Metropolitan School of the Arts' Student to Perform in Disney's Newsies at National Theatre

Metropolitan School of the Arts’ (MSA) student, Ben Cook, 17, of Lorton, Va. will perform in the Tony Award®-winning production of Disney’s NEWSIES at National Theatre in Washington, D.C. from June 9 to June 21. Cook is an alumnus of Lorton Station Elementary School in Lorton, Va., where his family still resides. At age 7, Cook began theatre and dance training at Metropolitan School of the Arts in Alexandria, Va., and began to regularly audition for professional theatre at 9 years old. For more information on MSA, go to www.metropolitanarts.org or www.newsiesthemusical.com.

“From the beginning, we knew that Ben was a natural performer with innate passion and determination… our programs allowed him the guidance, tools and training to help him fulfill his dream of being a national performer,” said Melissa Dobbs, president of Metropolitan School of the Arts of Lorton and Alexandria, Va. “We are so proud of Ben and look forward to seeing him shine in NEWSIES,” said Dobbs.

Cook was most recently featured as the title character in the 2011-13 national tour of the Tony Award®-winning musical “Billy Elliot.” He also played Michael, the second young male lead, on the tour and is one of only two boys in North America to perform all three young male roles in the show. He trained at MSA from 2005-09 and then again last year in preparation for the NEWSIES open call and audition.

He moved to New York in 2009 for the Broadway revival of “Ragtime,” then performed in the “Billy Elliot” Broadway ensemble for 15 months while attending the Professional Performing Arts School in New York City. Cook also performed at The Kennedy Center, Folger Shakespeare and Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and has been on episodes of “30 Rock,” “Veep,” and “House of Cards.” He is on the road with a guardian and is tutored for school through the MSA Academy.