Billy Elliot Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga EXPLORING THE POWER OF DETERMINATION
Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga closes its 2019 season with the Broadway hit BILLY ELLIOT: The Musical. Based on the popular motion picture of the same name, the audience is treated to a gem of musical theatre where we see the power of determination and persistence triumph. Billy, the son of a mining family struggles in lessons only to discover dance. While his father, brother and the rest of the miner’s union strike against mining companies, Billy struggles to find acceptance in his new passion. Drawing inspiration from a trio of unlikely women (his dead mother, his senile grandmother and an acerbic ballet instructor), Billy’s journey mirrors the same determination of the union and through Billy, we are able to appreciate potential and embrace compromise in order to find a path to success.
“Several of the shows we choose to produce will tend to mirror our journey as an organization in some way; BILLY ELLIOT is no exception,” mentions Garry Lee Posey who helms this production. “The music is powerful and emotive, playful and catchy but rife with meaning.” Elton John penned the score for BILLY ELLIOT: The Musical, having previously created the scores for AIDA, THE LION KING, and the short lived musical based on the Anne Rice books called LESTAT. “What is so fantastic about this show for me is that you have this heavy, dirty underworld of miners juxtaposed with the finesse and artistry of a dance that lives more elevated than grounded. You have tradition and expectation juxtaposed with hope and change. At the apex of these juxtapositions sits a child, not knowing where to focus but determined to blur the lines defining those differences,” remarks Posey.
In the title role is Dalton native and ETC newcomer Ellis Stephens, a student at Dalton Middle School. “Working with kids and showing them a new world of creativity through theatre, whether I am introducing them to it or building off of their previous experiences, is such a joy. This is a beast of a role and he doesn’t take that responsibility lightly.” Joining Ellis is ETC newcomer Dennis Parker as Billy’s father and Kendra Gross as Billy’s Dead Mum and ETC veterans Marianna Allen as the ballet teacher Mrs. Wilkinson and Brenda Schwab as Billy’s grandmother. Rounding out the largest cast ETC has assembled are newcomers Fields Thomas, Roxanne Gibson, Caelen Austin, Jake Zachery, Kal McClure, Russ Kerr, Tristan Haugh, Josie Julienne, Libby Weaver, Marley Kilgore, and Henley Green along with returning ETC artists Cody Keown, Rodney Strong, Joseph Watts, Eric “Red” Wyatt, Callie Coplen, Megan Smith, Alyssa Whitesell and Jordan Bennett.
Fallon Garret choreographs the show, John Thomas McCecil is the music director, the stage management team includes Joel Sanchez and Eva Fournier.
Barking Legs Theater is a superb, intimate concert hall and performance venue that has established a reputation as a great place for musicians and listeners alike. We are known throughout the Southeast as a venue with great acoustics and remarkable intimacy. Barking Legs is a listener’s dream, where each note and word rings clearly, promoting the sort of rapt attention impossible in the typical club or barroom setting. Performers love it! Our 80 fixed seats all have great sight lines and we can accommodate overflow crowds up to 175. Our in-house events offer a concession area and you are invited to take your beverages with you into the theater. And if you’re curious about the name, its origin stems from the “bark leggins” that were worn by scouts and woodsmen of the Appalachian region in the last century.