Where do the kids who perform on Broadway come from?

I studied Dance, Musical Theatre, Production, etc for many years in college and worked professionally as an adult, as well as teach kids performing arts. read more

Like most actors, children who want to perform on Broadway do auditions. Sometimes kids/parents hear about an audition and come in from the other side of the country. In the case of Billy Elliot, producers went out to dance schools to find boys with the required skills and in many cases, productions that need to cast a lot of children go to schools with a good drama department. read more

Mark Shacket, a Broadway general manager, says that in general, the decision is made by the creative team, and there are a number of factors that go into it. If the role is particularly demanding, "it may be determined that it's too much for a child to handle" to perform for the entire week, Shacket says. read more