Copious Notes

Nicholasville farm girl Kelly Casey says she auditioned for American Idol so friends and family would stop bugging her to audition. It seems like they had the right idea, because she’s going to Hollywood.

Kelly Casey. Photo from twitter.com/KellyCaseyMusic.

“I’ve always kind of been told that I should audition, and I never have in the past,” Casey says in a video on the Idol website. “This is my first time, so I was just kind of trying to get people off of my back about doing it and, wow, I got a golden ticket. It’s incredible.”

Casey advanced out of the Baton Rouge auditions, which were broadcast Thursday night on Fox. She was not seen on the episode, and there are several more audition cities to be shown before Hollywood episodes next month, which will be the next chance to see Casey compete.

As a two-time Miss Kentucky contestant, Casey is no stranger to competition, and she has maintained an active singing career in Central Kentucky. In the Idol video, she says her rural upbringing will be a key to her success on the show.

She says, “I think I’m the next American Idol because growing up in a rural area and living on a farm in Kentucky has taught me a great work ethic, which I can convert into music, because no matter how cold it is outside or what’s going on, if it’s Christmas, the animals still have to be taken care of.”

Casey’s Facebook fan page lists her as a country and Christian musician with favorites and influences including Shania Twain and Martina McBride. Her favorite Idol contestant is fairly easy to guess: Carrie Underwood.

““She’s extremely successful, and it’s the same genre of music that I have grown up listening to,” Casey says. “I love country music.”

Click here to follow Kelly Casey on Twitter.

Do you think you have the acting chops to play on the stage of Kentucky’s top professional theater?

© Herald-Leader staff photo by Charles Bertram.

Actors Theatre of Louisville will have auditions for children and actors who are not members of Actors Equity, the stage actors union, on April 16, 17 and 19. According to a news release from the theater, the auditions are for introductory purposes as the theater’s casting department seeks to expand its talent pool and looks to recruit actors for its 2012-13 season.

Auditions for children ages 6 to 13 are 4 to 7 p.m. April 17 and 19 in ATL’s administrative offices, 315 West Market Street in Louisville. The auditions are geared toward ATL’s annual holiday shows, Dracula, A Christmas Carol and A Christmas Story. Auditioners should be prepared to recite a short, memorized monologue, sing a hymn or ballad a capella and bring a recent snapshot or photograph of themselves.

The adult auditions for ages 14 and older are 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. April 16, and auditioners should come prepared to recite a one-minute monologue. No specific roles are being cast at this time.

Auditions are by appointment only. To schedule an audition appointment, email auditions@actorstheatre.org. For children, include the age and gender of the child plus a contact e-mail and cell phone number in the body of the message. Auditions are on a first-come, first, served basis; confirmation emails of audition times will be sent after April 2. Call (502) 584-1265 for more information.

Anne Bancroft as Mrs. Robinson and Dustin Hoffman as Benjamin Braddock in the iconic 1967 Mike Nichols movie, "The Graduate." © MGM/AP photo.

If you have ever wanted to perform some of the immortal lines from The Graduate like, “Do you want me to seduce you?” and “Plastics,” Studio Players is holding auditions at 6 p.m. March 18 and 6:30 p.m. March 19 for its production of the stage version of the iconic movie, which runs May 17 to June 3.

Director Bob Singleton will be casting for four to five men in their 20s to 50s for Benjamin Braddock, Mr. Braddock, Mr. Robinson, Hotel Clerk (“Are you here for an affair?”) and the priest and four to five women in their 20s to 40s for Mrs. Robinson, Mrs. Braddock, Elaine, a stripper and a psychiatrist (there’s extra material in the stage version). Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script.

I have to admit, the prospect of this show has generated a little in-office chatter about who would be good in what roles, so we’re really interested in seeing who Singleton ends up casting.

Hey, hey, hey …

The Galt House Hotel is holding auditions for its debut holiday show Colors of the Season. The show will be part of KaLightoscope Christmas, the hotel’s 47-day multifaceted event starting Nov. 18.

Producers are searching for adult male and female actors and singers who appear to be between the ages of 25 and 35 and child actors and singers who appear to be between 7 and 11 years old for roles in the production. The hotel is also auditioning dancers 18 and older with a background in ballet, jazz and or adage. According to a Galt House news release, all positions will be paid.

Auditions will take place starting Sept. 11 at Galt House in the Suite Tower. Final callbacks will be Sept. 12. For more audition information visit KaLightoscope.com or call 1-800-843-4258.