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The annual summer arts camp sponsored by the Russellville Arts Council will be taking place later this month and the council is asking for all aspiring actors and actresses to come out this weekend for auditions.

The Arts Council will be casting all the main roles for the upcoming performance of Cinderella at auditions which are being held tonight at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. Both audition sessions will be held at the historic Fourth Street Theater in Russellville.

Auditions are open for children who have just completed second grade up through high school.

“For those who have not auditioned before, we will be asking you to prepare a short song to share that demonstrates your singing ability. You will dance a brief dance with a small group to demonstrate your movement skills. You will read some dialogue from the Cinderella script to demonstrate your ability to learn quickly and relate to others,” said Larry Vaught, who will once again be directing the play. “Remember, even if you don’t audition at this time - there will be other neat parts that we will be adding during the week of the drama camp.”

Those chosen for lead parts will practice for a couple hours each day for the next week. The arts camp will then begin in full on Monday, June 24.

All children are welcome to come and be a part of the camp and will have roles in the play. Vaught said that they are really wanting to see more boys come out for the camp this year.

“We need those talented boys, especially the ones that like athletics,” he said. “We are going to have a really neat ballroom scene that will allow them to show off their athletic abilities like acrobatics and dancing.”

There is a $10 activity fee to participate in the camp, which will go toward paying for T-shirts for all the participants and other costs associated with the production.

Vaught stressed that no children will be left out and this is open to anyone who would like to participate.

All week long, the young actors will work on the play from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.

The first performance will be Friday evening at the deGraffenreid Auditorium at Russellville High School on June 28

There will also be a Saturday matinee and evening performance on June 30. Also on that day, there will be a cast party following the matinee.

In addition to Vaught, there are several other adults who will be working with the production. They include, Elaine Blythe, musical director; Tara Ragland, assistant musical director; Vickie Costellow, costumes; Melanie Manley, assistant director; Kim Moberly, choreography; Eddie Brooks, lights; Brian Brown, sound and Sydney Herndon will be designing the backdrops.

“Several of us have worked on these plays before and we are really developing into a good team,” Vaught said. “We have a good leadership team together.”