The two new stars of Billy Elliot The Musical were unveiled today
Leon Cooke, 14, is stepping into Billy's shoes at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London.
Joey Phillips, 13, is taking over the role of Billy's cross-dressing best friend Michael.
They replace James Lomas and Ashley Lloyd, who have appeared in the production since it opened and are returning to school to study for their GCSEs.
The £5 million musical, about a boy from a North East mining village who dreams of becoming a ballet dancer, opened in March and has been one of the West End's biggest success stories.
It has played to more than 250,000 people and is currently booking until April 2006.
Leon and Joey are graduates of the Billy Elliot Academy in Leeds, set up by director Stephen Daldry, where they have studied dance, singing and acting.
They join the cast on September 19.
Leon will share his role with original Billys Liam Mower and George Maguire.
The schoolboy from Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, was spotted at the very first auditions in 2003.
One of eight siblings, he has been dancing since the age of two.
His family are all keen dancers - dad Michael is a postman who also works part-time as a dance teacher.
Leon said: "My dad took me for lessons to see if I liked it or not. I really enjoyed it so I carried on going.
"When my sister Zena took me for the first audition in Manchester I had no idea that I would get through. It seems like a dream now that I've been chosen to play Billy and I'm really looking forward to it."
Daldry, who also directed the hit film, was full of praise for the new Billy.
"Leon has an exception combination of talents - he is an excellent ballet dancer, fantastic gymnast and contemporary dancer, and he can sing. Plus, he's from the North of England," Daldry said.
Joey lives in Lytham St Anne's, near Blackpool, and performed in his first pantomime aged seven.
"I started dancing when I was four because my sister had started dancing and I wanted to see what it was like," he said.
"I'm really excited about playing Michael, especially because it will be my first time on the West End stage."
Nearly 5,000 boys have auditioned for the musical and there are currently eight more potential Billys training at the Academy.
Daldry has plans to take the show to Broadway.
