The Village People are coming to Columbus and you could be the opening act.

Columbus companies Battle Plan Promotions and Fame Productions are running a competition called “Ohio, So You Think You Got Talent,” in order to select a winner who will perform before the Village People Feb. 14 at the Palace Theatre.

The first round of auditions will be held at 6 p.m. Jan. 22 and 23 at the Concourse Hotel near Port Columbus International Airport.

There is an entry fee of $20, but the money will go to the same cause that the Village People concert will raise funds for: the Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research.

Spielman, the wife of former Buckeye and NFL linebacker Chris Spielman, created the fund to generate cancer awareness and raise money for a cure before she passed away in 2009.

Audra Cheek, a producer and artist for Fame Productions, said that she and Battle Plan Chief Executive Alfred Battle were both motivated to contribute their time to organizing the fundraising concert because of experiences with cancer in their own families.

“Al and I both have family members that have been affected by cancer. We got together and decided that this would be a great opportunity,” she said. “When it hits home, you strive to give and promote. My heart goes out to the Spielmans.”

Battle clarified that neither he nor Cheek would be turning a profit off of the contest.

“Most of the $20 will go to covering expenses for renting space in the hotel and other expenses. Any surplus will go to [the Spielman fund],” Battle said. He added that the concert itself would be a much higher earner for the fund. “It wouldn’t be less than $5000.”

After applying to compete, participants will be contacted and given an audition time. Participants will be given a short time to perform in front of four judges. Due to the lack of time during auditions, musicians may bring in a recording of their work and discuss it rather than play actual instruments. Musicians or bands can compete, but Cheek said that anyone with a talent, whether it be comedy or dance or magic, could try out.

Cheek also said that entries are due by Jan. 18, but if an individual forgets to send it in, they can still show up and audition on a first-come-first-served basis.

There will be eight judges (four in each of the two auditioning rooms) consisting of local celebrities including Mix 107.9 DJ Dave Kay and news anchor Yolanda Harris. Five contestants will be selected from each day of auditions to compete on Jan. 24 in front of all eight judges. Cheek said that judges will look for personality and creativity in the performances, and other traits which would translate well to a live performance.

The public is invited to the finals, and will play a role in selecting the winner. Each judge will get one final vote and the audience reaction will merit the ninth vote. The participant or group with the most votes gets the opening spot at the Village People concert.

The winner gets more than just the chance to perform with the band. They will also be interviewed by Kay in a radio interview, be featured in a commercial for the concert and perform for up to 2,800 viewers at the Palace Theatre.

Battle noted that while performing with the Village People makes for a good story, the winner and the rest of the finalists will also receive an opportunity to get their names out to local promoters, such as Battle himself.

“Our mission is to develop and shop undiscovered talent,” said Battle, whose office is filled with signed photos of former clients such as Dionne Warwick and reggae artist Beenie Man. “The talent show was Audra’s idea, and that filled the vision that I have.”

Cheek said that she wouldn’t mind having a few sub par performances on tape however.

“I’m hoping that we have some bad performances as well,” Cheek said with a smile. “We could use some horrible clips in the TV commercial.”

On a more serious note, Cheek said that she hopes their work for the Spielman Fund would encourage others to contact Fame Productions or Battle Plan Productions for other charitable events. She said that doing charitable events is fulfilling.

“I love music. I love concerts. I love people. I love giving back to the community,” she said. “This is a special thing.”

Further information and applications can be found at battleplanpromotions.com.