Arts & Entertainment

Open Call Ups Prize Money To $2,500, Deadline For Submission Draws Near

The deadline to apply to the popular competition at the McCallum Theatre is Jan. 4.

The ’s popular Open Call competition in Palm Desert has upped its prize money from $1,500 to $2,500.

The deadline for submissions for the annual concert is Jan. 4, and the competition usually draws at least 100 entries, according to Kajsa Thuresson-Frary, the McCallum’s Director of Education.

“We find each year that we are surprised. Each year we have some people who are coming out the woodwork and they absolutely surprise us,” Thuresson-Frary said.

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Eighty acts will be chosen out of the pool and those will take part in live auditions on Jan. 30-31, she said. The minimum age to apply is 8.

Out of the 80, between 20 to 25 acts will make it into the final competition, which spans over four performances on April 26-28, she said.

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“We usually sell out. It’s become a very popular show. People love Open Call and come year after year. The audience has an opportunity to vote for their favorite performer,” she said, adding that the audience vote counts for 20 percent of the final prize.

Open Call started up in 1999 as part of the theater’s effort to “establish itself as more of a community theater,” she said.

“We now have this popular culture with all of these awards shows. Open Call was pre all that,” Thuresson-Frary said.

She said the competition has taken on a life of its own in the community.

“It’s such an amazing opportunity for people. It’s something they put on their resume with a lot of pride and they just genuinely feel that they have a good experience,” she said.

Videos of last year’s competitors can be found on the McCallum Institute’s website.


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