West End Frame: Photo Feature: Billy Elliot welcomes Brodie Donougher

Eleven year-old Brodie Donougher from Blackpool is joining the West End cast of Billy Elliot to share the title role from tonight. Brodie joins a cast lead by Ruthie Henshall as Mrs Wilkinson and Deka Walmsley as Billy’s dad. He is the thirty-ninth boy to play the role at the Victoria Palace Theatre and the seventy-sixth boy to perform the role worldwide.

Also joining the cast today will be 10 year old Connie Fisher from Northallerton, North Yorkshire, who will play Mrs Wilkinson’s daughter Debbie. In addition 19 girls from London and surrounding counties aged 9 – 14 join the cast as Ballet Girls. Check out pictures below!

Brodie Donougher said: “When I was seven, I was introduced to ballet through PrimarySTEPS, a Royal Ballet School programme that gives children the opportunity to try ballet, and later became part of The Royal Ballet School’s Junior Associate programme. I’m also a keen gymnast and have trained and competed with the Garstang School of Gymnastics.

"My mum heard about the Billy Elliot auditions being held in Manchester and asked me if I would like to audition. I got through to the London auditions and was invited to train at the Billy Elliot summer school in 2013. I really enjoyed the experience and knew then that I wanted to be Billy, and I was overwhelmed when I was offered the role a year later. I have also successfully auditioned for The Royal Ballet Schools full-time training programme in London and look forward to attending in the future. In the meantime, I can’t wait for my first performance at the Victoria Palace Theatre tonight."

Billy Elliot the Musical is currently booking at the Victoria Palace Theatre to 19th December 2015.