A production of Billy Elliot The Musical (BETM) will take place in Canberra, Australia at the Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre, popularly known locally as “The Q”, presented by the Free Rain Theatre Company, from April 9 to May 5, 2024.
Free Rain Theatre Company was founded in 1995 by Anne Somes who is the Artistic Director and Producer. Over the last 28 years, Anne has staged 89 productions including plays, musicals, cabaret, new Australian works, children’s theatre and youth productions. From these productions, individual artists and the company have received 75 awards, including seven from Canberra Critics Circle.
Over the years, Free Rain’s shows have been presented in a variety of venues in the Canberra area. But since 2017 Free-Rain has been based at the Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre, The Q. The auditorium at The Q features a classic proscenium arch theatre and seats 346 patrons.
Billy Elliot The Musical
In May 2023 Free Rain Theatre announced that that they would be presenting a production of BETM the following year. Auditions took place in October 2023 and in December 2023 the cast was announced. Sharing the lead role of Billy will be two young actors — Fergus Paterson, who previously played the role in Newcastle (Aus) in October 2023, and newcomer Mitchell Clement.
All the children in the company attended a school holiday workshop in January 2024 to begin learning scenes and choreography before the full cast rehearsals started soon after.
To learn more about the Free Rain Theatre’s Billys, click on the Billy Profiles button (below) to be taken to their detailed profiles.
To see a complete listing of the rest of the Free Rain Theatre’s cast, just click on the Cast Information button.
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