Current Opportunities

Throughout the year at Curve there are opportunities for local artists and creatives to get involved and share their work.

You’ll find the latest opportunities on this page.

We’re looking for Charlie Bucket, Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt, Violet Beauregarde, Mike Teavee and more at Curve this Christmas!

Applications are now open for young people to join our new Made at Curve production of CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY.

The deadline to apply is Wednesday 6 May 2026.

Read on to find out more and apply now.

Production Dates
Key dates (Rehearsals in Leicester)
Pre-Rehearsal Bootcamp: w/c 17th August 2026
Rehearsal Week 1: w/c 12th October 2026
Rehearsal Week 2: w/c 19th October 2026
Rehearsal Week 3: w/c 26th October 2026
Rehearsal Week 4: w/c 2nd November 2026
Tech Week 1: w/c 9th November 2026
Tech Week 2: w/c 16th November 2026
FIRST PREVIEW: Saturday 21st November 2026
PRESS NIGHT: TBC – Wednesday 2nd December 2026
FINAL PERFORMANCE: Sunday 9th January 2027 OR Saturday 16th January 2027

Summary
Join Charlie Bucket, Grandpa Joe, Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt, Violet Beauregarde, Mike Teavee and the Oompa-Loompas as we step through the gates of Willy Wonka’s marvellous chocolate factory into a world of pure imagination. From the banks of the scrumdiddlyumptious chocolate river to the dizzying heights of the Great Glass Elevator, nothing is quite as it seems in the wonderful Wonka wonderland.

Inclusivity sits at the heart of our work at Curve: We encourage parents, guardians, care givers and agents to submit applications from all racial and cultural groups, classes and backgrounds. We welcome submissions from anyone meeting the casting breakdown, in particular those underrepresented on our stages, including migrant actors and those who speak English as an additional language, D/deaf and disabled performers and transgender artists.

We are looking for the following roles:

CHARLIE BUCKET
Male Presenting / Playing Age 10-13 / Appearance: Any / Accent: Any regional UK accent
“For they loved this little boy. He was the only bright thing in their lives”.
Alongside Willy Wonka, Charlie leads us through our story and it is crucial this actor has the confidence, natural charisma and stage presence to command the stage for the entire show. Kind, humble and quietly hopeful, Charlie has a rich imagination and pure heart. Should have natural sincerity with strong movement ability. Any regional UK accent.
VOCALS: Strong Mezzo-Soprano. Ideally with an unbroken voice, or if broken, comfortable singing in a Mezzo-Soprano range. Able to hit C5 comfortably, and in head voice able to hit F5.

AUGUSTUS GLOOP
Male Presenting / Playing Age 10-13 / Appearance: Any / Accent: UK/European accent
“Eating is his hobby, you know. That’s all he’s interested in”
Fun and playful, but completely ruled by food, Augustus’ lack of self-control and greed leads to his downfall. Should have strong movement ability and bags of charisma. UK/European accent.
VOCALS: Strong Mezzo-Soprano. Able to hit C5 comfortably, and in head voice able to hit F5.

VERUCA SALT
Female Presenting / Playing Age 10-13 / Appearance: Any / Accent: Russian
“Where’s my Golden Ticket! I want my Golden Ticket!”
Veruca is spoilt, incredibly head strong and is used to getting what she wants. When she doesn’t get what she wants, there is hell to pay and she lets the world know. Veruca is incredibly privileged and her parents run a billion-dollar Russian peanut empire. She’s used to a world of high-fashion and fast cars. Russian accent. If you wish to attempt a Russian accent for the audition, this is very welcome.
VOCALS: Strong Mezzo-Soprano. Ideally with an unbroken voice, or if broken, comfortable singing in a Mezzo-Soprano range. Able to hit C5 comfortably, and in head voice able to hit F5.

VIOLET BEAUREGARDE
Female Presenting / Playing Age 10-13 / Appearance: Any / Accent: American
“To tell you the truth, I simply wouldn’t feel comfortable if I didn’t have a little wedge of gum to chew on every moment of the day.”
Fiercely competitive and with a strong sense of pride, Violet is confident, bold, obsessed with winning and chewing gum. She sees herself as the queen of pop, think JoJo Siwa. American accent.
VOCALS: Strong Mezzo-Sopranos. Able to hit C5 comfortably, and in head voice able to hit F5.

