Inside youth auditions at Santa Monica’s Morgan-Wixson Theatre

For many local teens, youth theater is a varsity sport.

Practices pile up. Homework comes along for the ride. And even the veterans have to try out again next season.

“It’s a robust commitment,” says Eve Keller, Youth Theatre Chair and head of the Y.E.S. program at Santa Monica’s Morgan-Wixson Theatre.

On Nov. 12, auditions begin for the venue’s winter musical, A Bad Case of Stripes. Performers ages 8–18 are invited to try out, though older students must still be enrolled in high school. 

The competition will likely be fierce.  Up to 80 actors often vie for about 20 spots in popular productions — but the audition room comes with a built-in support system, and explicit permission to fail big, regroup, and start over.

“I remind everyone that the production team is totally in their corner,” Keller tells The Sun. “We are not judging. We just want them to have their best audition. This is their time in the room, so no apology is needed.”

No Fast Track

Auditions for a Morgan-Wixson show can feel like a family reunion, filled with regulars who have shared the stage for years. But legacy offers no fast track.

“Every show, they start fresh,” Keller notes. Even the most seasoned veterans must re-audition—and for musicals like Stripes, everyone sings.

Yet newcomers shouldn’t feel intimidated. Participation in the theater’s workshop program isn’t a prerequisite, and Keller is quick to push back against cutthroat stereotypes.

“I don’t want it to be like, ‘Oh, we’re so competitive, good luck,’” she says. “I want it to be more like, ‘Yes, it’s competitive, but in a way that we want you to come. We want you to be a part of it.’”

That philosophy extends directly into the audition room. 

Keller’s protocol for prep is simple: learn your 32 bars of musical theater in advance (no last-minute cramming, pop songs, or a capella tracks), wear clothes and flat shoes you can actually dance in, and leave the flip-flops at home. The paperwork is equally low-barrier—just a simple headshot snapshot, a basic stage resume, and a conflict calendar.

And if a young actor freezes? Step outside, review the lyrics, and come back in.

“If you mess up, mess up big,” Keller advises. “If you sing the wrong note, sing it big and loud because then we know you’re willing to make a commitment. It’s easier to trim a hedge than grow a bush.”

The Puzzle Piece and The Pitch

Callbacks will begin November 18.  Then Keller and her team begin assembling what she calls the casting “puzzle piece.” 

Returning performers will routinely shift between lead roles and the ensemble from show to show, depending on what the production demands.

[Pro tip: Don’t ever refer to “just the ensemble” in front of Keller. “There is no show without the ensemble,” she insists. “They are all completely worthy.”]

For those chosen, two-and-a-half hour rehearsals run three to five days a week.  Because Stripes runs from Jan. 23 through Feb. 7, 2027, the rehearsal schedule accommodates holiday breaks, but requires absolute availability—including non-negotiable morning field trip performances for local elementary school students.

That means actors will miss morning classes, though the theater provides official letters for schools to excuse the absences. But even with the heavy schedule, Keller expects her cast to keep up off-stage.

“We encourage them to bring their schoolwork to set,” Keller says. “If they have a couple minutes of downtime, they can grab their book and do homework. Schoolwork comes first—they are students.”

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