Auditions announced for 'Tarzan the Musical'

Students from across the Flathead Valley will swing into action when ATP Kids, the educational outreach program offered by the Alpine Theatre Project, holds auditions for its fall session, culminating in a production of a musical version of the popular Disney film, “Tarzan the Musical.”

Auditions for “Tarzan the Musical” will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 5, beginning at 4 p.m. at the Whitefish Performing Arts Center, on the corner of Spokane Avenue and Second Street in Whitefish.

The session is open to all students in grades 1-8. Students will be given material at the audition to sing in groups. Callbacks will be held that evening. Classes/rehearsals will take place after school, two or three days per week in Whitefish, from 3:45 to 5:30 p.m. Performances will take place at the Whitefish Performing Arts Center Oct. 21-22.

Based on Disney’s animated musical adventure and Edgar Rice Burrough’s “Tarzan of the Apes,” “Tarzan the Musical” features music by Phil Collins and a book by Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang. High-flying excitement and hits, like the Academy Award-winning “You’ll Be in My Heart,” as well as “Son of Man” and “Two Worlds,” make Tarzan an unforgettable theatrical experience.

Washed up on the shores of West Africa, an infant boy is taken in and raised by gorillas who name him Tarzan. Apart from striving for acceptance from his ape father, Tarzan’s life is mostly monkey business until a human expedition treks into his tribe’s territory, and he encounters creatures like himself for the first time. Tarzan struggles to navigate a jungle, thick with emotion, as he discovers his animal upbringing clashing with his human instincts.

ATP Kids is bringing in ZFX, Inc., the world-renowned flying effects company, to assist with the intricate vine swinging in the production.

Now in its ninth year, the ATP Kids program has had 1,200 students participating to date. Led by ATP’s Broadway professionals, ATP Kids is an after-school program of theater education through performance. Students learn theater basics and creativity through improvisation, storytelling, movement and games, as well as rehearsal on a production to be performed at the end of the session. ATP Kids aims at entertaining kids while fostering self-confidence, teamwork and self-expression.

A $120 tuition fee is required for participation, but full and partial scholarships are available to students who require assistance, thanks to donors and sponsors of ATP’s Educational Programming. Interested parents and students can contact ATP at 406-862-7469 or info@atpwhitefish.org for more information.