MTV stages productions of musical plays. There are roles for children, teens and adults, with the mix depending on the specific play. Auditions are held for each play. Most plays have roles for beginners to experts, including chorus, dance team, named characters and leads. The environment here is extremely cooperative and supportive. Children cheer for and encourage each other, especially at auditions.
Auditions are posted on MTV's website and are usually held on consecutive Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. On Monday evening everyone auditions, usually by singing one of the songs from the play, either alone or in small groups. Actors receive a slip of paper that evening telling them that they're in chorus, or inviting them back to audition for dance team or a specific role. The cast list is posted in the window of the theater, usually the following weekend. There are usually 3-4 complete casts. Scripts are handed out at the first all cast rehearsal. Rehearsals are held for 2 or 3 weeks, usually late afternoon and evenings on weekdays. Those with more challenging roles have additional rehearsals..
There are Friday night, Saturday matinee, Saturday night and Sunday matinee performances for about 4 weeks. Depending on the popularity of the play, there may be Thursday night performances as well. The schedule is posted a week or so before performances begin. They will try to take into account any days that an actor can't participate - if you put it on the conflict calendar ahead of time. They'll also schedule 2 actor in the same cast if requested. If all else fails, actors playing the same role can switch performances if they both agree and notify the theater in writing.
Shortly after the auditions, a mandatory parents meeting is held. Schedules and logistics are discussed as well as parents' responsibilities. Parents are required to volunteer in some capacity, whether supervising children back stage, building sets, or selling snacks during intermission. Costumes are provided by the theater, except that parents need to provide things like tights and shoes.