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Saskatchewan

Hear me roar: Royal Sask. Museum looking for T-rex star for summer show

The Royal Saskatchewan Museum is adding another dinosaur this summer, only this time it will be more than bones.

The Royal Saskatchewan Museum is adding another dinosaur this summer, only it'll be more than bones

The T-rex costume is meant to be life-like and the person inside can only be seen by their legs. (Submitted by Sarah Schafer)

If you ever dreamed of being a dinosaur,this summer may offer you thechance.

The Royal Saskatchewan Museum is looking for someone to star in its new Tyrannosaurusrex stage show this summer.

The person needs to be under 30, in accordance with the Canadian Summer Jobs Program, and the museum is looking for people with a background in theatre, dance, movement or education.

"We're looking at how you would actually embody the T-rex," said SarahSchafer,visitor experience supervisor at the museum.

"We're looking for movement, so how people bend and move."

This dinosaur was closely related to birds so Schafer suggested people interested in auditioning should look at bird movements for inspiration.

Sarah Schafer is pictured here with Scotty the T-rex's skull. The skull is currently on display at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum while the museum prepares the full room for the May 17 opening. (Heidi Atter/CBC)

The timing is linked to the latest exhibit to come to the Royal Saskatchewan Museum, Scotty the T-rex, withthe T-rex gallery opening onMay 17.Applications for the T-rex stage actor are due on April 28.

The museum's plan is tohave the show start in June for schools and July for the public.

What's bigger than a T-Rex on stage?

The show comes as part of the museum's plan to use its300-person auditorium for moreprogramming, Schafersaid.

"And because it is a rather large auditorium and it's something on the stage, it's got to be kind of big," she said. "We thought, 'What's bigger than a T-Rex?'"

The T-rex costume was ordered from a company in China that made custom costumes. (Submitted by Sarah Schafer )

The costume depicts ayounger T-rex, aged about two to three-years-old. It's still big enough to offer a bit of a scare, according to Schafer.

"We're trying to be a little bit dramatic," she said. "It's definitely a large costume and it's definitely realistic-looking. We definitely want moments of audience engagement and we want people to have fun and to laugh."

"You don't look a day over 65 million and 20 years!" Happy Birthday, Megamunch. (Dani Mario/CBC)

At the core, they hope to educate people about the T-rex and what Saskatchewan was like during the Cretaceous period when the T-Rex was alive.

"We just want to offer as many ways to learn about this creature and its habitat as possible."

The Royal Saskatchewan Museum hopes to have the costume in next week. It is currently being shipped to Saskatchewan. (Submitted by Sarah Schafer)

And while there may be a newT-rex on the scene, along with plans to add another smaller T-Rex down the road, Schafer hopes that people don't forget about the museum's original resident T-rex, Megamunch.

"We're hoping that Megamunch doesn't get too jealous of all these new T-Rexes coming into the building. So we are reminding people to give a little love to Megamunch during this time of adjustment," Schafer said with a laugh.