ADVANCED CAMP AUDITIONS 2026

Auditions will be held at St. David of Wales in the basement classroom on Wednesday January 28, Thursday January 29, Friday January 30, and Sunday February 1.
You must have a scheduled time slot to attend auditions.

An advanced PDC student is extremely driven to work hard.
They are natural leaders.
They ask questions and they offer help.
They don’t need too much pushing from parents to practice at home.
They are interested in becoming a better actor.
They are working on being organized and taking responsibility seriously.
They are not necessarily the absolute best singer or dancer, but have extensive theater skills they have developed over many classes, camps and shows.
Advanced PDC actors have a track record of
honoring the PDC pledge,
being supportive team players,
making bold choices, taking risks and trusting their guts on stage,
taking responsibility for themselves,
showing up for rehearsals
Our current advanced students have been trusted with lead roles - some of them many times - in their previous PDC shows.
Having been in many shows, the advanced student knows how hard it is. They take a great deal of pride in being a serious student and working hard individually and as a team to create a terrific show. They know how to support each other because being in a show is never about one role or one actor, but the cast as a whole. In advanced camp we do not spend as much time developing our fundamental theater skills through games and activities because it is expected that these students have already learned them.
Caroline will not only consider what happens at the audition, but also base decisions on the student’s past dedication, work ethic, attitude and performance in previous camps or classes (or on recommendations from other PDC directors in other schools if she has not spent as much time with them).

This audition is for placement in the camp only.
We will not officially cast the show until we hold auditions on the first day of camp. Audition information will be sent one week before camp. Students will be expected to prepare an audition based on information provided in that email. On day one, students will also learn a dance combo and audition in dance lines. Decisions on acceptance into the camp will be sent via email and posted here by February 4th so students can decide if they’d like to proceed with this camp or register for a different camp.
IF ACCEPTED, THIS CAMP COUNTS AS YOUR CHILD’S ONE CAMP. Regular registration is February 7th. These students can either get on the wait list of a full camp or register for additional camps that still have space the next day on February 8th at 9am.
Acceptance into this camp does not mean your child is accepted into the advanced after school program for next school year.
If your child is not chosen for this camp it does not mean they will not be chosen for the after school program!
Those auditions will most likely be in May or June.
All students must audition every time for acceptance into our advanced programs no matter how many times they have been in advanced previously.

Financial assistance and payment plans are available the same as for any camp.

Audition Details

The audition will consist of preparing a short portion of the song below and a short interview with Caroline after you sing. It will take about 5 - 7 minutes. Please be a few minutes early so we can stay on schedule. Please remain quiet in the hall.

Everyone will sing the same song until call backs (more auditions) on the first day of camp.

Your audition should be memorized.

Some helpful or just fun links: coming soon

STUDENTS PLEASE NOTE:
PLEASE audition even if you think you won’t get in. Caroline will make this experience as light and fun as possible in the short time you are in the room - she is already proud of you for signing up. Auditioning is a valuable experience, it shows us that you are serious and your bravery will be remembered. Try not to get discouraged. Please know that not getting into advanced camp is often just a numbers game- some years we will have many older or experienced kids audition and some years we may have fewer. Some years we will have a show that requires a variety of different ages and heights or a special dance ability. Some years we may choose to double cast or try something different - or any number of other considerations may go into placement and casting. If you want to continue with theater as you get older please continue to try again and again. The more auditions you have the less scary they will seem. Getting into advanced summer camp does not guarantee placement in the after school program- we usually have many more kids audition for the after school program than for summer camp. The after school program is a major commitment and requires the most dedicated, organized and serious students who are looking for a challenge. The work doesn’t end once you get into advanced. It is the beginning.
We will audition 55 kids for summer camp and plan to accept around 30.

Why require auditions?

Kids have varying levels of ability and interest in theater. There should be a camp and after school program for driven, experienced kids and other camps and shows for kids who are still developing skills, just starting out or just want to try something new without too much pressure. While all of our shows require hard work, some kids are interested in taking their skill levels up a notch with like-minded theater friends.

PDC has many students who come back year after year and some are in multiple shows each year. As we move through each show we recognize kids who stand out as interested, responsible, driven and ready for bigger challenges.

This year we have about 100 eligible kids across all of our after school programs and previous summer camps who are in grades 5 - 8 this year and who will have done at least 2 shows with PDC. Some kids have been in our program since kindergarten and not only have shown the ability to learn songs, dances and acting pieces well, but have shown time and time again that they are an eager and supportive team player.

Some kids take drama as another fun activity that they do among many other activities and we think that ‘s great. Other kids have chosen drama as one of their favorites that they want to dedicate their time and talents to. They consider themselves a proud theater kid and work hard to improve their skills - our advanced programs are for them.

We do hear, see and consider your feedback via email, phone calls, conversations and our end of session polls while making decisions for future camps or classes. We know many less experienced middle schoolers would like to join the fun with their advanced theater friends who they have watched on stage over the years.
Please understand advanced camp is like a varsity sports team - new kids would be very lost without the proper fundamental skills and experience.
Ballet has levels of dance, karate has belts to achieve, soccer has club teams, etc.
We know from experience that new students will have a better personal, confidence-building experience in one of our other camps.

PDC acknowledges that Portland has many wonderful children’s theater companies in town that offer valuable training and that many students may have had years of experience at other spaces. Because we have so many eligible students who have been with PDC, we can not make exceptions for your child no matter their level of experience or talent if they have not previously been in shows with PDC.
We are happy to offer other terrific and challenging camps to take instead where they can lead and shine!

If you have questions that have not been answered on this page please email Caroline.