The Vaasa City Theatre (Vaasan Kaupungteatteri) in Vaasa, a city on the west coast of Finland, was the home of a production of Billy Elliot the Musical (BETM), originally scheduled to run from Sep 14 to Dec 30, 2017. Though, due to huge popularity the show was subsequently extended until May 16, 2018. This was the second time that BETM had been produced in Finland, with a production of BETM previously having been presented in Helsinki in 2015.
Jakob Höglund was the director of the Vaasa production of BETM. He also choreographed this production alongside Ida Jousmäki. Höglund chose to present the show in a unique style using mostly chairs to create the set. The stage was kept dim most of the time with lighting used to focus on the dancing.
In March 2017 a press event was held to announce Vaasa’s three Billys. They are Robin Asukas, and brothers Kalle Lorenz and Silas Lorenz. The three boys have continued to train ever since then at a Billy School to refine their skills in order to prepare for the show to open in the September.
Credit: Photo by Selma Paavola
The number of children involved in the show – 29 in total – has been a new challenge for Höglund. He relates that he found it was important for him to be present more than he had originally thought necessary, and he has become a sort of father figure to many of them. Höglund has enjoyed watching the children’s progress throughout the past year and to see how their love for dancing has grown.
Here is the trailer for the Vaasa production of BETM, featuring clips of all three Billys performing:
Credit: Video by Vaasan kaupunginteatteri
To learn more about the Vaasa 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 Vaasa City Theatre cast, just click on the Cast Information button.
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