Auditions will take place May 19 and 20 for the Clinton County Showcase production of "West Side Story," which will be performed Aug. 2-5 outdoors in the Breese Northside Park. Rain date is Aug. 6.

Auditions are set for 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 19, and 7 p.m. on Sunday, May 20, at the Avon Theatre, 525 N. Second St., in Breese. Callbacks, if necessary, will follow.

People wishing to try out should prepare to sing at least 16 bars of a song and cold readings from the script. An accompanist will be available. For those who want to dance, there will be a short dance audition -- two different moves for males and females.

First read-through will be Thursday, May 24, but rehearsals don't begin until after Memorial Day.

The passionate and electrifying Leonard Bernstein-Stephen Sondheim musical is celebrating its 50th year. "West Side Story" is a timeless love story set amid clashing gangs in a contemporary street version of "Romeo and Juliet,"  and its plea for racial and ethnic tolerance resonates today. "Something's Coming," "Maria," "Tonight," "Somewhere" and "America" are among the beautiful melodies, punctuated by Jerome Robbins' artistic and athletic choreography. On stage, it is a work of tremendous vitality.

The cast includes mostly teenagers and young adults age through 20s, with four roles for adult males. "We're planning that we can cast a minimum of 25 and a maximum of 40, and not everyone has to dance. We're looking for talented singers, dancers, actors -- performers who will bring energy and enthusiasm to this landmark musical, to show how ground-breaking it was in 1957 and why it's still so special today," said director Lynn Venhaus.

We are also seeking pit band members.

Contact the creative team with questions --  director Lynn Venhaus (618) 939-5966 or Lzvenhaus@aol.com; assistant director Michael Detmer, (618) 974-8907; music director and pit band director Jenny Mondt, (618) 526-8113 or mondt@sbcglobal.net; assistant music director and accompanist Eric Buscher, (314) 488-1144;  choreographer Donna Goetz, (618) 588-4382 or studiobdance@sbcglobal.net; and production manager Pat Kreher (618) 227-8789.

 For more information about the community theatre, now in its 17th season, visit the website, www.ccshowcase.com.