Aberdeen Performing Arts and Guesthouse Projects are inviting boys aged 8 to 11 from the Aberdeen area to audition for a new Aberdeen version of the acclaimed touring production The Show for Young Men.
The Show for Young Men is a funny and tender contemporary dance performance about a friendship between a man and a boy. Through play, dance and objects drawn from a building site, they create a world together - one that is joyful, risky and full of possibility.
The successful applicant will help create the new version alongside a professional dancer, performing at the Lemon Tree and touring the work across Scotland during spring and autumn 2027.
Aberdeen Performing Arts' Head of Creative Engagement, Susan Whyte, said: "We're looking for applications from a wide range of boys. You don’t need to have dancing or acting experience, and you won’t need to memorise lines.
"Every version of The Show For Young Men is created around the people who make it, so we’re much more interested in who you are than what you’ve done before.
"Perhaps you enjoy climbing, dancing around the house, making up games, playing football, being outdoors or simply spending time with other people. If you’re curious, playful and enjoy moving, we’d love to meet you."
Directed by Eoin McKenzie, The Show for Young Men uses humour, risky physical duets and heartfelt choreography to consider the complexities of modern-day masculinity. In matching boiler suits, the pair construct and deconstruct their environment, each pulling the other towards a different goal. As their bond deepens and conflicts arise, they discover there are many ways to be a man. The work ultimately offers a hopeful image of male care and compassion, championing boys' and men's capacities for care, friendship and vulnerability.
Since premiering to sold-out audiences as part of the Made in Scotland Showcase at the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, The Show for Young Men has developed a substantial national and international touring life. It has since been presented at the Edinburgh International Children's Festival, NottDance at Nottingham Contemporary, Southbank Centre's Imagine Festival, Krokusfestival in Belgium and Starke Stucke in Germany, with new local versions created through co-productions with Aaben Dans in Denmark and ARTiSHOCK Theatre in Kazakhstan.
Critical response has been equally strong. The Stage called it "a work of quiet intelligence and enormous tenderness"; The Spy in the Stalls awarded it five stars and described it as "an innocent, wondrous delight"; and, following its Southbank Centre run, Everything Theatre rated it "Unmissable!", giving it 5 stars and calling it "a tender, playful and profoundly moving dance and theatre piece".
Director Eoin McKenzie, said: "Every version of the show changes because the young performer is genuinely part of making it. We're not looking for someone to fit an existing role; we're looking for a boy whose own interests, humour and way of moving can become part of the work. I'm really excited to make a new version in Aberdeen and see what this cast brings to it."
The Aberdeen version will be performed at the Lemon Tree on Saturday 24 April 2027 and will also tour to venues across Scotland in spring and autumn 2027.
Auditions will take place on Saturday 5 December 2026 at the Music Hall in Aberdeen. For more information and to apply, visit aberdeenperformingarts.com/call-outs/audition-call-out-for-the-show-for-young-men/