Winter Intensive

Winter Intensive rehearsals are as advertised! With lots to do, and little time to do it, rehearsals will be a bit longer, as groups rotate to learn choreography, blocking, and music with minimal stops. The rehearsals are challenging, but rewarding, and we’ve seen participants rise to the occasion time after time.

Our Winter Intensive age range can fluctuate year-to-year, but for this year we will be including 6th-grade through 12th grade participants.

While Cricket strives to make every program a learning program, and welcomes everyone to stage, new or experienced, these rehearsals are quick-paced and don’t allow for a lot of time of review work. We usually recommend that participants have some level of experience in performing arts, even minimally, but there will always be varying levels of experience that we d

Yes! Our program is where long-term friendships across schools and towns develop. We have had participants drive up to an hour to rehearsals, as our intensive programs seem to draw in new faces from near and far! With such a short, memorable, and intensive experience, we’re always so thrilled at how close our casts become and to see new friendships form.

No. If you are on the fence about signing up, we recommend signing up for an audition slot and having your child come to our workshop. They will get a taste for what the program looks like and you can decide if they want to audition after that experience. It is even ok if you decide after casting that we are not the program for your family. We do not require tuition payment until the first rehearsal.

We plan to have our tech rehearsals and shows this winter at Cutting Hall Performing Arts Center in Palatine. Our first two rehearsals will be at a different venue, which is to be determined. Be sure to check show details for audition locations and times.

While we understand that winter break can be busy for many, with such a short rehearsal run, every moment is valuable. Typically, we request that actors prioritize the Winter Intensive, as missing even one rehearsal means playing catch-up in an already very busy schedule. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions

As much as we’d love to include everyone, we want to make sure we give everyone the opportunity to learn during rehearsals and shine on stage come show night. As with our other programs, this is a no-cut programs that we typically cap at 40 participants, but this may be increased depending on number of directors, show choice, and other factors.

We wait list students who try to sign up after we reach our cap and they will receive an audition slot if another student drops theirs. We’ll be sure to contact you if there are any new updates, so please be diligent about checking your emails and let us know if have any questions