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The North Platte Community Playhouse announced Wednesday that audition dates are set for the upcoming production of Lionel Bart’s epic musical Oliver!

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The cast calls for a large chorus, several male and female leads and children ranging in age from 6-18.

Auditions will be held over the course of three nights.

Dec. 11 will be open auditions for all interested children ages 6-12. Dec. 12 will be open auditions for all children ages 12-18 and Dec. 13 will be open auditions for adults, Playhouse Manager Scott Carlson said.

Auditions will start at 6:30 p.m. each night and run until approximately 9:30 p.m. The NPCP encourages all interested parties to audition. No preparation is required and those auditioning should expect to sing songs selected by the directors, in front of the production team, in large and small groups as well as solo.

Oliver! is the timeless tale of young Oliver and his journeys from a workhouse to roaming the streets of London picking pockets with the Artful Dodger and the rest of Fagan’s hoodlums, all while hoping and praying to find someone to love him unconditionally.

Oliver! was first presented in London, where it played for 2,618 performances at the New Theatre. It played for 774 performances on Broadway at the Imperial and Shubert Theatres, starring Georgia Brown and Clive Revill as Nancy and Fagin. It has been revived on Broadway several times, as in 1984 at the Mark Hellinger Theatre, and in London in 1994 at the Palladium starring Jonathan Pryce as Fagin. Oliver! was performed at the NPCP in 1995.

Performance dates are Feb. 8, 9, 10, 15, 16 and 17.

The production will be directed by Scott Carlson and John Hales, with musical director Lori Swanson.

In addition to actors, musicians are needed to play in the orchestra. Those interested in playing should contact Lori Swanson at (308) 520-2984. For questions about auditions or other items, please contact Scott Carlson at (308) 532-8559. This production is made possible, in part, by the support of the Nebraska Arts Council and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment of the Arts.