BILLY ELLIOT to Dance Through Segerstrom Center, 4/16-28

Universal Pictures Stage Productions, Working Title Films Old Vic Productions and NETworks Presentations, LLC bring the multi-award-winning Billy Elliot the Musical to Segerstrom Center for the Arts from April 16 - 28, 2013. Based on the international smash-hit film and featuring music by Elton John, book and lyrics by Lee Hall, choreography by Peter Darling and direction by Stephen Daldry, Billy Elliot the Musical has earned critical acclaim around the world and was the winner of ten 2009 Tony Awards including Best Musical.

Single tickets, which start at $20, will go on sale Sunday, March 10 at 10 a.m. PT. Tickets will be available online at SCFTA.org, at the Box Office at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa or by calling (714) 556-2787. For inquiries about group ticket savings for 10 or more, call the Group Services office at (714) 755- 0236. The TTY number is (714) 556-2746. The 2 p.m. performance on Saturday, April 27 will include audio description, open captioning and sign-language interpretation.

Billy Elliot the Musical is the joyous celebration of one boy's journey to make his dreams come true. Set in a small town, the story follows Billy as he stumbles out of the boxing ring and into a ballet class, discovering a surprising talent that inspires his family and his whole community and changes his life forever.

Currently alternating in the title role are Ben Cook, Drew Minard, Noah Parets and Mitchell Tobin.

Also featured are Janet Dickinson (Mrs. Wilkinson); Rich Hebert (Dad); Patti Perkins (Grandma); Cullen R. Titmas (Tony); Joel Blum (George); Jake Kitchin and Sam Poon (Michael); and Samantha Blaire Cutler (Debbie).

The production has been awarded 81 national and international awards including ten Tony Awards, Best Musical by the New York Drama Critics Circle, Drama Desk, Drama League and Outer Critics Circle.

The show is produced by Universal Pictures Stage Productions, Working Title Films, Old Vic Productions and NETworks Presentations, LLC. The production features scenic design by Ian MacNeil, associate direction by Julian Webber, costume design by Nicky Gillibrand, lighting design by Rick Fisher and sound design by Paul Arditti. Musical supervision and orchestrations are by Martin Koch. The touring production features direction by Justin Martin and choreography by Kathryn Dunn.

Additional information about Billy Elliot the Musical is available at www.BillyElliotTour.com.

Universal Pictures STAGE PRODUCTIONS (UPSP) (Producer) is the live stage division of Universal Pictures, the motion picture studio which is part of NBCUniversal. UPSP currently produces the record-breaking, cultural phenomenon Wicked, which has been seen by more than 30 million people worldwide and the critically acclaimed Billy Elliot the Musical, winner of 10 Tony Awards. UPSP also produces the national tour of Bring It On: The Musical and the Broadway revival of Porgy and Bess.

Working Title FILMS (Producer) is a producer of Billy Elliot the Musical worldwide. Co-chaired by Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, the company has produced more than 95 feature films, won six Academy Awards and has grossed more than $5 billion at the box office worldwide. Films include: Contraband; Tinker Tailor Solider Spy; Senna; Paul; Nanny McPhee Returns; Green Zone; A Serious Man; State Of Play; The Soloist; Frost/Nixon; Billy Elliot; Burn After Reading; Atonement; Pride & Prejudice; United 93; The Interpreter; About A Boy; Notting Hill; Elizabeth; Fargo; Dead Man Walking; Bean; Four Weddings And A Funeral; Bridget Jones's Diary and Love Actually. Upcoming features include LES MISERABLES and Anna Karenina. Working Title recently announced the creation of A New Television Production Company, WTTV. Based in LA and London, WTTV is a joint venture between NBC Universal International, Bevan and Fellner. Recent productions include adaptations of Birdsong and The Borrowers, both for BBC One.

Old Vic Productions PLC (Producer) Run by Sally Greene and executive producer Joseph Smith, OVP is a producer of Billy Elliot the Musical worldwide. OVP is an independent commercial producer that has co-produced or partnered in more than 100 productions in the West End and on Broadway, winning numerous awards, most recently: Sweeney Todd, Jerusalem, Clybourne Park, The Prisoner of Second Avenue, Three Days of Rain, and Swimming with Sharks. OVP works in association with The Old Vic Theatre Company led by Artistic Director Kevin Spacey. Recent productions include Noises Off (West End transfer and Old Vic), The Duchess of Malfi, The Playboy of the Western World, Cause Célèbre, A Flea in Her Ear, Design For Living, The Real Thing, Inherit the Wind, The Norman Conquests and Speed- the-Plow. Sally is also the chief executive of The Criterion Theatre and Greene Light Films and the proprietor of the renowned Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club and three restaurants, The Cheyne Walk Brasserie, The Waterloo Bar and Grill and The Phene in Chelsea.

NETworks Presentations, LLC (Producer) Since 1995, NETworks has produced and managed more than 45 touring productions in the U.S., U.K. and internationally. Current Productions include Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Young Frankenstein, Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific, Blue Man Group National Tour, La Cage, Shrek The Musical and The New 25th Anniversary Production of LES MISERABLES. Future productions include Disney and Cameron Mackintosh's Mary Poppins, Flashdance the Musical and National Theatre of Great Britain's production of War Horse touring the U.S.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is unique as both an acclaimed arts institution and as a multi-disciplinary cultural campus. It is committed to supporting artistic excellence on all of its stages, offering unsurpassed experiences, and engaging the entire community in new and exciting ways through the unique power of live performance and a diverse array of inspiring programs.

Previously called the Orange County Performing Arts Center, Segerstrom Center traces its roots back to the late 1960s when a dedicated group of community leaders decided Orange County should have its own world-class performing arts venue.

As Orange County's largest non-profit arts organization, Segerstrom Center for the Arts owns and operates the 3,000-seat Segerstrom Hall and intimate 250-seat Founders Hall, which opened in 1986, and the 2,000-seat Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, which opened in 2006 and also houses the 500-seat Samueli Theater, the Lawrence and Kristina Dodge Education Center's studio performance space and Boeing Education Lab. A spacious arts plaza anchors Segerstrom Center for the Arts and is home to numerous free performances throughout the year as part of Segerstrom Center for the Arts' ongoing Free for All series.

The Center presents a broad range of programming each season for audiences of all ages from throughout Orange County and beyond, including international ballet and dance, national tours of top Broadway shows, intimate performances of jazz and cabaret, contemporary artists, classical music performed by renowned chamber orchestras and ensembles, family-friendly programming, free performances open to the public from outdoor movie screenings to dancing on the plaza and many other special events. It offers many education programs designed to inspire young people through the arts. These programs reach hundreds of thousands of students of all ages with vital arts-in-education programs, enhancing their studies and enriching their lives well into the future.

In addition to the presenting and producing institution Segerstrom Center for the Arts, the 14-acre campus also embraces the facilities of two independent acclaimed organizations: Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory and a site designated as the future home of the Orange County Museum of Art.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is also proud to serve as the artistic home to three of the region's major performing arts organizations: Pacific Symphony, the Philharmonic Society of Orange County and the Pacific Chorale, who contribute greatly to the artistic life of the region with annual seasons at Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

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