Who can I contact?
General Information and to Place an Ad in a Program
Call Dr. Jackson, President or Debra Jackson, Administrator at 734-673-9507c
Fax: 734-818-1473 (dial area code even if in area)
Trenton Theater Information-general recording 734.362.8153
To reserve the Trenton Village Theatre or for information on the Trenton Village Theatre, call 734.673.9507
Membership Information
Call Debbie Jackson at 734.673.9507 or send contact address to dypac@dypac.com.
Board of Directors
We utilize a 100% volunteer administration with no paid positions.
* President – Noel W. Jackson 734.673-7304
* Vice President – Kurt Sebaly
* Secretary – Barb Gratton-Clark
* Treasurer – Barbara Gratton-Clark, Treasurer ProTem
* Administrative Director – Debra Jackson dypac@dypac.com or
734.673.9507
Please use the main email contact of dypac@dypac.com for all concerns and they will be forwarded to the individual they pertain to.
Board of Officers
All board members are volunteers with no paid positions.
- Dr. Noel Jackson, President
- Debra Jackson, Admin.
Board Members:
Audra Baas
Karen Connor
Victoria Morgan
David Overholt
Karen Rutkowski
Barbara Rzucidlo
Dave Rzucidlo
Shelly Schutt – gallery curator & special events coordinator
Kurt Sebaly
Patrick Yaeger
Mary Zaleski
Who can audition?
Children ages 5 to 19 can audition. Children selected for roles are required to become a DYPAC member. We adhere to the age on audition date to maintain fairness to all. For our summer program, we do allow those turning 5 during the program run to register.
Can I be a Director?
Directors are needed for all of our shows. In order to direct, we prefer that you have some of the following: some volunteer experience with our organization, directing experience, theater experience, experience working with children, related degrees or certifications and are enthusiastic, positive and patient. We do require a background check. We also require new directors to volunteer and spend some time with children during summer program or a production prior to directing. Please email dypac@dypac.com with questions!
How are DYPAC shows cast? Why was my child not cast?
Each show has a casting committee that is made up of the Director, the Producer, the Vocal Director, the Choreographer, and a randomly selected DYPAC Board Member. Each one of these people sit in at the auditions. Following the auditions, a discussion is held, and a decision is made about who is to be called back for each role. Casting committee members who have their own child in the auditions must excuse themselves and do not vote when their own child is called upon. These five committee members again sit in at the callback portion of auditions, after which another discussion is held before a final decision is made as to the casting of the show. It is a mutual decision, mainly between the four people who will be working on the show (Director, Producer, Vocal Director, and Choreographer) with the Board Member there to assure fairness.
We are limited by space, the roles required of the chosen production, and the conflicts of the performers.
Casting is really a highly subjective process and varies between individual directors, and between different theatre groups.
The process we follow is basically this:
The committee as described above watches and listens to all performers:
If a Musical
All kids are given time to introduce themselves and to sing.
Al kids are taught a dance and dance on stage.
If a Non-musical
All kids are given a chance to read
Each Casting Committee member takes their our own notes during each child’s audition. The scores are based on the audition at the moment, not prior auditions.
The Casting Committee meets afterward and chose who we believe gave the best auditions based on our scorings on the factors of singing, dancing, reading, and stage presence.
The Committee then looks at the requirements of the individual roles and matched up who the committee thought was best in that role, which in addition to the talent factors, might include maturity, age, size, height, gender, etc. (For example, we can’t cast a really tall 17 y.o. in the role representing a six year old, etc.)
The Committee then looked at their conflict sheets and made adjustments to casting, accordingly; making adjustments and not casting some really talented kids that the committee wanted who had too many conflicts in lead roles (i.e., If the committee wanted someone as a lead, who had way too many conflicts, they were unable to cast that child in that role)
The committee must cast to the rights requirements as to cast size and to the decision of the Directors as to how large of group the director(s) are willing to work with. The location of the venue also makes a difference. When we rent a school, we are able to do shows that allow for much larger casts. We try to cast as many as humanly possible.
After the show is cast, based on the above factors, then, lastly, the committee looks at their conflicts and adjusts again.
Should your child feel sad if not cast-probably they will, but… not being cast does NOT mean you will never be cast.
It means you should learn from the experience and try again for a different show. The more opportunities a child has to audition, the more comfortable the child will become with the audition. Remember, each director and casting committee has a different artistic vision!
We offer workshops and summer programs that allow young people to be in a show without having to audition. These programs are first come first serve productions. All who sign up are in a performance. These programs are also a good way to gain confidence with auditioning.
Where are DYPAC shows performed?
Although our home base is the Trenton Village Theater, we sometimes rent alternative venues as determined by the cast size and needs of the production.
How many plays are performed a season?
We try to cast as many children as possible and to offer a variety of experiences. We like to have one large all ages show per season with addtional shows allowing younger children and teens to each excel. We also offer a Summer Fine Arts Program and various workshops throughout the year.
How do I receive Information?!!!
We no longer mail information. Please add yourself to the “join our mailing list” on the home page of www.dypac.com and you will receive all mailings! You may unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link at the bottom of any email. We update our FB page( please follow page) whenever new opportunities arise and also send out a mass email to those on our email list. The website is the last to be updated, so the other methods speedier!