Local young people are invited to audition for a professionally-led musical production of Sleeping Beauty, which will be performed at the Theatre Royal Winchester this summer.

Sleeping Beauty is the timeless tale of a beautiful princess who is cursed by an evil fairy to prick her finger on a spindle and fall into a deep sleep.

But with the intervention of a good fairy, the curse is changed so that she instead sleeps for 100 years until a true love’s kiss awakens her. A handsome prince embarks on a journey to break the spell and save the kingdom. Will true love prevail and bring an end to the enchantment?

The auditions are open to those aged eight to 21 and will be held at the Theatre Royal Winchester on April 29 and The Arc in Winchester on May 4, at different times for different age groups.

The auditions are free to attend and there is no need for auditionees to book a time slot or prepare anything – but they must attend one of the auditions.

The auditions will take 20 to 30 minutes, during which auditionees will be taught a short excerpt from a song and a short movement routine, and will be asked to read from a script.

The production and direction of Sleeping Beauty will be led by Rare Productions, the UK’s largest theatre movement for young people which since forming in 2002 has provided 300 large-scale production opportunities to communities across the country.

Successful auditionees must be available for the entire rehearsal period and the performances at the Theatre Royal Winchester from August 1 to 3.

For more details, including audition times and fees applied if offered a role in the production, auditionees and their families can visit the Playmakers’ website at https://playmakers.org.uk/news/sleeping-beauty-audition-opportunity