Director: Courtney Stephens

Assistant Director: Gina O'Connor

Vocal Director: Carrie Chaparro

Choreographer: Case Koerner

DISNEY'S FINDING NEMO JR ~ A 60-minute musical adaptation of the beloved 2003 Pixar movie Finding Nemo, with new music by award-winning songwriting team Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez. Marlin, an anxious and over-protective clownfish, lives in the Great Barrier Reef with his kid Nemo, who longs to explore the world beyond their anemone home. But when Nemo is captured and taken to Sydney, Marlin faces his fears and sets off on an epic adventure across the ocean. With the help of lovable characters such as optimistic Dory, laid-back sea turtle Crush, and the supportive Tank Gang, Marlin and Nemo both overcome challenges on their journey to find each other and themselves.

​

Featuring memorable songs such as “Just Keep Swimming,” “Fish Are Friends Not Food,” and “Go With the Flow,” Finding Nemo JR. brings a vibrant underwater world to life on stage in a story full of family, friendship, and adventure.

FINDING NEMO JR AUDITIONS

All those cast in DISNEY'S FINDING NEMO JR are required to become a KVTA member at some level (minimum $28) by a certain date during the rehearsal process. One parent being a member of KVTA does cover the membership requirement for all family members 17 and under. Subscriptions paid during the 2023-2024 season will also fulfill this requirement. Failure to complete this requirement will result in the cast member being removed from the cast.

​

THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR WONDERFUL AUDITIONERS! As you can tell, we had a hard time deciding on our final cast list. You are all deserving of a role, but unfortunately the show does not leave a lot of room for extra characters. We hope you understand, and we want you to continue to be a part of KVTA. Auditions are later this month for Seussical, and this summer our KVTA summer camp will return! We hope you all consider these amazing opportunities! 

​

For those in the cast, please email kvtafindingnemo@gmail.com by 8 pm on Monday, January 8, to ACCEPT or DECLINE your role. Costume fittings will begin on Wednesday. Our parent / guardian meeting and first full cast dance rehearsal will take place on Wednesday, January 10, beginning at 6 pm at the KVTA Studios 1 Stuart Dr Kankakee IL 60901.

​

 CAST LIST 

NEMO - KINLEY COLLINS

MARLIN - KYREN MCELROY

DORY - CHLOE KEARNEY

CORAL - HANNAH MANTOOTH

GILL - LILLIAN LONGTIN

PEACH - ELLA KRAEMER

BLOAT - JACKSON DAY

BUBBLES - OLIVIA DOUGLAS

GURGLE - RUBY CHRISTENSEN

BRUCE - HOLDEN HALL

ANCHOR / NIGEL - ANDREW BUSH

CHUM - PINE KIMERY

CRUSH - HUNTER LOCKHART

SQUIRT - MOLLY INDICAVITCH

KAI / BREEZE - KAITLIN BROWN

PROFESSOR RAY - OLIVIA BRAY

TAD - LAURYN BALK

PEARL - MELAINA HALL

SHELDON - KALIPH WHITLOW

​

ENSEMBLE

(Will portray many different characters in various scenes. These characters will be assigned after the first cast meeting.)

CARTER BUDIMIR, YAZENI CALDERON, SIMONE COPISKEY, SOPHIA DIAZ, RILEY HEDDINS, ARYAN KASHYAP, DEVINA KASHYAP, TEAGAN KIDD, HADLEY KIRKLAND, BRECKIN LEBDA, NAIMAH MANS, ELLA NITSCHKE, ROBERT PARDON, SOPHIE POWELL, KOLBEE SHOUFLER, OWEN STEVENSON, ADRIANNA UDSTUEN

​

​

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

We are looking to cast 25-35 young people. We will consider all genders for all roles. While you may think there are not roles for older teens in this production, we beg to differ. We have rented a full package of professionally created puppets that will require cast members of all ages. Some puppets will be larger in size than those auditioning! You may be thinking to yourself, why don't you post the pictures of these puppets? Well, we would like to WOW our audiences when the time comes. We hope you understand and will choose to audition anyway.

​

Can a young person audition for both Finding Nemo JR and Seussical at KVTA? Yes, you can audition for both. However, the staff for Seussical will take into consideration any rehearsal conflicts for Finding Nemo JR when making their casting decisions. Rehearsals for Finding Nemo JR will need to be a priority to anyone cast in both productions. The staff of Finding Nemo JR will do everything we can to work closely with the staff for Seussical to make both productions as successful as possible.

