Rio Rancho Creative Crossroads is recruiting participants for multiple programs this month, including two youth choral groups and a community theatre production.
The Children’s Chorus of Rio Rancho and Rio Rancho Youth Chorus will hold their first rehearsal Saturday, Jan. 17, at Star Heights Recreation Center, 800 Polaris Blvd. The session will include an informational meeting for parents and guardians.
Children’s Chorus, for second- through fifth-graders, meets from 12:30-1:30 p.m. Youth Chorus, for sixth- through 12th-graders, rehearses from 2-3:30 p.m. Both groups will accept new members through Feb. 16.
The programs welcome singers of all experience levels, abilities, genders, identities, backgrounds, cultures and orientations. No auditions are required.
Enrollment costs $150 per season, with family discounts and payment plans available. Those who register by Jan. 10 receive a $25 early-bird discount. Students who cannot attend the Jan. 17 kickoff may join at any Saturday rehearsal through Feb. 16.
Meanwhile, Rio Rancho Players Community Theatre will hold auditions for its production of “It Happened at the Airport,” featuring two one-act plays about layover experiences at airport terminals.
The production includes “The Layover” by Tracy Wells and “Airport Encounters” by Scott Mullen. Director Mel Sussman is seeking 23 actors ages 25-70 for the ensemble cast.
A pre-audition meeting is scheduled Saturday, Jan. 10, from 1-3 p.m. at the theatre’s new location within R4 Creating, 1650 Rio Rancho Blvd. SE. Auditions will be held Jan. 12 and 14 from 6-8 p.m. Participants can register at www.rr-cc.org.
The production also needs an assistant director, stage manager, stage crew and volunteers for ticket sales, concessions, costumes, makeup, and scenery design and construction.
Performances will run the last three weekends in April, with rehearsals beginning in late January. Tickets go on sale in March. This marks the eighth production by Rio Rancho Players.
“Music is for everyone,” said Neal Shotwell, president of Rio Rancho Creative Crossroads. “The choruses are a safe, welcoming place to experience music and participate without judgment or the stress of solo performance.”
The youth choruses rehearse every Saturday from Jan. 17 through May, culminating in two end-of-season concerts. The groups also perform at community events throughout Rio Rancho and New Mexico.
Rio Rancho Creative Crossroads is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2013 that provides arts opportunities to the Rio Rancho area. The organization also operates Rio Rancho Art on the Mesa and the Squeaky Shoe Project.
For chorus information, visitwww.rr-yc.org or call (505) 977-4160. For theatre audition questions, contact Mel Sussman at mjsussman@gmail.com or (970) 381-1944.