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Sept. 24, 2008/FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Marla Carpenter, 336-770-3337, carpem@ncarts.edu UNCSA FACULTY MEMBER IS RESIDENT DIALECT COACH FOR NEW BROADWAY PRODUCTION OF BILLY ELLIOT *Three UNCSA Alumni Also Involved in Show*
WINSTON-SALEM – Billy Elliot, the heart-warming, feel good musical that took London by storm, breaking United Kingdom box office records and winning 9 Best Musical awards, is coming to Broadway. Ben Furey, a University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) faculty member in the School of Drama, has been named the resident dialect coach for the production. Billy Elliot begins previews October 1, 2008 and opens November 13 at the Imperial Theatre at 249 W. 45^th Street (between Broadway and 8^th Avenue). Based on the hit film of the same name, Billy Elliot is set in the 1980s in a mining town in the North-East of England during a miner’s strike. It tells the story of a young working-class boy who accidentally stumbles into a ballet class and discovers he has a special talent for dance in a world that idolizes more “manly” pursuits like boxing. The film’s director Stephen Daldry is directing the musical with choreography by Peter Darling, music by the legendary Sir Elton John and book and lyrics by Lee Hall. Hall also wrote the screenplay for the film. Furey has been teaching voice and text, accent and dialects at UNCSA (formerly the North Carolina School of the Arts) since 2001. He has degrees from University College Dublin and Central School of Speech and Drama in London. He has taught voice, text and accent and dialect at conservatories in London, Dublin and Texas and has taught voice and accent workshops across the United States and Ireland. As a voice and accent/dialect coach, he has worked on more than 25 professional productions, including shows at the Guthrie Theatre, the Dallas Theater Center, the Gate Theatre (Dublin), Triad Stage, and the Colorado and North Carolina Shakespeare festivals. His film coaching has led him to work with actors including Hugo Weaving, Brian Cox, Alfred Molina and Jack Davenport. As an actor and performer, he has worked in Britain, Europe and America in a variety of forms including plays, musical theatre, film, voiceover and puppetry. Furey also is serving as the resident coach for the Broadway production of Spamalot at the Shubert Theatre at 225 W 44th Street. Three UNCSA alumni also are involved in Billy Elliot: Mary Kathryn Flynt is assistant stage manager. Flynt, who is from Atlanta, Ga., graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from UNCSA in 2004. She studied stage management in the School of Design and Production. Grady Bowman, who graduated from UNCSA with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2005, is the Fight Captain. He is originally from Fayetteville, N.C. He studied contemporary dance in the School of Dance. Kara Klein is performing as one of the “ballet girls.” She received a high school diploma from UNCSA in 2000 and is from Vancouver, Wash. She studied ballet in the School of Dance. Meanwhile, also on Broadway, UNCSA alumna Anna Camp (School of Drama Class of 2004 and High School Class of 2000) is appearing in the Broadway revival of Equus (currently in previews) along with Daniel Radcliffe, of Harry Potter fame. Camp is playing Jill Mason, the girl who becomes romantically involved with Radcliffe’s character. Her fellow alumnus, Paul David Story (School of Drama Class of 2005) is also part of the cast as standby for Daniel Radcliffe in the lead role. UNCSA alumna Missi Pyle (School of Drama Class of 1995) is making her Broadway debut in Boeing-Boeing, the 2008 Tony Award-winning Best Play revival, at the Longacre Theatre. Jennifer Ferrin (School of Drama Class of 2003) continues to win accolades in The 39 Steps at the Cort Theatre. The University of North Carolina School of the Arts is the first state-supported, residential school of its kind in the nation. Established as the North Carolina School of the Arts by the N.C. General Assembly in 1963, UNCSA opened in Winston-Salem (“The City of the Arts”) in 1965 and became part of the University of North Carolina system in 1972. More than 1,100 students from middle school through graduate school train for careers in the arts in five professional schools: Dance, Design and Production (including a Visual Arts Program), Drama, Filmmaking, and Music. UNCSA is the state’s only public arts conservatory, dedicated entirely to the professional training of talented students in the performing, visual and moving image arts. For more information, visit www.ncarts.edu. ###
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WINSTON-SALEM – Billy Elliot, the heart-warming, feel good musical that took London by storm, breaking United Kingdom box office records and winning 9 Best Musical awards, is coming to Broadway. Ben Furey, a University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) faculty member in the School of Drama, has been named the resident dialect coach for the production.