​

This script very closely resembles Finding Nemo: The Big Blue... and Beyond! stage show at Disney's Animal Kingdom. You can also find inspiration for your character from the original Disney animated film, Finding Nemo.

​

All auditioners must be ages 6 to 17 by March 14, 2024. Proof of age may be requested. All auditioners must complete an audition form, a conflict calendar, and sign our KVTA policies acknowledgement form. Cast members are required to provide the following personal items: shoes and socks. In addition, cast members may be asked to supply other items such as: leotards, tights, etc. Optional expenses include: the purchase of a show recording, a picture CD, apparel items, production party attendance, cast/staff chill times, etc. PLEASE NOTE: Child care is not available during rehearsals and performances. Cast and staff members are not permitted to bring their children, or any additional family members, to rehearsals. All rehearsals are closed to the public unless otherwise stated by the Director.

​

TO THE PARENTS:

For the first month of rehearsals, you can expect your child to have up to three rehearsals per week, with rehearsals typically beginning at 6 pm. Most rehearsals will last 2 hours. Tech Week Rehearsals scheduled for March 7, 8, 11, 12, and 13 will start at 5 pm, and may end as late as 9:45 or 10 pm. We will do everything in our power to end as early as possible each evening. However, with all of the added technical elements, certain scenes may require extra time and attention. A vast array of professional puppets will be used for this production which will require a lot of time and patience. We thank you in advance. Our cast read thru and parent / guardian meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, January 10, at 6 pm. All cast members and one parent / guardian will be required to attend this rehearsal / meeting. After the first month of rehearsals, the rehearsal schedule will increase to four or five nights per week. The amount of time your cast member will be at rehearsals will vary depending on their role. We may add a few weekend rehearsals including Saturday and / or Sunday during Tech Week. Weekend rehearsals would most likely be for dance or puppet training and might not be for everyone. We want you to be aware of this before you grant your child permission to complete the audition process. Rehearsal dates are subject to change. We want to have all of the cast at ALL of our final tech rehearsals, so please be open and honest when completing your auditioner's conflict calendar. These dates are March 7-13. Please be sure to list all conflicts for your auditioner from the audition date through the final performance date. If you have any questions about the information provided here, please email the Director, Courtney Stephens, at kvtafindingnemo@gmail.com.

​

We have taken the time to assemble a very tentative rehearsal schedule. An updated schedule will be provided after casting is completed, but this will at the very least provide you an idea of our rehearsal time frame and schedule. When completing your conflict calendar, please include ALL conflicts, even if it is on a date when we do not have a tentative rehearsal scheduled. This includes all weekends.

Click here for the TENTATIVE REHEARSAL SCHEDULE.

​

PERFORMANCE DATES & LOCATION:
Lincoln Cultural Center 240 Warren Ave Kankakee IL 60901
There will be seven (7) mandatory performances of this production. 
School Performances: Thursday, March 14 & Friday, March 15 (there will be two school show performances* each day at 9:30 am and 12:30 pm) 
Public Performances: Saturday, March 16 at 2 pm; Saturday, March 16 at 7 pm; Sunday, March 17 at 2 pm
*Every young person cast in this production will be required to miss two days of school for the school performances. Every cast member will be required to have a permission slip signed by his/her teachers and principal during the first week of rehearsal. Failure to return this slip by the deadline given may result in the cast member being removed from the cast. 

​

TO THE AUDITIONERS:
We are excited to dive into the Big, Blue World at KVTA! The time has come to sign up for your Finding Nemo JR audition! On behalf of the entire staff, we are very excited for our auditions in January! We want to thank all of you in advance for your interest in auditioning for our production. We know it is going to be a very difficult casting process because you are all going to be amazing! Please come prepared to auditions by having your audition form and conflict calendar sheets already completed, by reading and understanding the information provided below, by preparing your character, and by practicing your song selection and dance audition ahead of time. Yes, please bring your CHARACTER to your audition! There will be many auditioners, so give us everything you have during your time with us.
 

CALLBACK DATE / LOCATION:

CALLBACKS: January 7 beginning at 1 pm
KVTA Studios 
1 Stuart Dr Kankakee IL 60901
 

If you have already signed a policy acknowledgement form during our 2023-2024 Season, you do not need to sign this form again.

