Good Company Players has a Junior Company of performers who appear in a 15 to 20-minute Pre-Show before each show at Roger Rocka's Dinner Theater in Fresno's Tower District. The Pre-Show features this young people's company singing and dancing, both as a group and as soloists. It's like a mini-musical revue.
 

The Junior Company usually numbers 18-20 young people, aged 8 to 16 years. Good Company Players looks for a balanced mix of ages, sizes, and boys-to-girls, as well as performers whose strength is singing, or dancing, or both. Formal voice and dance training is not a pre-requisite for acceptance into the Junior Company.
 
Talent is only one of the attributes sought in Junior Company members: potential, a high degree of motivation, maturity, and commitment are other qualities that successful Junior Company members need to demonstrate. These attitudes must also apply to school work, since Company members must maintain an acceptable grade average.
 
We expect Junior Company members and their families to take the performance commitment as seriously as we do, so only extraordinary rehearsal or performance conflicts are accepted. Historically, it has been better for all concerned for Junior Company members who develop a pattern of conflicts to resign from the Company.
 

The Junior Company rehearses on Saturdays during the day. The performance commitment is very time-consuming: the Pre-Show goes on six times a week, Wednesday through Sunday with two shows on most Sundays. A Junior Company is normally formed for two Pre-Shows at a time; the total time commitment can run from 14 to 19 weeks.
 

Good Company Players is committed to providing training and experience for motivated youngsters. In the 21 years since the first Junior Company was formed, "alums" of this group have played key roles in GCP shows, and many have gone on to professional training and careers for which the Junior Company was an acknowledged foundation.
 

Auditions for The Junior Company are 4 times a year, and any interested youngster is welcome to try out. Current members of the Junior Company must try out each time to retain their place in the Company.
 
The audition consists of singing a memorized song. We ask the auditioners to bring in sheet music. We provide an accompanist at the auditions and need to hear the auditioner sing with the pianist, not a capella or with tape. The song should be sung simply, directly to the listeners without any choreographed movements.
 
There is a dance portion of the audition, but no preparation is required. A choreographer will teach some steps and evaluate the young peoples' ability to learn and perform them. We know not everyone may be equally strong as a singer or dancer, that people have their special strengths to contribute to the Company. But we do look at the attitude the auditioners bring to all parts of the audition process.
 
Apart from the singing and dancing, those trying out are often asked to line up on stage and just stand there and be looked at, or to tell us about themselves informally. We are interested in seeing how comfortable they are with being watched, if they can stand quietly or if they get easily bored, or chat with their neighbors. So much of what the Junior Company does requires concentration and patience.
 
At the very end of the audition morning, all auditioners line up onstage and run through a vocal exercise that tests their ability to hold pitch in part singing. Much of what the Junior Company does is blend as a group, so this skill is an important one.
 
Finally, the casting decision will be made based on talent, perceived potential and on other factors: the ratio of boys to girls, the range of sizes and types - these things also go into the casting decision.

If you have any questions at all about the audition process or about the Junior Company program, please call Good Company Players' office at 266-0211.