The producers of Billy Elliot The Musical have decided who will perform in the Billy Youth Theatre York Showcase on Sunday at 7.30pm.

Seven groups from around the region will take part in a shortened version of the West End musical, which has been specially adapted for Billy Youth Theatre at the Grand Opera House.

Alas, no group from York will be involved, but here are the participants: Fame School of the Arts, from Preston; High Storrs Performing Arts Specialist School, from Sheffield; Liverpool Empire Youth Theatre; the Northern Academy of Performing Arts, from Hull; Stage Productions Staffs, from Newcastle-under-Lyme; Stage Productions Stockport; and Upstagers, from Ilkley.

The York Showcase is one of four being staged throughout May and June to celebrate the wealth of talent present in schools and youth groups around the country.

Other showcases are taking place in Poole, Sunderland and Milton Keynes, and the showcases will feature bright young talent that will be challenged to perform Billy Elliot with the other groups as one dynamic company.

“We’re hugely excited to be hosting the regional showcase in York,” says general manager Lizzie Richards.

“Billy Youth Theatre is a fantastic opportunity for young performers and we’re delighted to support the show. The showcase affirms our commitment to supporting amateur and community theatre in the region and we look forward to hosting these wonderfully talented groups.” A number of groups will be offered the chance to follow in the steps of Billy by performing at the Billy Youth Theatre West End Gala at the Victoria Palace Theatre, Billy’s London home, on July 17.

Following the success of Billy Youth Theatre 2010, the producers of Billy Elliot The Musical decided to launch a second year of this nationwide scheme, in which schools and youth groups are given the opportunity to stage their own production of the award-winning show.

Billy Elliot writer Lee Hall and musical supervisor Martin Koch have adapted their original script and orchestrations to produce the shortened version that has proved such a hit across the country, much to the delight of the London show’s resident choreographer, Lee Proud.

“It was all down to Lee Hall, who wanted to get youth groups involved all over the country,” he says. “We just wanted to give them the chance to present Billy Elliot in a way that is more creative and imaginative than may have been possible before.

“Because of Lee Hall’s background and enthusiasm – he got his chance in theatre at the Live Theatre in Newcastle – even now he hasn’t forgotten that opportunity and wants to share it.

“And the other thing is that the story of Billy Elliot is so inspiring. We had a fantastic story last year where one of the boys who was in a Billy Youth Theatre production in the north east, Connor Lawson, is now in the West End playing Michael. We spotted him at one of the showcases and it’s changed his life.”

How were groups selected for the regional showcases, Lee?

“We tend to choose the groups from those who have thought outside the box, like how did they choreograph miners and policemen dancing together, a ten-minute sequence that is incredibly abstract,” he says.

• Tickets for the Billy Youth Theatre York Showcase cost £12 to £18.50 on 0844 871 3024 or online at grandoperahouseyork.org.uk