Auditions For MTC's 'Beauty And The Beast Jr.' Begin Friday

MOORESTOWN, NJ — As more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine become available, and more things begin to open up in New Jersey, the Moorestown Theater Company (MTC) is preparing for a busy theater season, beginning Friday.

MTC will begin holding auditions on Friday for its upcoming production of “Disney’s Beauty And The Beast, Jr.,” a live musical that will be performed in the parking lot outside their building, 5 West Main Street, this summer.

Audition are 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Friday, and 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Those interested can register at MoorestownTheaterCompany.org and then sign up for a vocal audition time slot, and stay for a dance audition. Audition songs are listed on the MTC Website.

The show is set to open June 9, with three to four rehearsals a week in between, beginning the second week of May.

It will be the eighth show MTC has put on since June, with the majority taking place outside. One show was held inside at the Riverton Country Club in Cinnaminson.

The auditions come as MTC sets to open “Matilda Jr.” on Wednesday, and prepares for a trip to the National Junior Theater Festival (JTF) in Texas from June 24-28. MTC has won 12 Acting Awards, six Cast Awards and six Individual Awards, at the past nine JTFs.

After that, MTC is preparing for three shows in July and three shows in August. MTC Artistic Director Mark Morgan says his group lives the mantra, “the show must go on.”

“This will be a live show in front of real people,” Morgan said. “It’s not a virtual production or a Zoomsical.”

Many theater groups have been producing shows for online viewing, or a musical in which the performers appear via Zoom. Morgan said his group has been producing live shows since last summer, and will continue to do so safely.

MTC will continue to space groups 6 feet apart and require that everyone wear a mask. There will be seating available for about 100 people. All seats are general admission.

This will be the first time since 2012 that MTC puts on a production of “Disney’s Beauty And The Beast, Jr.” The main stage version of the show was the last adult production the theater company put on in 2019, just before the coronavirus pandemic shut everything down.

For more information on “Disney’s Beauty And The Beast, Jr.” or MTC’s trip to the JTF in June, call 856-778-8357 or visit MoorestownTheaterCompany.org.