Summerset Theatre Season 51 is just around the corner and auditions for this summer’s shows will be held on Saturday, May 12, and Sunday May 13.

This season’s shows will be “Musical of Musicals (The Musical),” directed by Carrie Braaten, “Leaving Iowa,” directed by Jake Gustine, and “Chicago,” directed by Summerset Theatre Co-Director Randy Forster.

“We’re really excited to have two, first-time directors this year,” Forster said of Braaten and Gustine. “Jake and Carrie have been involved in Summerset for years and they are jumping in head first into the director role, so we are very excited to give them the opportunity and let them shine as directors.”

“Musical of Musicals (The Musical)” will be the first show of the season, running from June 13-17. It is a musical structured into five acts, each of which is a short musical parodying (and paying homage to) the style of an American or British musical theatre composer or composer/lyricist team, all dealing with roughly the same classic melodrama plot: “I can’t pay the rent.” Forster said the show was written for a cast of four, two men and two women, but that Braaten may expand the cast with a chorus.

“The four main characters repeat themselves in all five vignettes,” Forster said. “They play the same role five different times as a different character, which I think adds to the humor of the whole show.”

“Leaving Iowa” will be the next show of the season, running from July 11-15. It tells the story of Don Browning, a middle-aged writer, who returns home and decides to finally take his father’s ashes to his childhood home, as requested. But when Don discovers Grandma’s house is now a grocery store, he begins traveling across Iowa in search of a proper resting place. As he drives those familiar roads, the story shifts back and forth from the present to memories of the annual, torturous vacations of Don’s youth. Ultimately, Don’s existential journey leads him to reconcile his past and present at an unpredictable and perfect final destination. Forster said the show has a cast of three men and three women, but that Gustine might expand to have an ensemble.

“Chicago” is the final show of the season, running from July 31-Aug. 5. Set in Prohibition-era Chicago, the musical is based on a 1926 play of the same name by reporter Maurine Dallas Watkins about actual criminals and crimes she reported on. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the “celebrity criminal.” Forster said the show has the largest cast, with roughly 20 roles plus ensemble.

“We need lots of dancers and lots of women,” he said. “This will definitely be a year that showcases our female actresses.”

Forster said the directors are looking for anyone ages 16 and up to audition.

“Unfortunately, there are no real roles for children this season, but 16 up through adult are welcome to show up,” he said.

Auditions will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on May 12 and 6-9 p.m. on May 14 at the Frank W. Bridges Theatre at Riverland Community College. Each director will be meeting in a different room at the theatre and will have scripts available, according to Forster.

“If you’ve ever had the interest to try out for a show, this would be an excellent opportunity for you,” he said. “Summerset is really a program about getting the community involved and I would love to see some new faces on the stage, as would the other directors.”

For more information, visit www.summersettheatre.org.