Open Auditions Announced for North American Tours of BILLY ELLIOT 3/13

Working Title Films and Old Vic Productions will be holding open auditions in Toronto on Saturday, March 13 to find boys ages nine through twelve to play the roles of ‘Billy' and ‘Michael' in the North American companies of Billy Elliot the Musical. The auditions will take place at 509 DANCE (509 Parliament Street at Carlton Street) in Toronto. Sign-up will begin at 12:30 p.m.

Three boys from Canada have thus far been cast to play the role of ‘Billy": David Alvarez won a 2009 Tony Award for playing the role on Broadway; Liam Redhead is currently playing the role on Broadway and Cesar Corrales is about to make his debut as ‘Billy' with the Chicago production of the show. Both Liam Redhead and Cesar Corrales study at the National Ballet School in Toronto.

Featuring music by Elton John, book and lyrics by Lee Hall, directed by Stephen Daldry, and choreographed by Peter Darling, 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 passion that takes him by surprise, and takes his whole family on an incredibly uplifting adventure.

Billy Elliot the Musical, based on the beloved 2000 film, which garnered three Academy Award nominations and three BAFTA awards, opened at London's Victoria Palace in May 2005 to unanimous critical acclaim. The Mail on Sunday wrote, "Truly electrifying...this heart-stopping show is a must-see." The Sunday Express raved, "Pure magic." And The Daily Telegraph proclaimed it simply, "The greatest British musical I have ever seen." The production went on to sweep London's nine awards for Best Musical, including the Olivier, Evening Standard and Critics' Circle Theatre Awards. It celebrates its anniversary in May 2010.

Billy Elliot the Musical next opened to equal acclaim at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney, Australia in December 2007. The Australian wrote, "Billy Elliot should come with a warning: abandon cynicism all ye who enter. Open your heart, get out the tissues and surrender." The Sydney Morning Herald raved, "Joyously entertaining, Billy Elliot bursts into starry-eyed showbiz magic ... A rapturous pinnacle of self-expression and fulfillment." The Sunday Telegraph called it, "Bloody brilliant! Funny, exuberantly rude and heartbreakingly moving." The production transferred to Melbourne's Her Majesty's Theatre on December 31, 2008 where it was met with equally acclaim. The Australian production was honored with 12 theatre awards, including Best Musical (Helpmann Awards, Sydney, and Green Room Awards, Melbourne).

Billy Elliot the Musical opened on Broadway at the Imperial Theatre 240 West 45th Street) on November 13, 2008 to extraordinary critical acclaim. Billy Elliot was the winner of ten 2009 Tony Awards including: Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical (Lee Hall), Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, Kiril Kulish), Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Gregory Jbara), Best Direction of a Musical (Stephen Daldry), Best Choreography (Peter Darling), Best Orchestrations (Martin Koch), Best Scenic Design of a Musical (Ian MacNeil), Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Rick Fisher) and Best Sound Design of a Musical (Paul Arditti)

Globally, Billy Elliot the Musical has now played to over 4 million people, with a number of new productions in the works. Two North American touring productions will begin in 2010, the first launching at Chicago's Ford Center for the Performing Arts on March 18, 2010, and the second slated to begin in November 2010. New international productions are scheduled for Korea (August 2010), Japan (Summer 2011) and productions are in the works for Germany and Holland.

Billy Elliot the Musical will be presented in Toronto as part of the 2010/2011 Mirvish Subscription Season. Performances will begin in February 2011. Exact performance dates, venue and casting will be announced at a later date.

Billy Elliot the Musical is produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Jon Finn and Sally Greene. Angela Morrison and David Furnish are Executive Producers. The production features scenic design by Ian MacNeil, costume design by Nicky Gillibrand, lighting design by Rick Fisher and sound design by Paul Arditti. Musical supervision and orchestrations are by Martin Koch.

Audition requirements are as follows:

For the role of Billy, boys should be ages 9-12, strong dancers, especially in ballet. Maximum height is 4'10".

For the role of Michael, boys should be ages 9-12, a natural actor with a strong singing voice. Funny, a real kid. Tap skills are a plus. Maximum height is 4'10".

Boys should bring a recent photo and resume.

They should wear comfortable clothes and sneakers.

They should bring ballet shoes, jazz shoes and tap shoes, if they have them.

All ethnicities are encouraged to attend.

This audition is free, there are no fees involved.

For more information, please visit our website, www.bebilly.com.

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