The auditions for the summer musical for Young Footliters theatre camp are approaching. The musical this year is “The Wizard of Oz,” which performs June 28-30. Auditions take place on April 4, 5 and 7. Young Footliters performs shows with children of all ages, from kindergarten to 12th grade. Audition details can be found here.
Young Footliters’ mission statement is, “Young Footliters Youth Theatre uses the power of storytelling to create connections, build self-confidence, and inspire creativity in young people. In our theatre community, all are welcome and encouraged to grow and to be themselves.”
Oliver Miller ’25 shares his experiences with Young Footliters for the past nine years.
“It’s a great way to make new friends,” Miller said. “It’s really fun to be different characters, especially from famous movies, because some shows we perform are from popular movies. [They did] “Frozen Jr.” [and] you could be a princess or a prince. Or “Peter Pan” and you can be Captain Hook. It’s really fun to play these different characters.”
Miller also explains the difference between other theatre programs and Young Footliters.
“[Young Footliters] lets kids start at a young age. It’s a high-quality theatre company for kids who are just starting. It has lower pressure because, as a kid, if you mess up, it’s fine. Once you get older, though, if you mess up, the pressure is on. When you’re one of the older kids, you [also get] to be a sort of role model and get to lead,” Miller said.
Miller shares his first lead role with Young Footliters.
“My favorite show I’ve ever been in was “Frozen Jr.” and I was Hans. [It was my] first big role that I played and role that I wanted. I didn’t really know [the older kids] well before, but after [“Frozen”], our whole friend group became really good friends. It was really nice to get close to [people],” Miller said.
Miller recalls his funniest moment while on stage.
“In “Frozen Jr.,” I had a sword attached to my belt, and this belt was so old and was falling apart. On stage, I ran over to [the girl playing] Anna, and my belt completely broke, and the sword fell. In front of a live audience.”
Miller encourages everyone to try theatre.
“Just do it if you’re thinking about doing it,” Miller said. “I’ve known so many people who are loud about doing theatre, but they’re too scared because they don’t know what their friends would think about doing it. From what I’ve experienced, doing theater, all my friends think it’s cool. Don’t be scared and don’t worry about what others think because people who do theater think it’s awesome.”
