Tommy Batchelor, Giuseppe Bausilio and Cesar Corrales to Headline Billy Elliot Tour

The national tour of Billy Elliot, which kicks off at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts Oriental Theatre in Chicago in March 2010, has found its three young stars. Alternating in the title role will be 14-year-old Tommy Batchelor (currently playing the role on Broadway), 12-year-old Giuseppe Bausilio and 13-year-old Cesar Corrales.

Batchelor is a native of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida who made his Broadway debut earlier this year in the role of Billy. He started his training at age four at Dance Factory in Minnesota and has starred in Miami City Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker as well has having competed nationally in the prestigious Youth America Grand Prix.

Bausilio was born in the Swiss capital of Bern and began his ballet training at age 4. He has performed with the State Theatre of Bern in Coppelia, as well as in the operas Mazzepa and Falstaff, among other roles. He has won numerous awards for competitions in the US and Europe.

Corrales was born in Mexico before moving to Montreal with his family. At age 4 he performed with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in Madama Butterfly. Among his other credits, Corrales placed first at the Coupe Quebec gymnastics competition in 2008, the same year he joined Canada’s National Ballet School.

Billy Elliot, which won 10 2009 Tony Awards including Best Musical, is the 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, 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. The show opened at Broadway’s Imperial Theatre on November 13, 2008, directed by Tony winner Stephen Daldry.