KVTA Policies: PDF

KVTA Policies Acknowledgement Form to be signed: PDF

All participants, on-stage or off-stage, will be required to sign KVTA's Social Media, Sexual Harassment, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policies. If said participant is under the age of 18, a parent or guardian will sign for the participant. Any parent or guardian signing for their auditioner agrees to instruct and provide information to their auditioner regarding KVTA's policies. An Emergency Card and Waiver of Liability must also be completed and signed in order to participate. These forms will be distributed when you first volunteer with KVTA. If you have any questions please email: kvta@kvta.org

CALLBACKS:
Sunday, January 7 beginning at 1 pm 
• For anyone new to the audition process, callbacks are only for select auditioners that the show staff members (i.e. Director, Assistant Director, Vocal Director, and Choreographer) would like to see again. We will post a callback list on Saturday, January 6, after all auditions have been completed. The time of the posting for the callback list will be dependent upon how late we audition on Saturday. Your patience is greatly appreciated! 
• If for any reason you cannot make this callback date, PLEASE email the Director before your audition, or tell the board member working the check-in table at auditions. 
• If you are called back, it is highly encouraged that you make every effort to attend the callbacks. 
• Additional readings may be provided at callbacks.
• Additional songs may be taught at callbacks.

• An additional dance may be taught at callbacks.

• More information regarding callbacks will be provided after all auditions have been completed.

CHARACTER BREAKDOWNS:
Follow this link to read the character descriptions to help you prepare for your audition.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN ATTACHMENT
 
CHARACTER READINGS:
At auditions, each auditioner will read ONE of the character reading selections provided in the links below. Each auditioner may read any ONE reading. Please bring your character to your reading! Other auditioners may be called at random to read for additional characters in each selection. If there are any songs in the reading selections below, we will be skipping the singing parts and just reading the lines. Please feel free to ask if you have any questions.

AUDITIONERS SHOULD FAMILIARIZE THEMSELVES WITH ALL OF THE LINES IN A SCENE, BUT WE CAN ONLY GUARANTEE THEY WILL READ FOR ONE CHARACTER. THEY SHOULD PICK A CHARACTER TO READ THAT THEY FEEL BEST SHOWCASES THEIR PERSONALITY.
READING OPTION 1

READING OPTION 2

READING OPTION 3

READING OPTION 4

READING OPTION 5

READING OPTION 6

READING OPTION 7
 

ADDITIONAL CHARACTER / ICEBREAKER READING:
Please bring your best joke to auditions. Jokes do not have to be memorized. We want to see you let loose and showcase your personality. These can be funny jokes or “dad” jokes. Whatever fits you best! Please keep all jokes short and appropriate for all ages.

​

SONG SELECTIONS:
At auditions, each auditioner will sing ONE of the song selections listed below. All auditioners may choose to sing any selection, even if they are not interested in that character.

FISH ARE FRIENDS NOT FOOD

GO WITH THE FLOW
JUST KEEP SWIMMING
BIG, BLUE WORLD (PART 2 ~ ENSEMBLE: TOP LINE END AT MEASURE 20)
BIG, BLUE WORLD (PART 2 ~ MARLIN)
BIG, BLUE WORLD (PART 2 ~ NEMO)
THAT’S MY DAD
WE SWIM TOGETHER

​

DANCE:
Each auditioner will perform the audition dance. The audition dance has been recorded for the auditioners to learn on their own before the auditions. We will not teach the dance at the auditions. All auditioners are expected to learn their audition dance before the audition and perform their dance without instruction at auditions.
AUDITION DANCE VIDEO LINK - When practicing the dance, you will MIRROR what Case is doing in the video. For example, if she raises her right hand, you will raise your left hand.
 

CALLBACK LIST:
The callback list will be posted on the KVTA website at http://www.kvta.org and on the KVTA Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/kankakeetheatre on Saturday, January 6, after all auditions have been completed, so it could be late in the day.

 

 

CAST LIST: 
The cast list will be posted on the KVTA website at http://www.kvta.org and on the KVTA Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/kankakeetheatre on Sunday, January 7, after all callbacks have been completed, so it could be very late in the evening. Thank you in advance for your patience as we will have many difficult decisions to make! 
 

For those cast in the show, our CAST READ THRU and PARENT / GUARDIAN MEETING will be on Wednesday, January 10, at 6 pm at the KVTA Studios. This is a mandatory meeting.

​

Further questions regarding auditions, callbacks, or casting may be emailed to the Director at: kvtafindingnemo@gmail.com

​

Break a leg!

 

Sincerely,
Finding Nemo JR Staff