Students at Alta High School who want to perform in the fall musical White Christmas or join the Shakespeare Team must bring a parent or guardian to a mandatory meeting Wednesday, Aug. 19, at 6 p.m. in the school's Performing Arts Center.

The meeting kicks off a packed audition schedule that runs through the end of August, according to the school's announcement and a blog post by theatre instructor Lindsey Cline.

Shakespeare Team hopefuls move fast. An audition workshop begins right after school Wednesday in the Little Theatre, with formal auditions Thursday, Aug. 20, in the same room.

Musical auditions follow the next week. A workshop is set for after school Tuesday, Aug. 25, in the Little Theatre. Auditions run Wednesday, Aug. 26, and Thursday, Aug. 27, in the PAC, with callbacks Friday, Aug. 28.

Students auditioning for White Christmas must prepare 30 seconds of a song to be considered for all roles. This year the department is also offering what Cline called "Ensemble Auditions," with 30 slots available for students who want to audition as a group. Audition packets and sign-up sheets are available in the Little Theatre; students with questions can find Cline in room 2313 or email [email protected].

The auditions come as Alta's theatre program rides momentum. The department holds a seven-year region championship streak, and Alta and Hillcrest High Schools earned a combined 14 finalist nominations at the 2026 Utah High School Musical Theatre Awards, according to a Canyons School District board summary from February.

"Kids need to do theater, so they find their own voice and then know how to use it," director Linze Struiksma told the Sandy Journal in October 2025, previewing the 2025-26 season. "We need a world with more people to do that."

Struiksma and Cline co-direct the program at the 62,431-square-foot PAC, built as part of a 2017 voter-approved bond renovation at 11055 South 1000 East in Sandy.

Performance dates for White Christmas have not been announced. Families unable to attend Wednesday's meeting should contact Struiksma or Cline as soon as possible.

Upcoming audition dates:

• Wednesday, Aug. 19 — Mandatory parent/guardian meeting, 6 p.m., PAC; Shakespeare workshop after school, Little Theatre
• Thursday, Aug. 20 — Shakespeare Team auditions, Little Theatre
• Tuesday, Aug. 25 — Musical audition workshop, after school, Little Theatre
• Wednesday, Aug. 26 – Thursday, Aug. 27 — Musical auditions, PAC
• Friday, Aug. 28 — Musical callbacks, PAC