Note: Julian Pecoraro’s final show as Billy in Winston-Salem Theatre Alliance’s production of Billy Elliot the Musical (BETM) in Winston-Salem, NC, was on Aug 18, 2019.
Debut: August 9, 2019 (Winston-Salem, NC)
Total Performances as Billy: 8 (No partial shows)
Julian Pecoraro was 13 years old (D.O.B. = 16-Jul-2006) when he made his debut as Billy Elliot in Winston-Salem. He attends the Arts Based School a K-8 public charter school, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Julian first began dancing at school when he was in kindergarten. Then when he was in third grade, at the suggestion of his school dance teacher, he auditioned for the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) Preparatory Dance Program. His audition was successful and thus he then began formal ballet training from third grade. In 2018 he attended Boys Ballet Summer Intensive. Alongside ballet, Julian also takes classes in jazz, character, contemporary, and conditioning, and has taken private tap lessons outside of the preparatory dance program.
He also has training in other art forms besides dance. He has attended UNCSA’s Acting Out and Shakespeare Lives Camps, and began private voice lessons at age 12. Furthermore, he began taking Suzuki cello lessons when he was just 5 years old and has played in the Winston-Salem Youth Philharmonic.
Julian is no stranger to the stage, having performed in a multitude of theatrical productions. These include:
Local theatre productions:
- Young Tarzan in Tarzan The Musical
- Henry in Newsies
- Frank in A Chorus Line
- James in Will Rogers Follies
- Ensemble in Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
- Ensemble in Take One Step
School productions:
- Pepicek in Brundibar (opera)
- Romeo in Romeo and Juliet On The Border
Ballet:
Julian has performed in UNCSA School of Dance’s production of The Nutcracker for five years — two years as a party boy and three years in the role of Fritz.
Julian heard about the Winston-Salem Theatre Alliance’s upcoming production of BETM, as he had performed in two previous productions there. He auditioned for the show in March 2019 and successfully was cast in the lead role.
Earlier this year at age 12, Julian was accepted into three ballet summer intensives — UNCSA, Boston Ballet, and American Ballet Theater (ABT) New York. He received a full merit scholarship from ABT, but chose to stay in Winston-Salem and attend UNCSA, in part so that he could be in the BETM production. This meant that he had a hectic schedule during most of the rehearsal period — attending the intensive during the day and BETM rehearsals in the evening. Despite the long days, he took it all in stride, saying that he really enjoyed the classes at UNCSA and getting to know students from all over. And he loved going to BETM rehearsals and working with a great cast in his “dream role.” At the Intensive Julian was excited to meet Kurt Froman, who was there teaching a broadway workshop, as he was the Resident Choreographer for BETM on Broadway. Julian’s favorite class was partnering, and he looks forward to getting to do more of that in the future.
With his debut performance as Billy on 9-Aug-2019, Julian becomes the 275th young actor worldwide to play the role in a professional, community or regional theatre production of the musical.
For more information about Julian visit:
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