Open Auditions held to find young Michael Jackson in Motown the Musical

Could you play the young Michael Jackson...?

Producers of the West End production of Motown the Musical have announced that they are holding open auditions to find the role of young Michael Jackson alongside the adult cast of the musical at the Shaftesbury Theatre.

The show's casting director Natalie Gallacher said: "Since we opened the show here in London we have had the pleasure of working with some great children. We are now looking for the next group of boys to join us at the Shaftesbury Theatre to play one of the most iconic roles in the music industry. If you are male, black or mixed race, aged 8 to 13 years old with an unbroken voice and you can to commute to London, then we would love to hear from you."

Charles Randolph-Wright, Director of Motown the Musical, said: "We have previously found extraordinary talent to play Michael Jackson as well as young Berry Gordy and Stevie Wonder. We are again looking for boys who have excellent singing and acting skills and of course, must also be able to move like Michael! I am excited to meet the next young cast members of Motown The Musical."

Featuring music and lyrics from the Motown catalogue and book by Motown founder Berry Gordy, the production features a sixteen-piece orchestra playing 50 Motown tracks including "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", "I'll Be There", "Dancing In The Street", "Stop! In The Name Of Love", "My Girl" and "I Heard It through the Grapevine". The musical originally opened on Broadway in April 2013 and began its West End run at the Shaftesbury Theatre in February 2016.

The open auditions will take place on Saturday 18 March 2017 at the Hackney Empire, with registration beginning at 9.30am.