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    Meet Billy Elliot: North Shore Music Theatre (Beverly, MA)

    BETM will be presented "in the round" for the first time at the North Shore Music Center in Beverly, MA
    BETM was presented “in the round” for the first time at the 1800 seat North Shore Music Center in Beverly, MA

    For the first time in its history, Billy Elliot the Musical (BETM) was produced in an arena style theatre by the North Shore Music Theatre, from September 29 to October 11, 2015.

    North Shore Music Theatre (NSMT) was first organized in 1954 and opened as a part of a national circuit of summer stock theaters designed to present (rather than produce) touring packages of Broadway successes and star-centered comedies.

    NSMT-LogoThe theatre opened in June of 1955 with Kiss Me, Kate.  NSMT was the first permanent stage in the country to be designed in the arena-style, with a roof supported by clear-span trusses to provide patrons with unobstructed sightlines.

    From those beginnings, NSMT evolved from presenting musicals to producing all musical theater productions in-house.

    In 2009, facing severe financial problems a permanent closure by the then Board of Directors of the theatre was announced. In 2010, businessman Bill Hanney came to the rescue, purchasing the property and opening it once more as a leading Arts venue for the community. It continues to be one of the largest arts venues in the Northeast.

    The cast was marked by the presence of several veterans of previous productions of BETM, including its two Billys: Nicholas Dantes and Brooks Landegger.

    Other cast members with previous BETM experience include Alec Shiman as Michael, Janet Dickinson as Mrs. Wilkinson, Maxmilien Baud as Older Billy, Ballet Girls Vanessa Russo and Marina Redlich, as well as Ensemble members Bryan Thomas Hunt, Joel Newsome, Patrick Lavallee and Chris Woods.

    To learn more about Nicholas and Brooks, click on the Billy Profiles button (below) to be taken to their detailed profile. 
    billy profiles

    To see a complete listing of the rest of the North Shore Music Theatre cast, just click on the Cast Information button.

    cast info

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