Auditions at Jitterbug are welcoming, low-pressure, and designed to help each child feel seen and supported. We use this time to get to know your child’s energy, voice, personality, and comfort level, so we can cast them in a role that fits and challenges them in all the right ways. No experience is necessary — just a willingness to participate and have fun!

What to expect: kids may be asked to sing a short song, read a few lines, and participate in a group warm-up or game.

Once the cast is set, we meet weekly for rehearsals that blend theater games, movement, music, scene work, and collaboration. Our directors guide the cast through the full production process — teaching blocking, line delivery, vocal work, and choreography in a way that’s engaging, empowering, and age-appropriate.

We build in brain breaks, community-building, and play, so rehearsals feel fun while still preparing kids for performance. As the show approaches, we may add one or two extra rehearsals for polishing and dress runs.

Rehearsals are typically 2-3 hours, twice per week for the length of the production process. Details are available prior to auditioning.

At the end of the process, we bring it all to life with a full-scale performance! Costumes, lights, music, and audience energy come together as the cast takes the stage — they’ll feel proud, accomplished, and celebrated for all the work they’ve put in.

Our performances are family-friendly, child-centered, and focused on the process — not perfection. Whether they have a solo or a group scene, every child gets a moment to shine and share their hard work with the people who love them most.

Not every performer wants to be center stage — and we love that. Our productions offer opportunities for kids to get involved behind the scenes too, whether it's helping with costumes, props, set pieces, or stage crew support. Being part of the production process — onstage or off — gives kids a sense of ownership, teamwork, and creative problem-solving that’s just as magical as the performance itself.

At Jitterbug, kids aren’t just cast — they’re co-creators. From shaping characters to contributing movement or staging ideas, our productions are intentionally designed to give young performers a voice in the process. This kind of creative ownership builds pride, investment, and deeper connection to the story they’re helping bring to life.

Performing arts aren't just about memorizing lines or hitting your mark — they’re about building real-life skills that last a lifetime. Through the rehearsal and performance process, kids develop resilience, confidence, empathy, communication, and emotional awareness — tools they’ll carry with them far beyond the stage.

Learning to collaborate with a cast, take creative risks, speak clearly in front of an audience, adapt in real time, and recover from mistakes with grace — these are the experiences that help kids grow into confident, capable, expressive humans.