Bringing Live Theatre to McHenry County Since 1967

 

A loud, proud, and totally outrageous celebration of 1980s rock culture. Set in 1987 on L.A.’s iconic Sunset Strip, Rock of Ages follows aspiring rocker Drew and small-town dreamer Sherrie as they chase stardom and love at the legendary Bourbon Room. But when developers threaten to tear the club down, it’s up to the rockers to fight back—one power ballad at a time. Featuring an electric soundtrack with hits like “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “We Built This City,” and “I Wanna Rock,” this jukebox musical delivers big voices, big hair, and even bigger laughs. Packed with over-the-top characters and non-stop energy, Rock of Ages is a rock concert-meets-musical you won’t want to miss.

June 2026

Artists

Karen Shuman – Director

Mychall Miller-Cornejo – Choreographer

John Gelasi – Orchestra Director

Mary-Elizabeth Ruth Beavers – Stage Manager

Gianah Tomczak – Producer

Vaughn McMillan – Technical Director / LED Video Wall Designer

Mark Audrain – Master Carpenter / Scenic Designer

Rachel Cahill-Nedza – Costume Designer

Erik Freiman – Lighting Designer

Tracy Parr – Make-up Designer / Hair & Wig Designer

Christy Sturm – Photographer

Emily Kunash – Content Creator

Charlie Sommers – T121 Board Liaison


Cast

EMMA NOLAN – Sienna Hughes

DEE DEE ALLEN – Kate Curtain

ALYSSA GREENE – Morgan Tolentino-Siazon

BARRY GLICKMAN – Steven Meerdink

TRENT OLIVER – Justin Charles

ANGIE DICKINSON – Theresa Voge-Kaman

TOM HAWKINS – Jeff Harding

MRS. GREEN – Amy Hopp

SHELDON SAPERSTEIN – Kyle Fiorelli

SHELBY – Vienna Logan

KAYLEE – Meadow Roth

NICK – Jamison Shea

KEVIN – Matt Zurawski

ENSEMBLE – Teresa Barker, Brody Donner, Richmond Fredrickson, Amanda Haugk, Kendra Heidtke, Madelyn Januskiewicz, Audre Knecht, Evan Mai, Luke Nugent, Addyson Rebman, Joseph Sacramento (Swing), Annabella Torres, & Lauren Wember

Audition Information

Get ready to rock – Theatre 121 will be holding open auditions for the upcoming production of Rock of Ages! 

Director Karen Shuman, Choreographer Mychall Miller-Cornejo, and Vocal Director Daniel Maciel are looking to cast 18+ adults in this cheeky, raunchy, and energetic musical. Rock of Ages is a jukebox musical set in 1987 that follows the love story of Drew and Sherrie amidst the backdrop of the Sunset Strip’s rock scene, as they fight to save their beloved bar from demolition.

SIGN UP TO AUDITION (coming soon)

AUDITION INFORMATION:

Dates: Sunday, March 15 and Monday, March 16

Callbacks will be by invitation only on Thursday March 19. You will be notified by email no later than 10am on Wednesday if invited to attend. 

Location: Woodstock Opera House (121 W Van Buren St.)

AUDITION FORMAT:

  • Please prepare 32 bars or 1 minute of a song of your choice. We will be using Appcompanist. Please prepare accordingly. 
  • The producer will send out a video of the dance combination ONE WEEK before auditions begin for auditioners to prep/learn. Please bring comfortable shoes, and tight fitting clothing. No open toed shoes. Auditioners will need to learn the dance ahead of time. There will be a small amount of time to review during auditions. 
  • Please consider the show is gritty and raunchy and deals with adult material. We will assume from your audition that you are comfortable with the nature of the show. There is no nudity, but a lot of references to adult activities. We respect everybody’s boundaries and their personal space and integrity.
  • INTIMACY: Those auditioning for Sherrie, Drew, or Jaxx must be comfortable with a kiss. Some light intimacy between Lonnie and Dennis and Franz and Regina.
  • Please arrive 15-20 minutes before your audition time starts.
  • Headshots are not required.
    • A photo will be taken before your audition for casting purposes only.
  • optional: Print and complete audition form ahead of time here
  • Please email [email protected] if you require any accessibility or ability accommodations to audition.
  • Virtual Auditions:
    • Please prepare a video of your song and dance clip in a Google Folder.
    • All virtual auditions are due no later than Saturday, March 14th

