Note: Thomas’s final show as Billy in the BOBDIREX production of Billy Elliot the Musical (BETM) at the Marian University Theatre was on July 10, 2016.
Debut: June 24, 2016 (Marian University Theatre, Indianapolis, IN)
Total Performances as Billy: 9 (No partial shows)
Thomas Whitcomb was 17-years-old (dob 28-Mar-1999) when he debuted as Billy in the BOBDIREX production of BETM. He is from the town of Plainfield in Hendricks County, IN, and is a student at Plainfield High School.
Thomas first became involved in theatre at age nine, when his mother enrolled him in a theatre camp in the summer of third grade. He recalls that he was shy at first, especially because he was the only boy in a camp full of girls, but by the end of the week he had opened up and was loving it. The next spring he successfully auditioned for a play – How the West Was Dun – and hasn’t looked back since.
Thomas has now appeared in a huge number of different plays and musicals. Many of his early shows were with Hendricks Civic Theatre and include:
- Ensemble in Godspell Junior (2010)
- Charlie Bucket in Willy Wonka Junior (2011)
- Prince Eric in Little Mermaid Junior (2013)
Thomas has also performed in multiple shows with Footlite Musicals. In 2011 he played the role of Louis in their production of The King and I, and was nominated for the award for Best Performer 18 & Under in a Musical at the Encore Awards.
His other credits with Footlite Musicals include:
- Munkustrap in CATS (2014)
- Principal dancer in The Who’s Tommy (2015)
- Jack in Babes of Toyland (2015)
The role of Billy Elliot won’t be the first lead role that Thomas has tackled. In 2014 he appeared as Shrek in the Biz Academy’s production of Shrek the Musical.
Also with the Biz Academy, Thomas performed at the Junior Theater Festival in January 2015, where they received an Excellence in Acting Award for their performance of a shortened version of the musical Once on This Island.
Thomas describes the character of Billy as “dynamic” and says that “many can relate to the root of his conflict.” He says that people should see the show “to smile, cry and have a good laugh.”
When Thomas debuted as Billy on 24-Jun-2016 he became the 149th actor to play the role worldwide.
Credit: Photo by Zach Rosing
For more information about Thomas visit:
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