County Durham, England, 1984. The miners’ strike has started and the police have started coming up from Bethnal Green, starting a class war with the lower classes suffering. Caught in the middle of the conflict is 11-year old Billy Elliot, who, after leaving his boxing club for the day, stumbles upon a ballet class and finds out that he’s naturally talented. He practices with his teacher Mrs. Wilkinson for an upcoming audition in Newcastle-upon Tyne for the royal Ballet school in London.

Tis the season to… sit in a movie theatre together and cry as we cheer on our favourite 11 year old ballet dancer. Because on December 10th, we are closing our ‘25 program by celebrating the 25th anniversary of Stephen Daldry’s Billy Elliot!

Starring Jamie Bell in maybe the greatest performance an adolescent has ever given on screen (he should have won an Oscar for it, and did win a BAFTA!), Billy Elliot follows a working class boy fighting gender norms in 1980s England. Thankfully he has a little help from his dance teacher Sandra (Julie Walters, also that year’s rightful Oscar winner we are sorry to Marcia Gay Harden), who helps Billy find a way to be brave enough to be himself. -PETER KNEGT

Pre-show drag performance by Clarke Kunt.

Doors Open 3o Minutes Before Showtime.