Canada’s National Ballet School Student to make Broadway Debut as Billy in

27/50

Toronto, November 5, 2009…Canada’s National Ballet School is thrilled to announce that another of its talented students, Liam Redhead, has been chosen for a role in Billy Elliot the Musical. Liam will be sharing the lead role of Billy in the Broadway production with Dayton Tavares, who previously played Billy in the Sydney and Melbourne productions. Liam was chosen from more than 1, 500 boys who auditioned throughout North America for the role and will be the 7th boy to make his Broadway debut as Billy. Debut dates for both boys to be announced shortly.

Featuring music by Elton John, book and lyrics by Lee Hall, choreography by Peter Darling and direction by , Billy Elliot the Musical opened on Broadway in New York City at the on November 13, 2008 to critical acclaim. The production won ten 2009 , including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical (Lee Hall) and the three Broadway Billys shared the Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical. The production has received a total of 35 awards, including being named Best Musical by the New York Drama Critics Circle, Drama Desk, Drama League and Outer Critics Circle.

Liam Redhead is 14 years old, and has been a student at Canada’s National Ballet since 2007. With NBS he has performed in The Nutcracker, dancing the lead role of Misha in James Kudelka’s version of the production for The National Ballet of Canada. Liam began dancing at 7, and studied first in his hometown of North Bay, Ontario. His dance training began with jazz and tap, and ballet was introduced at age 9, when he began to compete with his local team. He appeared in competitions in New York, Atlantic City and Las Vegas, where he won the national title of Mr. Pre Teen with Dance Educators of America as well as the President’s Cup for the highest mark at the competition.

In September 2009, it was announced that NBS student Cesar Corrales would be debuting in the role of Billy in the new, Chicago-based production of the show. “I’m so pleased for Liam, this is such an exciting opportunity for him. We will of course miss him at NBS, but we wish him the best of luck. With both Cesar and Liam off performing this challenging role, those of us at NBS cannot wait for them to return and share with us all their stories of learning the role, and appearing on stages in Chicago as well as on Broadway,” says Mavis Staines, Artistic Director and Co-CEO of Canada’s National Ballet School.

Billy Elliot the Musical, is the funny, heartwarming tale of a young boy with a dream, and a celebration of his triumph against the odds. Set against the historic British miners’ strike of the 1980s, the story follows Billy’s journey as a boy in a small mining town who,

Page 1 of 2 after stumbling across a ballet class while on his way to a boxing lesson, realizes that his future lay not in the boxing ring but on stage as a dancer.

Tickets for Billy Elliot the Musical on Broadway range from $41.50 to $136.50, and can be purchased at the Imperial Theatre Box Office (240 West 45th Street) or by calling Telecharge.com at 212-239-6200 or visiting www.Telecharge.com. The playing schedule for Billy Elliot is as follows: Tuesdays at 7pm, Wednesdays – Saturdays at 8pm, Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2pm and Sundays at 3pm.

Billy Elliot the Musical is produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Jon Finn and Sally Greene. Angela Morrison and David Furnish are Executive Producers. The production features scenic design by Ian MacNeil, costume design by Nicky Gillibrand, lighting design by Rick Fisher and sound design by Paul Arditti. Musical supervision and orchestrations are by Martin Koch.

For tickets and information visit www.billyelliotbroadway.com

About Canada’s National Ballet School

Canada’s National Ballet School is a world leader in the training of professional dancers and teachers. Dedicated to advancing the art of ballet, NBS develops dance professionals in a student-centred environment by weaving innovation with evolving practice in the finest teaching traditions. NBS graduates can be found as dancers, choreographers, artistic directors, teachers, and administrators in over 65 dance companies world wide, and in even more schools around the globe. NBS celebrates its 50th anniversary starting in September 2009.

- 30 -

Canada’s National Ballet School is grateful for the generosity of the following major supporters: The Government of Canada through the Honourable James Moore, Minister, the Department of Canadian Heritage, The Ontario Arts Council, the Government of Ontario, Active 2010, the City of Toronto, the British Columbia Arts Council, Human Resources and Development Canada.

For More Information: Katharine Harris Media Relations & Communications Officer, Canada’s National Ballet School 416 964 3780 x 2117, [email protected]

Page 2 of 2