The College of the Canyons theatre department will hold three days of auditions in August for students and community members interested in joining the casts of two upcoming fall semester productions.

This year’s COC theatre department fall lineup of productions includes the Tony Award-winning “Drowsy Chaperone” by Bob Martin and Don Kellar with music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison, and “In Arabia We’d All Be Kings” by Stephen Adly Guirguis, which was originally directed by Academy Award-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman.

“Drowsy Chaperone” is a family-friendly show-within-a-show. The story begins when a die-hard musical fan plays his favorite cast album — the 1928 smash hit entitled “Drowsy Chaperone” — and magically becomes part of the show! As the story unfolds audiences follow the tale of a celebrity “showgirl” bride and her chaotic wedding day plans, complete with an array of thrills and surprises that are sure to entertain.

The COC production of “Drowsy Chaperone” features roles for eight men, five women and a five to seven-member ensemble. Actors of all ages and ethnicities are encouraged to audition.

“In Arabia We’d All Be Kings,” focuses on a bar in the Hell’s Kitchen section of New York City where a motley crew of characters gathers to drown their sorrows amidst the backdrop of the widespread gentrification that took place in the city during the 1990s. Offering a bleak look into the lives of these characters, the production features roles for eight men and five women. Actors of all ages and ethnicities are encouraged to audition.

“We are pleased to offer both student and community actors the opportunity to participate in these two projects,” said COC theatre department chair Paul Wickline. “Both of these titles are critically acclaimed and have been popular with audiences wherever they have been produced. They each feature excellent roles for actors and will be exciting projects for both students and community performers.”

The audition schedule for these two productions is listed below:

“Drowsy Chaperone” — noon Saturday, Aug. 20.

“Drowsy Chaperone” and “In Arabia We’d All Be Kings” — 6:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 22.

“In Arabia We’d All Be Kings” — 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 23.

All auditions will take place in the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center (PAC) Black Box Theatre, located on the college’s Valencia Campus. Scripts for both productions are available on reserve at the Valencia campus library. Actors are encouraged to read the plays before auditions.

Actors auditioning for “Drowsy Chaperone” are asked to prepare 16 to 32 bars from a musical theatre song. Audition material should be no more than two to three minutes in length, and should be accompanied by sheet music in the correct key. Actors will be divided into two groups and will both sing and complete a choreographed movement piece as part of the audition process. Script readings will take place at the callback audition, 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 25, in the Black Box Theatre.

Those cast in “Drowsy Chaperone” will need to enroll in the courses Theatre 190C and Music 116. Rehearsals will take place from 6:30 to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, and Saturdays from noon to 3 p.m. beginning Monday, Aug. 29, and running through Thursday, Oct. 20. The production of “Drowsy Chaperone” will run Oct. 21-23 and 28-30, on the PAC main stage.

Actors auditioning for “In Arabia We’d All Be Kings” are asked to prepare and present a one to two minute contemporary monologue. Script readings will take place at the callback audition, 6:30 p.m. Thursday, August 25, in the Black Box Theatre.

Those cast in this production will need to enroll in the course Theatre 190D. Rehearsals will take place from 6:30 to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, beginning Monday, Sept. 19, and running through Tuesday, Nov. 15. The production of “In Arabia We’d All Be Kings” will run Nov. 16-19, in the Black Box Theatre.

For complete audition information, including a description of all characters for both productions, please visit the College of the Canyons theatre department website at http://www.canyons.edu/departments/theatre/upcoming.htm.