to the show, as well as a chance for students to get a feel for what the rehearsal process may be like.

Auditions will take place on November 1st and November 2nd, 2025. Auditions will be divided by age group, where each student will be asked to sing a portion of a song, present a monologue or perform a scene with another actor, and learn a short dance combination. Students can sign up for their preferred audition date when registering.

Callbacks will take place on November 5th and November 6th, 2025. If your student is asked to attend callbacks, they can expect to sing short selections from the musical, read some dialogue from the show, participate in more movement/dancing, and play some theatre games. More information on what to prepare for auditions will be sent to registered families closer to auditions.

Please note that any student eligible to participate in multiple titles based on their age will automatically be auditioning and considered for both titles.

Once auditions and callbacks are done, the production teams will cast the show! In keeping with our mission, our teaching artists and the Education Department put a lot of thought into casting, putting each student in the show and role that will help them grow as an artist. Students will be emailed with their casting the week following callbacks, where they will either accept or decline the role.

Please note that while we do not offer guaranteed casting, our goal is to include as many students as possible, regardless of prior experience. Please contact us if you have further questions about our casting process.

This program does not offer guaranteed casting, but don’t let that deter you!  Students of all different experience and skill levels participate each year.  Because each show has a max number of students who can participate, an audition deposit of $100 is due to register. If your student is cast and chooses to forgo continuing with the production for any reason, your audition deposit is non-refundable. If your student is not cast, your audition deposit will be refunded.

During rehearsals, students will learn the music, choreography, and dialogue of the show, with skills-based theatre games sprinkled in. To best utilize rehearsal time, students may not be required at every rehearsal; a schedule will be sent out weekly, outlining which students are needed at rehearsal for that week.

Winter Festival tuition is $950. Your $100 audition deposit will count towards your final tuition balance.

Yes! We believe all students should have access to the arts, which is why we have never turned a student away from our programming for financial reasons. Any family can apply for financial aid through our Fund-A-Need program. Financial aid applications for Winter Festival 2026 are due by November 1st. From there, we will review applications and inform families of their financial aid award. 

Additionally, our new registration software automatically offers payment plans to families who would like to make multiple payments towards their student’s tuition. 

Please contact us with questions and for more information regarding either of these options!

Each Winter Fest title will consist of a main team of four teaching artists: a director, choreographer, music director, and stage manager. This team will be present at every rehearsal. Closer to tech rehearsals, your student will meet other artists working on Winter Festival, including a costume designer, lighting designer, props designer, scenic designer, and production manager. To ensure we are keeping with our Young Company mission of developing the next generation of artists through pre-professional training, all our teaching artists are working professionals in the field.

Yes! We welcome students of all different experience and skill levels to participate in our programming! This program does not offer guaranteed casting, but don’t let that deter you! If your student is not cast, your audition deposit will be refunded.