REHEARSALS: 

  • If chosen for the cast, no conflicts will be allowed during tech week or performances.
  • Rehearsals will be held in Woodstock at SARA on Rt. 47.
  • Rehearsals will be held Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays, and Thursdays
  • Mon, Tues, Thurs Rehearsals – 6:30pm – 10pm
  • Sunday Rehearsals – 6pm – 9:30pm
  • MANDATORY ATTENDANCE required at:

    • our first all-call rehearsal Sunday, March 22nd

    • both weeks of tech beginning Sunday, June 7th

    • all shows

    • conflicts during these times may affect casting.

TECH REHEARSALS*: Tech weeks are the weeks of June 7th and June 16th

SHOW DATES*:

  • Friday, June 19th at 7:30pm

  • Saturday, June 20th at 2pm and 7:30pm

  • Sunday, June 21st at 2pm

  • Friday, June 26th at 7:30pm

  • Saturday, June 27th at 2pm and 7:30pm

  • Sunday, June 28th at 2pm

*You must be available for all tech rehearsals, dress rehearsals, and performances to be considered for casting.

If you have any questions, please contact the Producer, Gianah Tomczak

Theatre 121 reserves the right to refuse an audition.

Audition Information

Coming Soon!

For priority notice and early audition signups, become a Theatre 121 member today!)

Characters: (all roles available)

Theatre 121 is committed to diversity and inclusion in our casting practices. 

DREW: An appealing, good-guy rocker with great, easy comedic timing, a boyish charm, vulnerability, and a very strong rock tenor voice. Slightly awkward and unsure. Drew works at the legendary Bourbon Room hoping and waiting for his dreams to come true. He finds an instant attraction to Sherrie, the beautiful new arrival from the Midwest, who encourages him to go after his dreams.

SHERRIE: Female presenting, fresh faced, innocent Midwestern girl stepping right off the bus into a new world to pursue her dreams of stardom. Strong comedic timing, strong rock belt, good movement ability. Should be comfortable in revealing/skimpy clothing.

LONNY: The narrator of the piece, charming, mischievous, welcoming, vibrant personality, a guy who would be fun to spend one drunken night with.  Strong, honest comedic timing and improv skills, and strong rock vocals.

DENNIS DUPREE: Classic stoner type guy who runs the famous Bourbon Room club. Torn about whether he should sell the club to Hertz, a German businessman. Very strong comedic timing. A laid back, easy going dude. Bari-tenor rock vocals.

STACEE JAXX/FATHER: A sexy rock star. Decided to leave his successful hair/metal-rock band to try it solo. Self important, confident, intriguing in all the wrong ways, the ultimate bad boy; he is all about sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll. Great comedic timing and strong rock tenor voice.

JUSTICE/MOTHER: Female presenting, strong presence, an easy sensuality about her. Once a performer, she now operates a strip club where Sherrie winds up working. Takes on the maternal role for the girls that work for her. Strong, soulful vocals and belt needed.

HERTZ KLINEMANN: An attractive older German male. Uptight, cold, intimidating businessman trying to buy up the Strip to develop it. The bad guy of the piece. Strong comedic timing and baritone vocals.

FRANZ KLINEMANN: Hertz’s son, young German male. Works for his father, but not by choice. Pressured and intimidated by his father. Shy, gentle with a big heart. Strong vocals and comedic timing.

REGINA: A fun, hippie type, earthy girl who fights against the attempted take over of The Strip. Strong comedic timing, belt vocals, and comfortable in revealing/skimpy clothing.

MAYOR/JA’KEITH/ENSEMBLE: A strong character actor with good comedic timing to play numerous roles, strong rock tenor, and strong dance/movement ability.

JOEY PRIMO/ENSEMBLE: A young male with the rocker sensibility, strong rock tenor and strong/dance/movement ability. 

FEMALE ENSEMBLE: Three of the sexiest female singer/dancers around. Sassy, beautiful. Must be comfortable in very skimpy/sexy clothing. Strong dancers proficient in jazz. Strong comedic timing/ability, and strong rock vocals