Calling young singers between the ages of 10 and 16. Steven Courtney is looking for you.

Courtney, a renowned singer-songwriter, has written a youth musical, "When We Climb Trees," and he's ready to start recording the soundtrack.

"We are searching for talented and passionate volunteer youth actors to record and sing on the production soundtrack for this enchanting musical," said Courtney, who is collaborating on the project with Kami Deppen, owner/creative director of Big Dream Creative Arts Studio in Manheim. Selected actors will record their vocal parts at Courtney's studio in Manheim between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 3, and between 2 and 6 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 4.

"You must be able to commit to both recording days in order to be considered," Courtney said.

Available roles are Joni, a spirited and independent young girl who loves adventure and the great outdoors; Dylan, a curious and imaginative boy who is torn between his love for gaming and the desire to connect with his best friends; Spark, a male elf who lives in the trees; Ember, a female elf who lives in the trees; Taylor, a comedic and empathetic character who serves as the balancing core of the story; and Lizzy, a loyal and dependable friend who provides support and guidance to the group. Ensemble singers are also needed.

"Once the vocal cast is selected, each participant will receive a link to the list of songs and musical soundtracks that have been prerecorded here at my studio, Radio Vibe Recording," Courtney shared. "Once the songs are completed with the vocal performance, the soundtrack will be available for all future productions of the show. This will allow future productions to learn the songs and prepare for rehearsals and shows. Actors/cast will perform the youth musical with the tracks while singing live."

Courtney said he's been exploring the idea of writing a youth musical for years. "The concept for 'When We Climb Trees' resonated with me personally, and I began to comb through my catalog of songs to see if I could create a jukebox-style musical," he commented. "I ended up using seven songs from the back catalog and writing three new songs for the musical." He described the soundtrack as "'70s singer-songwriter meets Motown."

The musical focuses on a tight-knit group of friends who struggle with the conflict between sharing real-life adventures and giving into the allure of gaming devices and screen time.

"Simply put, childhood is a fleeting season of time," Courtney remarked. " 'When We Climb Trees' looks at the need to find balance in our friendships to make time to play, explore, pretend, using imagination and having fun with the ever-present and mostly passive world of devices, screen time and streaming."

Courtney and Deppen worked together previously on a TV show Courtney produced called "The Steven Courtney Channel." It aired locally on WGAL.

"Kami created a recurring character for the show called Art Girl," Courtney recalled. "Our collaboration to produce 'When We Climb Trees' will be our first youth musical effort together."

"When We Climb Trees" will premiere later this summer.

To audition for the soundtrack, send a headshot and resume (if you have one) and video link to steven@stevencourtney.com. For ease of viewing, video submissions should first be uploaded to YouTube as unlisted videos, and then the links should be submitted in the email.