Ontario dancers chosen to share role of Billy Elliot in Royal MTC production

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This article was published 26/07/2015 (3195 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre production is bringing in in two young Ontarians to share the lead role in Billy Elliot The Musical.

Ethan Ribeiro of Kitchener, Ont., who has appeared on the CHCH/Channel Zero show Tiny Talent Time and in the CanDance National Competition, will team up with Eamon Stocks of Whitby, Ont., who has trained at the National Ballet School Professional Ballet program and has had small roles in film, television and commercials to play the young British ballet dancer.

Royal MTC had been holding auditions since the summer of 2014 searching for the right young performers for the role.

Billy Elliot will be staged Jan 12 to Feb. 6, 2016 at the John Hirsch Mainstage.

Ribeiro and Stocks will receive dance training at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School’s Professional Division before starting rehearsals in December.

Ontario’s Carter Treneer will play Michael, Billy’s best friend, while Winnipeg’s Katie Welham will play Debbie, a girl in Billy’s ballet class. Three other youngsters, Jack Mickelthwate, Demetri Apostolopoulos and Alexandre Deakin play other kids in Billy’s community, a mining town in northern England.

Another 16 young performers will be cast from the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s Recreational Division to share roles as ballet girls in the production.