The award-winning and record-breaking Mercury panto is back, and this year we’re bringing Mother Goose to life!
Once again our panto chorus will take centre stage, and this is the chance for any budding young stage stars to audition. Our panto chorus are on stage for all of the big show-stopping numbers, taking part in lots of singing and dancing and they will play a variety of roles.
Auditionees must be aged between 9 and 14 (they must not turn 15 during the run), and strong vocal and movement skills are a must – and a sense of fun!
Applications have now closed.
Audition Day
Auditions will take place at Mercury Theatre on Sunday 29 June 2025 in the Rehearsal Room.
Audition slots and group allocations are given on a first come, first served basis and the deadline for audition applications is Friday 27 June 2025.
The sooner we receive your application, the earlier in the day your audition will be, and please note that we have limited audition slots.
We will also be asking candidates to prepare a song in advance of their audition, the track and lyrics of which will be emailed to them on confirmation of their audition slot.
Please note that there will be a recall at the end of the day, so all applicants must be free and willing to attend this session if they are recalled. There won’t be any exceptions made if they can’t be free to attend the recall. Those not selected for the recall are unsuccessful and will be told this on the day.
Audition day schedule:
- 9.50am – Registration for Group 1
- 10.00-11.00am – Group 1 Audition
- 10.50am – Registration for Group 2
- 11.00am-12.00pm – Group 2 Audition
- 11.50am – Registration for Group 3
- 12.00pm-1.00pm – Group 3 Audition
- 1.50pm – Registration for Group 4
- 2.00pm-3.00pm – Group 4 Audition
- 2.50pm – Registration for Group 5
- 3.00pm-4.00pm – Group 5 Audition
- 3.50pm – Registration for Group 6
- 4.00pm-5.00pm – Group 6 Audition
- 5pm – Recall registration
- 5.10pm-6.10pm – Recall
Please be aware that if they are invited to attend the recall session, we would like to measure all auditionees with four basic measurements on the day of the audition. This is to help our wardrobe department make costumes for the successful auditionees. We simply require height, shoe size, chest and hip size. These measurements will be taken by the wardrobe department, are completely confidential and will not be used in any way as part of the decision making process. If your young person is not comfortable to be measured at the recall stage by wardrobe then we’ll require measurements to be provided within 48 hours. Please let us know if your young person does not wish to be measured, you can do this in the application form under the ‘Is there anything you wish to add?’ section. Any unsuccessful auditionee’s measurements will be destroyed.
Before signing up to audition parents/guardians must ensure that their young person can commit to the following rehearsal schedule and be available for ALL performances. The panto chorus will be split into two teams of eight and will alternate shows, doing half of the performance schedules each.
Mother Goose Rehearsal/Performance Schedule:
- Tuesday 26 August (1 hour time slots between 12-5pm) and Wednesday 27 August (1 hour time slots between 9.30am-4pm) – Costume Fittings, you will only be called for one of these days
- Saturday 25 October – slots to be allocated – Final Costume Fitting
- Monday 27 to Friday 31 October – 4.30pm-7pm – Rehearsals Week 1
- Saturday 1 November – 10am-5pm – Rehearsal Week 1
- Monday 3 to Friday 7 November – 4.30pm-7pm – Rehearsals Week 2
- Saturday 8 November – 10am-5pm – Rehearsal Week 2
- Monday 10 November – 4.30pm-7pm – Rehearsal Week 3
- Tuesday 11 November – 4.30pm-8.30pm – Rehearsal Week 3 (includes BV recordings)
- Wednesday 12 November – 4.30pm-7pm – Rehearsal Week 3
- Thursday 13 November – 2.30pm-6.30pm – Rehearsals Week 3 (includes run-through)
- Friday 14 November – 4.30pm-7pm – Rehearsal Week 3 (dance call on stage)
- Saturday 15 November – 10am-5pm – Rehearsal Week 3 (includes run-through and sitzprobe)
- Tuesday 18 to Thursday 20 November – 6pm-10pm – Technical Rehearsals
- Friday 21 November – 1pm-5.30pm and 6-10pm – Dress Rehearsal (both teams, 2pm) and Open Dress Rehearsal (one team)
- Saturday 22 November – 11am-10pm – Notes and First Performances
- Tuesday 24 November – 2pm-6pm – Additional Technical Rehearsal Day (Both teams)
- Saturday 22 November 2025 to Sunday 18 January 2026 (including Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve & New Year’s Day) – Various times (see the Mother Goose page) – Performance – teams will alternate performances during term time and a schedule of when your child is performing will be provided.
We need full commitment to the costume fittings, rehearsal and performance schedule, so please ensure that you are able to commit to these dates ahead of your application.
Offers of a place on one of the two Panto Chorus teams will be made via telephone call by Wednesday 2 July 2025. Unsuccessful candidates will be contacted via email by Friday 5 July 2025.
To sign up to audition please fill in our form at the link below.
FAQs
How are the children selected and what happens next?
On the audition day your young person will be asked to sing and dance in front of our creative panel that will include the director, choreographer and musical director. Successful auditionees will be contacted by telephone by Wednesday 2 July 2025. The two teams of young people will then be chosen to perform on an alternate basis, but will be required to rehearse together throughout. In order for the young people to perform in our pantomime we are required by law to obtain a license from Essex County Council, so along with a confirmation letter, all successful auditionees will receive a pack of licensing forms they must complete. This will include school permission, a Doctor’s note, passport photo and proof of ID. It sounds like a lot but we will always provide a checklist of everything you need and are happy to help with any queries you may have along the way.
When will rehearsals start and how does the schedule work?
Rehearsals commence as of Monday 27 October 2024 and your child will need to be available for all rehearsals. Typically, the panto chorus will be called for rehearsals after school every day Monday-Friday from 4.30pm-7pm and on Saturdays from 10am-5pm. As we get closer to “production week” (the week the show opens), the call times will change to accommodate final run-throughs, dance calls and technical rehearsals on staff. These rehearsals will take place during school time. Attendance is compulsory throughout and it is essential that any other engagements you have over the festive period are considered prior to committing to the audition process as it is a professional production and absence from the show cannot be guaranteed.
How much time will my young person need to take off school?
As part of the licensing agreement, your young person will need to get permission for absence from school. Some schools can have concerns about this as it affects their overall attendance, or can clash with exams or school productions that are taking place at the time. Typically over the run, the panto chorus will be expected for approximately 15 half days during the rehearsal and production period to include run-throughs, dress rehearsals and either morning or afternoon shows. The same absence is requested of all children involved. Attendance is essential during production week from Tuesday 18 – Friday 21 November 2025 for safety reasons, as all of the technical elements of the show come together on stage.
When do performances start and how does the schedule work?
Performances start on Saturday 22 November 2025 and your young person will need to be available for all shows from Saturday 22 November 2025 – Sunday 18 January 2026. The children will perform in their teams on an alternate basis and a performance rota will be produced in advance. Please be aware it is difficult for us to accommodate other engagements. Your young person may be asked to understudy for another young person.
How will my young person be looked after?
The panto chorus will be supervised by licensed chaperones. They will be signed in and out for each session and we ask for parent/guardian assistance when collecting your young person after rehearsals and performances as we do not allow them to leave the premises unsupervised. We appreciate what a big commitment the pantomime is for the parents just as much as the young people and will do our best to stick to scheduled times and dates. If your young person is unwell, you will be asked to come to the theatre to collect them.
If you have any further questions please email [email protected].