VACT is excited to announce auditions for its winter play, Blue Ribbons. Pies, family, rivalry, and even more pies! Written by Wisconsin playwright Thomas Bakken, Blue Ribbons is a hilarious small-town comedy about what happens when a friendly competition becomes anything but friendly. For the past 20 years, Anne Cross and Deloris Doyle have battled for the coveted blue ribbon at their town’s annual pie-baking contest. With ten wins apiece, the longtime rivals enter year 21 tied and neither woman has any intention of coming in second. Their feud has become the stuff of local legend, but years of competition, one-upmanship, and increasingly outrageous antics have taken their toll on their families and the entire community. As Anne and Deloris prepare for one final showdown, eccentric pie judges, scheming town board members, and their hapless families all get swept into the chaos. Blue Ribbons is a laugh-filled comedy about family, friendship, community, and just how far two determined bakers will go for bragging rights and one little blue ribbon. This production will be presented as VACT’s winter play, February 11-13 and 18-20, 2027.
Registration Information
Auditions will be held as follows
Dates and Times
Auditions will be held on Friday, November 6th at 6:30, and Saturday, November 7th, at 1:00
Callbacks will be held by invite only on Saturday, November 7th at the VACT building beginning at 6:00pm.
Actors must be available in person for one of the audition days and for callbacks. No video auditions will be accepted for this production.
Location
All auditions will be held in the Dee Baldock Performing Arts Center (VACT Building) located at 103 Lincoln Street in Verona.
Audition Information
An online registration form must be submitted by Wednesday, November 4 by 5:00pm. There will be no day-of, walk-up registrations.
Please record all known rehearsal conflicts on your online registration form. Because our rehearsal period is limited, it is important to minimize any absences. We cannot accommodate regular late arrivals or early departures from rehearsals. If you will miss more than three rehearsals, you may want to consider looking at a future production.
Please bring a recent photo to the audition, no larger than 4 x 6.
We will be casting understudies for this production, Understudies will only perform if an actor is unavailable due to illness.
VACT welcomes actors of every race, ethnicity, disability, age (minimum age requirement), gender identity, and body type.
Cast List and Rehearsal Information
Casting notifications will go out via email no later than Tuesday, November 10th, 2026.
Rehearsals will begin Tuesday December 1st, 2026. Rehearsals for this production will be three nights a week, typically Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, beginning January 5, but from December 1 to January 5, some rehearsal days may shift around and include Mondays instead. Please make sure to pay close attention to the conflict list when you register.
Dress Rehearsals/Performance Dates
Performances will be held at the Dee Baldock Performing Arts Center (VACT Theater) at 103 Lincoln Street, Verona on February 11, 12, 13, 18, & 19 at 7:30pm and February 13th and 20th at 2:00pm
Dress rehearsals will be held on February 8th and 10th, with a possible soft dress on February 6th.
Actors wishing to audition for this production must be available for all of the dress rehearsals & performance dates listed above.