'Miss Saigon' 2024 in Manila is looking for children who can play silent character Tam

Is your kid a theater actor in the making? This may be their chance to join the theater scene as the upcoming Manila leg of the award-winning musical Miss Saigon is looking for a number of children who can portray the role of Tam.

Producer GMG Productions said the character, with a playing age of three years old, can be portrayed by any gender aged four to eight. They must, however, be male-identifying and of Vietnamese heritage.

Those with long hair may be required to cut it if cast.

The maximum height allowed is 115 cm.

The child must be confident, according to GMG Productions, but must be able to be still and silent as Tam doesn’t speak or sing.

“There is no preparation required for the auditions,” it said.

Pre-registration for the auditions is required via the GMG Productions website from Jan. 5 to 9, which closes at 6:30 p.m. Note that walk-in participants will not be entertained.

Auditions will be held on Jan. 11 to 12 at The Theater at Solaire in Parañaque.

Based on the 1904 opera Madame Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini, Miss Saigon follows the story of a Vietnamese woman named Kim who gets abandoned by her American lover in Saigon during the Vietnam War in the '70s. It was created by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil.

Miss Saigon premiered at the Theatre Royal in London on Sept. 20, 1989, and closed after running 4,092 shows until Oct. 30, 1999 in 32 countries.

Filipino singer Lea Salonga portrayed the role of Kim in the musical when it arrived in Manila in 2000.

The musical started an extensive revival in different parts of the United Kingdom and Ireland in July 2023. It started its production in Australia in October, and it's currently running in Melbourne and Adelaide. It will arrive in the Philippines in March this year and will run until May 5.