COEUR d'ALENE - David Yake came prepared.

The 16-year-old wore a special cap Tuesday to audition for Play in a Day, at the Kroc Center in Coeur d'Alene.

This year's Play in a Day show, set to hit the Kroc's stage at 7:30 tonight, is a musical revue of "Mary Poppins."

That's why Yake brought the cap.

"It's the exact hat Bert wore in the movie," said Yake, a junior at Gonzaga Prep in Spokane.

Yake was among about 100 local children who turned out to the Tuesday auditions, which began at 4 p.m.

A fundraiser for North Idaho Christian Youth Theater, A Play in a Day is exactly what it sounds like. Kids, ages 10 to 18, learn a full musical theater production in 24 hours, and then immediately perform the show on stage for a paying audience.

Funds raised through ticket sales go to CYT-North Idaho. The youth theater produces three stage musicals each year at the Kroc Center.

This is the third year CYT-North Idaho has partnered with Chillbucket Productions to bring Play in a Day to the Kroc Center.

Yake attended last year, and played two roles in the 2010 Play in a Day production of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat."

Although the show is cast, rehearsed and performed in 24 hours, Yake said it's the camaraderie among the participants that brought him back for another show.

"I met a bunch of people that I'm still friends with. We hang out," Yake said. "And, the people in charge are just so much fun."

Yake said he's also back because he loves performing musical theater. He hopes to study zoology in college, but said he plans to continue acting as a hobby.

"Besides, if I get a good role, it's something I can put on my resume," Yake said.

For many of the kids, the auditions were a reunion of last year's Play in a Day participants.

A young boy walked through the door with his parent, and Yake grinned.

"You were my minion," Yake said, pointing at the boy who nodded and smiled at Yake.

Jolynn Marchant, 16, also returned for another year of quick, total musical theater immersion. The Post Falls High School sophomore was in the chorus in last year's production.

It was Marchant's first foray into theater, and she liked it.

"I think this was the most fun I had all year last year," Marchant said.

Jim Benson waited in the back of the theater at the Kroc Center, as his 15-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, auditioned.

Benson said his child has been dancing for 10 years, and hopes to own her own dance studio some day.

Although Elizabeth has never performed in a CYT-North Idaho production, Benson said she has attended the shows, and helped with the productions.

The youth theater company offers more than a venue for singing, dancing and acting, Benson said. Like Yake, his daughter has made many close friends through her CYT-North Idaho connections.

"It goes way beyond what's on that stage during a performance," Benson said.

The timeline for the Play in a Day began at 4 p.m. Tuesday with auditions. Casting took place between 6 and 7 p.m. After a cast meeting until 8:30 p.m., the performers went home to memorize their lines. The production crew worked overnight, pulling together the set, props and costumes. The actors were expected back at the Kroc Center at 7 a.m. for 12 hours of blocking, choreography, musical work, and rehearsals.

The curtain goes up at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $10 if bought online, at cytnorthidaho.org. They are $15 at the door.

Information: (208) 765-8600