British Theatre Academy to stage 13 The Musical and The Adventures of Pinocchio

The new summer season from the British Theatre Academy is to feature two musicals.

Staged at the Ambassadors Theatre, The Adventures of Pinocchio and 13 The Musical will run through August.

The British Theatre Academy gives young people the chance to star in shows in the West End shows. Over 3,000 young people auditioned to be in the two shows this summer, with 17 teams of actors performing Pinocchio and three teams performing 13. All the performers are aged 23 or under.

Pinocchio is written by Neil Bartram and Brian Hill and is adapted from Carol Collodi's tale of a wooden puppet. The show will be directed by Bronagh Langan. 13 The Musical is Jason Robert Brown, Dan Elish and Robert Horn's coming-of-age musical which is the only Broadway musical to have a cast and band entirely of teenagers. It will be directed and choreographed by Ewan Jones.

Last year, British Theatre Academy staged The Secret Garden and Godspell with over 500 cast members.

Producer Matthew Chandler of the BTA said: "The Color Purple in Concert at Cadogan Hall on Sunday was an unforgettable night for the audience and for our youngsters getting to perform alongside stars from the West End and Broadway. It is has been an incredible year for the BTA and to date all our productions and concerts have given 1,500 children the chance to perform on the West End stage."

The Adventures of Pinocchio runs from 28 July to 30 August and 13 The Musical runs from 16 to 23 August at the Ambassadors Theatre.