MIKE TEAVEE
Male Presenting / Playing Age 10-13 / Appearance: Any / Accent: American
“Can’t you fools see I’m watching television? I wish you wouldn’t interrupt.”
Highly intelligent but impatient and easily bored, Mike prefers technology to people or imagination. Constantly fidgeting and unable to focus. Obsessed with video games and TV. American accent.
VOCALS: Strong Mezzo-Soprano. Ideally with an unbroken voice, or if broken, comfortable singing in a Mezzo-Soprano range. Able to hit C5 comfortably, and in head voice able to hit F5.

YOUNG COMPANY
Any Gender / Any Appearance / Open to those aged between 13 and 18
Strong movement and singing ability required. Young Company members should demonstrate confidence, a willingness to learn and a sense of playfulness. Due to the nature of this piece, young company members may not have extensive stage time and will predominantly be involved in the exterior crowd scenes outside the factory.
VOCALS: Strong Mezzo-Sopranos. Able to hit C5 comfortably, and in head voice able to hit F5.

Requirements
Please ensure you meet the following requirements before submitting your application.

For the roles of Charlie, Augustus, Veruca, Violet and Mike:
You must be aged at least 9 years old by Monday 12th October 2026 and under the age of 16 by the 16th January 2027 in order to apply. We are looking to cast a total of 4 Charlies and 3 of each of the other children.

For the Young Company
You must be aged at least 13 years old by Monday 12th October 2026 and under the age of 18 by the 16th January 2027 in order to apply.

Application and Audition Process
To register your interest, please complete the Application Form linked here.

We will not be able to accept any auditions without a completed Application Form. The application process is the same for both the named roles and the Young Company.

First Round: The first round of auditions will be through self-tapes. Please submit a video recording of you singing your own choice of song which you enjoy, in your natural accent. Videos should be submitted to charlie@curvetheatre.co.uk by 12 noon on Wednesday 6th May 2026. Unfortunately, we will not be able to accept any tapes received after this time. Please submit your video as an unlisted YouTube video or as a OneDrive, Google Drive or iCloud link rather than through WeTransfer due to expiry time on download links.

We will notify all applicants of the outcome of the first round by Monday 18th May 2026.

Second Round: Second round auditions will take place in person at Curve during the day on Thursday 21st May and Friday 22nd May 2026, with possible further callbacks on Sunday 24th May 2026. Those invited to attend the second round will receive a time slot for their in-person audition. Here applicants will have the opportunity to work with our Director Nikolai, our music and choreography team. Following this, we will let you know as soon as possible if you have been given a role in the production.

Fee
For those cast as Charlie, Augustus, Veruca, Violet and Mike, we will pay session fees and cover reasonable expenses and travel costs. We will not cover the cost of accommodation; therefore please consider your proximity to Curve before submitting your application.
We are not able to offer any fees, expenses or travel payments for members of the Young Company.

Dates and Availability
Rehearsals will take place at Curve in Leicester from w/c Monday 12th October 2026 – w/c Monday 16th November 2026. Rehearsals will be during the day, evenings and at some weekends, as required. There will also be a pre-rehearsal boot camp during the w/c 17th August 2026 (for named characters only). Exact dates and times will be confirmed, however attendance at all rehearsals the young person is called for is compulsory.
Those cast will need to be available to perform in all scheduled performances. Please note, this includes performances over the Christmas period (excluding Christmas Day and New Year’s Day).

School Absence
It will be necessary to take some time off school for rehearsals and for some performances, so you must be willing for your child to potentially miss some schooling. Parents of successful applicants will need to seek written permission from the head teacher for school absence. Due to the size and nature of the named characters, a conversation will be had with the young person’s school and licensing authority and it may be necessary for a tutor to be provided at Curve to work with those young people around rehearsal times, to support their learning through the production period.

Licensing
Each child cast in the production will require a performance license, which Curve will coordinate. A license application pack will be sent to successful candidates following the audition. All offers of places in the company will be subject to obtaining a successful child performance license.

Chaperoning
We have a team of professional chaperones who will be looking after the teams of young people during the rehearsals and production.

Please note, if the young performer has access requirements, and would need additional support to be a part of the production, please let us know as part of the application. Should the application be successful, we would work with the young person and their parents/guardians to support the young person’s participation.

To avoid disappointment, please check that you fulfill the requirements listed above. If you fall outside the age range specified, unfortunately, we will not be able to accept your application.

If you have any questions, please contact us via the charlie@curvetheatre.co.uk email address.

We look forward to hearing from you.