SINGAPORE, April 23, 2009 (AFP) - US entertainment giant Universal Studios on Thursday announced a global recruitment drive for aspiring actors, singers and other performers for shows at its upcoming theme park in Singapore.

Company executives will embark on an 11-city audition tour next week to recruit almost 200 people, including celebrity lookalikes - such as Marilyn Monroe impersonators - for various shows.

Southeast Asia's first Universal Studios theme park is scheduled to open next year on Singapore's Sentosa island as part of a casino resort.

The audition tour will include stops in four North American destinations topped by Hollywood, and seven cities in the Asia-Pacific region including Manila, Melbourne and Kuala Lumpur, as well as Singapore.

"We are looking for an all-star cast around the world," Gregg Birkhimer, creative director with Universal Studios Singapore, told a news conference.

Apart from actors, Universal Studios will be recruiting people to fill less glamorous positions including stuntmen, stilt walkers and mascots for its shows at Resorts World Sentosa.

The Universal Studios theme park is being billed as the main attraction of the resort, which is aiming for 15 million visitors in its first year of operations, despite a global economic and travel slowdown.

Malaysian casino-based group Genting International, which won the bid to build the resort, is investing US$4.32 billion (S$6.5b) in the whole project.

Another casino resort being built next to Singapore's financial district, called the Marina Bay Sands, is due to start operating in phases late this year. It will feature convention and retail facilities.