This Valley-wide talent competition is the perfect opportunity to showcase your talent! If you sing, dance, play an instrument, juggle, do magic, comedy, or another self-contained novelty act, here's your chance to perform at the McCallum.

Cash prizes will be awarded to the grand prize, 2nd place and audience choice award winners. In addition to the cash award, the grand prize winner will be featured at a McCallum Theatre event!

Cash Prizes:
  • Grand Prize Award - $2,500
  • 2nd Place Award - $750
  • Audience Choice Award - $750
Finalist stipends:
  • Solo - $100
  • Duet - $200
  • Small Group - $300
  • Ensemble - $500
Finalists will appear on stage at McCallum Theatre in four performances. At the 7pm performance on Thursday, April 26 and Friday, April 27 and the 2pm performance on Saturday, April 28, the audience will participate by voting. Audience votes will carry the weight of one judge’s vote in the final performance at 7PM on Saturday, April 28, where winners will be announced.


How to Enter

Deadline for receipt of entries is January 4, 2012. Entries should be sent to:

Joanna Fookes
Production Manager
McCallum Theatre Institute
73000 Fred Waring Drive
Palm Desert, CA 92260
  • • There is no cost to enter Open Call.
  • • Complete and submit one application form per entry.
  • • A maximum of (2) entries are allowed per performance group or individual.
  • • Submit your performance piece(s) on DVD or CD.
  • • Submitted DVD/CD should include only your entries.
  • • All materials must be clearly labeled with the performer's name and title of performance piece.
  • • Maximum length of performance piece - (5) minutes
  • • No off color language allowed.
  • • Once your entry is received it will be reviewed by a screening panel.
  • • Approximately (70) entries will be selected for live auditions.
  • • If your entry is selected you will be contacted no later than January 25, 2012.
  • • Participants selected for live auditions will perform live before an audition panel.
  • • Finalists will perform for a live audience at McCallum Theatre in four performances on Thursday, April 26, Friday, April 27 and Saturday, April 28, 2012.

Who Can Enter

  • • All performers must be at least (8) years of age.
  • • All performers must reside within a 45 mile radius of McCallum Theatre.
  • • All performers must be non-professionals, i.e. you may not generate fifty percent (50%) or more of your wages from performing.

Performance Requirements

  • • Performances must be totally self-contained.
  • • A piano, microphone, and sound system will be provided by McCallum Theatre.
  • • Props are permissible, however the placement of the props must be completed within 2 minutes. All props must clear the stage immediately following the performance. No littering of the stage is allowed.
   
Deadline for entries:
January 4, 2012

Live auditions:

January 30, 2012, 5pm - 9pm
January 31, 2012, 5pm - 9pm

Mandatory rehearsals:
April 20, 2012, 5pm-9pm
April 21 & 22, 2012, 9am-5pm
April 23, 2012, 4pm-9pm
April 24, 2012, 5pm-9pm
April 25, 2012, 5pm-9pm

Performances:
April 26, 2012, 7pm
April 27, 2012, 7pm
April 28, 2012, 2pm & 7pm

Open Call Application
View Complete 2011 Performance
Open Call Finalists
Open Call Sponsorship Opportunities
Arline and Seymour Kreshek Talent Achievement Awards
Vocal: Sarika Andavolu & Giana Davlantes, Popular
Dance:CK Dance: Senior Team, Eyes On Me
Instrumental: Olivia Wong, Virtuoso Etude #4 – Embraceable You
Specialty: Nocturnal Elements: Zachary Glance & Manuel Guerra

Audience Favorite Award
Rob Watkins
Ventriloquist, Just Let Me Vent

Second Place Award
Max Wang
Pianist, The Faust Waltz

Grand Prize Award
Rob Watkins
Ventriloquist, Just Let Me Vent

All finalists received Finalist Stipend Awards.

Open Call 2011 Slideshow
Open Call 2010 Slideshow
Open Call 2009 Slideshow
Open Call 2008 Slideshow
Open Call 2007 Slideshow

  The files above are in PDF format. If you do not have Acrobat Reader installed, you can get it here.
Joanna Fookes
Production Manager
Phone: (760) 346-6505 ext. 142
Email: jfookes@mccallum-theatre.org