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How long does it take to get to Broadway?
For 12-year-old actress Corrieanne Stein of Rockville, the answer is three years.
On Oct. 1, the young thespian will appear as Margaret Gormley in the original production of "Billy Elliot" on Broadway.
She won her first role — a starring role — at 9, the first time she auditioned.
She played the lead in "Annie Warbucks," the sequel to "Annie," in the Rockville-based Musical Theatre Center production in 2006.
Casting for "Billy Elliot" was a lot more challenging, Corrieanne said, and it included some unusual twists.
"There was a lot of competition. To help narrow us down, the man who was doing the acting [selection] had me sing with goldfish [crackers] in my mouth, and some of the other girls had to throw goldfish at him while they sang," she said.
Corrieanne was called back seven times over the course of 14 days before she finally was selected.
"Billy Elliot" has been a smash hit in Great Britain, running continuously since 2005. That makes being in the original Broadway cast that much more special, Corrieanne said.
The Robert Frost Middle School student said she hopes to make a career out of performing on Broadway.
"I'm very confident about acting. I feel comfortable about doing it," she said.
As for her character, Margaret Gormley, Corrieanne is excited about the role.
"She's depressed and angry most of the time. I've never played an angry character before, so it's going to be fun," she said.
Because she will have to live in New York while the show runs, Corrieanne will receive a combination of home schooling and tutoring. But when her friends at Robert Frost heard she was headed to Broadway, they were understandably excited.
"My friends were really happy for me," Corrieanne said. "They were sad that I was going away, but they were happy."
She said she was in Florida when she found out she had gotten the part. "My dad called me, and he said, ‘Corrieanne's on Broadway!'" She is the daughter of Daniel and Sharon Stein.
Corrieanne said she first became interested in acting because her older sister performed on stage in high school.
She has participated in several Musical Theatre Center productions and taken dance classes at Dawn Crafton Dance Center in Gaithersburg.
She's done her research, too. Corrieanne has been to see all her favorite Broadway shows already, including "Spamalot," "Legally Blonde" and "Wicked."
"I love doing this," she said about acting on Broadway. "It's a lot of fun and a great experience."
"Billy Elliot" is based on a 2000 film of the same name about a boy who discovers he has a talent for dance while the boys around him are more interested in boxing. The British stage adaptation won nine Best Musical awards, has broken box office records and continues to sell out nightly, according to the Broadway show's Web site.
The show was created by the film's director, Stephen Daldry, writer Lee Hall and choreographer Peter Darling, who are joined by music legend Elton John.
