Note: Mitchell Clement’s final performance as Billy in Billy Elliot the Musical (BETM) in Canberra, Australia, presented by the Free Rain Theatre Company, was on May 5, 2024. The production was staged at the Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre (The Q).
Debut: April 10, 2024 (Canberra, Australia)
Total Performances as Billy: 13 (No partial shows)
Mitchell Clement was 14 years old when he debuted as Billy in Billy Elliot the Musical (BETM) in Canberra, Australia.
Mitchell is a Queanbeyan resident, so he is very much the local boy for this production.
Since the age of six or seven, Mitchell has studied contemporary, ballet and tap at Eden Dance Academy in Crestwood. He is predominantly a dancer, and has only done a bit of singing and acting at school, so playing a role like Billy will be a new challenge for Mitchell.
Talking about his experience of being a boy who dances, Mitchell says, “I did receive some bullying during my primary school, but my parents were really very good to talk to about it.” “What I enjoy so much about dancing is that I’m able to express how I feel.” Mitchell’s favourite song in the show is “Expressing Yourself”.
Despite the many challenges of the role, Mitchell has actually taken to the characterisation quite easily. He said, “It’s easy to become Billy, it’s quite natural to act the part and the Elton John songs help… once I’ve learned them they get stuck in my head.”
Mitchell’s debut performance as Billy on 10-Apr-2024 makes him the 354th young actor worldwide to play the role in a professional, regional or community theatre production of the show.
For more information about Mitchell, visit:
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