News
February 19, 2026CASTING CALL! New York City Ballet Holds Auditions for Local Children to Fill Roles in A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Saratoga Season
On SUNDAY, MARCH 15 at 10 AM, New York City Ballet Children’s Repertory Director Dena Abergel will audition area children to dance with New York City Ballet during its Saratoga season, July 8-11. Auditions are for 24 children roles in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, George Balanchine’s full-length adaptation of one of Shakespeare’s most cherished comedies.
“Presenting four performances of A Midsummer Night’s Dream — the very ballet that opened the SPAC stage in July 1966 — is a remarkable moment for our community and our young dancers. Here in Saratoga, these talented children bring the story to life with joy and wonder, creating a magical experience that is uniquely ours,” said Elizabeth Sobol, Chief Executive Officer of Saratoga Performing Arts Center.
Casting for A Midsummer Night’s Dream includes roles for twenty-four girls who are nine-13 years old and no more than five feet inches tall at the time of the audition. At least three years of ballet training is encouraged for all of the roles. Understudies will also be cast.
Returning in celebration of SPAC’s 60th anniversary and its historic partnership with New York City Ballet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream was the first performance presented on the SPAC stage at the venue’s grand opening in July 1966. Inspired by the music of Mendelssohn, Balanchine captures the play’s infinite colors: the bumbling comedy of the Rude Mechanicals, the feisty feuding between Titania and Oberon, the romantic confusion of the young lovers chasing each other through the Athenian forest, and of course the mischief-making Puck – in a ballet of myriad pleasures. Featuring a large cast of children from the Capital Region, A Midsummer Night’s Dream was the first wholly original full-length ballet Balanchine created in America and is one of the most popular ballets in NYCB’s repertoire.
New York City Ballet will perform its full-length production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at SPAC on July 8, 9 and 10 at 7:30 p.m. and on July 11 at 2:00 p.m.
Advance registration is required by Thursday, March 12 and applicants must audition in person to be considered.
Auditions on March 15 will commence at 10 a.m. (check-in no earlier than 9 a.m.) at the SPAC School of the Arts (located behind the National Museum of Dance School), 99 South Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY. Visit spac.org for more details.
