Although the beloved show based on the lives of the Von Trapp family won't open until Nov. 18, the John W. Engeman Theater at Northport's School of the Performing Arts reverberated with the sound of music as more than one hundred children from across Long Island vied for 13 roles.
According to Associate Artistic Director Vic DiMonda, the theater advertised for young thespians on their website, Deb's web and Deb's web junior.
"We did it all in one day," DiMonda said of the casting call for the Sound of Music which took four to five hours.
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The children, who ranged in age from four to 17, each got to sing individually, with auditions lasting from one to three minutes, DiMonda said.
Those who stood out from the crowd were called back the next week to explore the specifics of the part for which they were being considered. Children were then asked to read scenes from the play and their aptitude for dancing was gauged, DiMonda reported.
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According to her mother, four-year-old Maggie Smith of Huntington turned out to audition because of her love for this particular musical and theater in general.
"It is her favorite play. She sings the songs all day long. She knows all of them," said Louise Rexer Smith said of Maggie's first audition.
"She got to sing 'Do-Ri-Mi' with six other children. She goes to all of the Engeman theater's children's plays and she has always wanted to be on stage," Louise said. "It was the greatest day of her life."
Twelve-year-old Northport resident Summer Purschke, who also made her auditioning debut, said that she got into character for the role of Louisa by wearing a dress appropriate to the time period and by practicing her singing.
"I watched the movie. It's my mom's favorite and my favorite, too," Summer said.
She chose to sing "My Favorite Things" because it fit her voice range, she said, adding that she chose the last verse because it offered up the most variety.
Summer was called back a few times, and she said that she is happy that she made it that far, and plans to try out again in the future.
"I love acting and singing," said Summer, who was recently nominated for membership in the prestigious Suffolk County Music Educators Association. She has participated in theatrical productions at Northport Middle School, and plans to get another shot at Sound of Music when the Northport-East Northport Community Theater holds their auditions for the musical which will be staged as part of the theater group's tenth anniversary celebration in May.
The cast for the Engeman production is already in rehearsal, and DiMonda said that the audience can look forward to seeing some familiar faces from Northport and East Northport strutting their stuff on the Engeman stage.
"There is a lot of talent on Long Island and it was hard to make a decision," DiMonda said, adding that part of the challenge was piecing together a group of children who look like they could be part of the same family.
According to the list released by the Engeman Theater on Monday, the children's roles are double-cast. Dylan Perles will play Marta Von Trapp, while her sister Zoe will play Gretl Von Trapp. The two sisters, who grew up performing in the Northport-East Northport Community Theater, previously appeared in the Engeman Theater production of Oliver. NorthporterNatalie Seus will also play Gretl and Nell Worden, also of Northport, has been cast as Louisa Von Trapp.
