any pointers for auditioning for gretl?

Watch Kym Karath in t he movie; she's probably considered THE definitive Gretl.

thanks so much! my 3 and 1/2 year old daughter loves the movie and imitates Kym so I think we are in good shape then!

She needs to be able to follow directions. That's the biggest thing we look for when casting young children. Casting a 3 year old as Gretl would be terribly risky! Anything younger than five, the kids are very unpredictable! But there are exceptional children who are very focused at a young age too!

well, she will be 4 by showtime, but more importantly she actually is good at following directions. She just played an orphan in the same theater company's production of "annie" and did very well. It was of course a much smaller role, but we are hoping for the best. I have stressed with her the importance of following directions though! thanks!

she got understudy....they cast a 7 year old. we are sooo proud of her! she will be in one of the shows and all the practices! yay!

My 4 year old has been doing very well at practices...she has little solos here and there and although she loves goofing around with her "siblings", she has really caught on to the songs and choreography. I am proud of her! She is so much smaller than the other kids (ages 10 and up) and so they all look after her like real brothers and sisters! I think I will likely shed a tear when whe does her "farewell, goodnight" solo!

You sound like a truly wonderful stage parent. In my opinion, starting young is great. Hopefully she'll have a lifelong passion for the theatre! It seems like something she really enjoys, even at this age. Keep us posted on how the production goes!

thanks Actingdude! My daughter has been running around our home singing show tunes (mamma mia, annie, sound of music, you name it) since she was 2. I can't believe how much she loves being on the stage because I am very shy when it comes to that! The theater group we are involved in is wonderful in that the director turns no child away and finds a part for everyone. I am super excited for the show !! Currently, I am making magic with my glue gun by transforming ordinary puppets into character from "the lonely goatherd" !!! Its fun. Guess I am a stage mom. I will definitely keep you posted!

just to update, the performance went wonderfully! My 4 year old nailed all her lines, did all her dances, and sung all her songs! (and best part was the micropone worked too...it had not worked in rehearsals) She brought daddy and mommy to tears! The other girl they cast as Gretl was actually 9 years old, not 7. We will remember her performance forever!