Parker James Fullmore to Star in BILLY ELLIOT The Musical at Civic Theatre of Allentown

Civic Theatre of Allentown presents Billy Elliot the Musical, October 12-28, 2018. Music by Elton John and book and lyrics by Lee Hall. Direction by William Sanders.

Millions of fans... thousands of standing ovations... ten Tony Awards, including Best Musical.... This is Billy Elliot the Musical, the spectacular show with the heart, humor and passion to be named TIME Magazine's "Best Musical of the Decade!" Based on the international smash-hit film, and featuring a score by music legend Elton John, Billy Elliot is an astonishing, theatrical experience that will stay with you forever.

Set in a northern English mining town against the background of the 1984 miners' strike, Billy Elliot is the inspirational story of a young boy's struggle against the odds to make his dream come true. Follow Billy's journey as he stumbles out of the boxing ring and into a ballet class, where he discovers a passion for dance that inspires his family and community... and changes his life forever.

Performances will be held in Civic's newly renovated historic 19th Street Theatre.

Civic Theatre of Allentown is proud to announce that the role of Billy Elliot will be played by Parker James Fullmore. When the production was announced, Parker contacted Civic Theatre's artistic director and auditioned via numerous videos as he is living in California. He and his mother, and sister, Payton Ashley Fullmore - who will also be appearing in the show as a ballet girl, are moving to Pennsylvania in August so Parker can play Billy again. He has previously played the role in productions in California and New Jersey.

Parker originally became interested in dance when his parents took him to a production of the Nutcracker as a toddler. He was fascinated by the show, clapping his hands and doing baby sign language for "more." When he was five, they took him to see the national tour of Billy Elliot the Musical in San Francisco. He was mesmerized and said, "Mom, I want to do this!" So, they upped his training and he started taking weekly tap, jazz, ballet, voice and gymnastics lessons. In addition to this, he took private acting lessons with Mark Schneider, the resident director of the Broadway production of BETM and Matthew Prescott, the resident choreographer on the national tour.

He trained diligently, dancing competitively for three years, waiting to be old enough to play Billy. But as the years passed, the professional opportunities to play Billy started disappearing. First, the Broadway production closed, then, the National tour ended, and finally, the original London show wrapped after an 11-year run. Parker was nine years old. Just when it seemed all his hard work was for nothing, he was offered the part in a regional production in New Jersey. They soon found out that he was the youngest boy to ever play Billy, a record he still holds. He debuted at 10 years to rave reviews and even took home the Perry Award for Outstanding Performance in a Musical. Next he played the role at the esteemed Berkeley Playhouse. After a box office record-breaking 6-week run, he moved to Los Angeles, where he worked in commercials, music video and film. He was offered the role of Billy a few more times, but due to other acting commitments, he had to turn them down. As his 12th birthday approached, he realized he wasn't done telling Billy's story and asked his mom if he could try out for the role again.

Parker saw that Civic Theatre of Allentown was launching a production soon, and the rest is history.

*The complete cast for Civic Theatre of Allentown's production of Billy Elliot the Musical will be announced and released shortly.

*Please contact Jonathan T. Shehab for further information, publicity photos and notice of any and all interviews or articles/features.

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