Do You Want to be the Next Westchester Teel Idol?

Are you a huge fan of American Idol?

If you're looking for a way to start your singing career—the opportunity to audition for the annual Westchester Teen Idol competition is here.

This year’s Westchester Teen Idol, to be held on Nov. 26, is the annual fundraising event for Pleasantville Music Theatre (PMT) Productions.

PMT Productions is the oldest theatre company in Westchester County, having just celebrated its 60th anniversary.

Carol Arrucci, PMT president and co-producer of Westchester Teen Idol, is pleased with the sold out shows the event has produced in the past.

“A well done musical production can cost over $40,000 to produce, and a small community theatre group cannot rely on proceeds from the audience to cover it all”, said Arrucci.

With proceeds from Westchester Teen Idol, PMT Productions is able to fund its productions.

“Westchester Teen Idol is more than just a fundraising opportunity, it is an opportunity for teens to get out there and sing pop and Broadway tunes to show off their talent," explained Co-Producer Ray Arrucci.

The audition process is simple—if you are in between the ages of 13 to 19, head over to audition on Saturday, Sept. 10 or Sunday, Sept. 11 at the Irvington Town Hall theatre (35 Main St). All auditions are by appointment only. Prospective contestants should have a song prepared to sing, as well as bring a CD of karaoke tracks. All contestants must bring a CD to sing with during the audition.

After the auditions, the top 25 singers will meet the rest of the contestants and the producers to prepare for the final show. At this meeting, the celebrity judges will be announced.

In the past, Westchester native and pop singer Jesse McCartney has been a guest host and even sang his hit Beautiful Soul to the audience. Another judge has been Carole Demas, who played Sandy in the original Broadway cast of Grease.

Don’t let the idea of being evaluated too harshly by judges like Idol's Simon Cowell hold you back, the producers said, as all judges are friendly and want each teen to do well and learn from the experience through feedback.

At the end of Westchester Teen Idol, every contestant wins a small prize, but the higher you are to the top—the bigger the prize gets. The top five get a medium-sized bag and the winner leaves with a $500 cash prize and the most valuable gift bag.

Make sure not to miss out on this event—who knows, you may be taking the first step to appearing on Fox's American Idol.

For more information about Westchester Teen Idol, call 914-923-3390.