San Diego Follies looking for people to audition

The San Diego Follies are encouraging residents 55 and older to audition for their upcoming June show.

Jeanie Wolf, a Carmel Valley resident who has been performing in the annual show for four years, said the show usually has about 70 to 80 performers, but last year it only had 60.

“We want more this time,” Wolf, 68, said, adding that the show is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.

Auditions will be held March 3, 4 and 5 at Fletcher Hills Presbyterian Church in El Cajon and at the Dorothea Laub Dance Place in Liberty Station, depending on the role someone is auditioning for.

Wolf, a former model and teacher who had no prior performing experience before the Follies, said the show is a lot of fun for older folks to perform in — participants range from 55 to their 90s — and a number of them have had a variety of health issues.

“As long as they can walk, sing and dance, they’re having a ball,” said Wolf, a brain tumor survivor. “We’re not giving up. That’s the main thing. And we’re all meeting new people. Being at home sitting around just isn’t for us.”

Robbi Campbell, a former realtor who had never performed on stage before, joined the cast last year after seeing the show for the first time in 2015.

While watching the show — adorned with professional costumes, a lavish set and a live orchestra — Campbell said she knew she had to be a part of it.

“I thought, ‘I have to do this,’” the 63-year-old Carmel Valley resident said. “I was determined to try out the following year. It was the scariest thing I’ve ever done. But it was something I felt compelled to do, and I’m really glad I did.”

Wolf said those who would like to participate should prepare a one-minute audition and be “energetic, loving life and have a little bit of talent.”

“You can create more talent,” she said.

Rehearsals are three times a week, beginning in April.

The performances take place in seven shows from June 22 to June 25 at the Helix Mainstage Theater, 4200 Lowell Street, in La Mesa.

Tickets, ranging between $27 and $40, go on sale March 15. For more information about the show and auditions, visit www.cytsandiego.org/programs/CCT-7