Billy Elliot begins previews October 1, 2008 and opens November 13 at the Imperial Theatre at 249 W. 45^th Street (between Broadway and 8^th Avenue). Based on the hit film of the same name, Billy Elliot is set in the 1980s in a mining town in the North-East of England during a miner’s strike. It tells the story of a young working-class boy who accidentally stumbles into a ballet class and discovers he has a special talent for dance in a world that idolizes more “manly” pursuits like boxing.

The film’s director Stephen Daldry is directing the musical with choreography by Peter Darling, music by the legendary Sir Elton John and book and lyrics by Lee Hall. Hall also wrote the screenplay for the film.

Furey has been teaching voice and text, accent and dialects at UNCSA (formerly the North Carolina School of the Arts) since 2001. He has degrees from University College Dublin and Central School of Speech and Drama in London. He has taught voice, text and accent and dialect at conservatories in London, Dublin and Texas and has taught voice and accent workshops across the United States and Ireland. As a voice and accent/dialect coach, he has worked on more than 25 professional productions, including shows at the Guthrie Theatre, the Dallas Theater Center, the Gate Theatre (Dublin), Triad Stage, and the Colorado and North Carolina Shakespeare festivals. His film coaching has led him to work with actors including Hugo Weaving, Brian Cox, Alfred Molina and Jack Davenport. As an actor and performer, he has worked in Britain, Europe and America in a variety of forms including plays, musical theatre, film, voiceover and puppetry.

Furey also is serving as the resident coach for the Broadway production of Spamalot at the Shubert Theatre at 225 W 44th Street.

Three UNCSA alumni also are involved in Billy Elliot:

Mary Kathryn Flynt is assistant stage manager. Flynt, who is from Atlanta, Ga., graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from UNCSA in 2004. She studied stage management in the School of Design and Production.

Grady Bowman, who graduated from UNCSA with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2005, is the Fight Captain. He is originally from Fayetteville, N.C. He studied contemporary dance in the School of Dance.

Kara Klein is performing as one of the “ballet girls.” She received a high school diploma from UNCSA in 2000 and is from Vancouver, Wash. She studied ballet in the School of Dance.

Meanwhile, also on Broadway, UNCSA alumna Anna Camp (School of Drama Class of 2004 and High School Class of 2000) is appearing in the Broadway revival of Equus (currently in previews) along with Daniel Radcliffe, of Harry Potter fame. Camp is playing Jill Mason, the girl who becomes romantically involved with Radcliffe’s character. Her fellow alumnus, Paul David Story (School of Drama Class of 2005) is also part of the cast as standby for Daniel Radcliffe in the lead role.

UNCSA alumna Missi Pyle (School of Drama Class of 1995) is making her Broadway debut in Boeing-Boeing, the 2008 Tony Award-winning Best Play revival, at the Longacre Theatre.

Jennifer Ferrin (School of Drama Class of 2003) continues to win accolades in The 39 Steps at the Cort Theatre.

The University of North Carolina School of the Arts is the first state-supported, residential school of its kind in the nation. Established as the North Carolina School of the Arts by the N.C. General Assembly in 1963, UNCSA opened in Winston-Salem (“The City of the Arts”) in 1965 and became part of the University of North Carolina system in 1972. More than 1,100 students from middle school through graduate school train for careers in the arts in five professional schools: Dance, Design and Production (including a Visual Arts Program), Drama, Filmmaking, and Music. UNCSA is the state’s only public arts conservatory, dedicated entirely to the professional training of talented students in the performing, visual and moving image arts. For more information, visit www.ncarts.edu.

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