Performers trying out for Theatre in the Park feel the pull of the footlights

Olathe resident David Thompson has appeared in “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” more than 100 times in his career and he hopes to do it again this summer.

He was among the 469 performers ranging in age from 7 to adults who auditioned Saturday for shows in the 2016 season of The Theatre in the Park. The auditions were held at Blue Valley High School.

“I just like ‘Joseph.’ It’s a great show. I always play one of Joseph’s brothers. I’m the good brother,” said Thompson, 36, with a laugh. “It’s a fun show, a crowd pleaser.”

“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” is the 11th show Thompson has been in at The Theatre in the Park. His first was in 1994 when he played John Darling in “Peter Pan.” “I got to fly across the stage. That was great,” he recalled.

The Theatre in the Park is special for David and his wife, Celia. They met there at an all-cast party following the 1997 season. Celia was in “Crazy for You” and David was in “Guys and Dolls.”

“After the party we dated a few times, then Celia went to Southwest Missouri State in Springfield and I stayed home in Olathe and went to Mid-America Nazarene. Celia later went on to New York City and a career in musical theater,” Thompson said.

Fast forward to 2010. Celia was in town for a visit and they met for a drink and talked over old times. Six months later they married. When their second anniversary rolled around, they were in rehearsals for “Legally Blonde” at The Theatre in the Park.

“We celebrated our anniversary with a picnic at the spot where we met 15 years earlier,” Thompson said. “That made it a little more romantic.”

Although they’ve been in many shows together since they married, Celia didn’t audition this time. She’s at home in Olathe with their baby.

Zack Dulny, 14, a student at Trailridge Middle School, auditioned for a role in “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” “I was nervous,” he admitted.

His sister, Amanda Dulny, 16, Shawnee Mission Northwest, was a little nervous, too.

“Not too much, just a little,” she said. “I’ve auditioned a lot of times at school and community theater. I was in ‘Mary Poppins’ last year at Starlight Theatre. I’d like to be in ‘Mary Poppins’ this summer, but anything I get is good.”

Amanda also was in “Cinderella” in 2010 and “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” in 2014 at The Theatre in the Park.

Collin Montgomery, 10, who attends Cedar Hills Elementary, said he auditioned for both “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” and “Mary Poppins” but added, “ ‘Joseph’ is my favorite.”

“I wasn’t nervous,” he said. “I sang ‘Giants in the Sky’ from ‘Into The Woods.’ ”

“I would love to be in either ‘Cabaret’ or ‘Chorus Line’ this summer,” said Cassaundra Southerland, who teaches choir at Lakewood Middle School. “I was in ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’ during the school year. I was in ‘Legally Blonde’ in 2012 and ‘9 to 5’ in 2013 at The Theatre in the Park.”

Cassaundra sang with the Kansas City Chorale five years during which they made two albums. “Both albums won Grammys,” she said. “I sang ‘Diva’s Lament’ from ‘Camelot’ at my audition. I thought it went pretty well but you never know what song will go over best.”

Sawyer Nevins, 10, a fifth-grader at Border Star in Kansas City, auditioned for both “Mary Poppins” and “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. “I like both, but I’m OK with any show,” he said.

“I just like to sing and dance. I was in ‘The Secret Garden’ at The Theatre in the Park last summer. I also was in ‘A Christmas Carol’ at the Kansas City Repertory and I’m going to be in ‘Carmen’ this fall,” Sawyer said.

This was David Martin’s 10th audition at The Theatre, and, like Sawyer, he preferred either “Mary Poppins” or “Joseph and the Amazing Dreamcoat” but said, “I’ll take anything that comes along.”

“I played in ‘Damn Yankees’ at the Theatre in 2013 and I’ve been playing in community theater for years so I’ve learned not to worry,” Martin, 35, said philosophically. “I figure the worst thing that could happen is if nobody takes me I’ll have a lot of free time during the summer.”

This is the first year performers could select and reserve a time slot in advance for their audition, which substantially reduced the time they had to wait before the actual audition. Most who took advantage of the new system liked it.

In another change, Tim Bair, producing artistic director of The Theatre, said the dance audition is no longer required of all performers. “I’m hopeful this will attract people who are not comfortable dancing and are just interested in singing roles in our shows.”

“Cabaret,” directed by Mark Swezey, opens The Theatre in the Park’s 2016 season June 3 in Shawnee Mission Park.

This story was originally published April 5, 2016 at 5:33 PM with the headline "Performers trying out for Theatre in the Park feel the pull of the footlights."