Billy Whitehouse

Billy Whitehouse began his acting career at the age of 5 with the Lathrup Youth theatre under the instruction of Joanne Lamun. "My philosophy is that everyone gets a line. I wouldn't want my kids to be a tree. What's the point of being in a play if you don't speak?" says Lamun. That launched him into choirs at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp and Interlochen, as well as touring with Dwight D. Eisenhower’s People-to-People branch Musical Youth International in Japan & South Korea. Moving on to college and the corporate world, Billy became a realtor. Two years ago, while going through a life transformation with support from his parents, Doug & Kathie, Billy made a choice that the most important thing in life is to follow your dream. For his first come back audition in May of 2005, Billy was cast as Porthos in the Three Musketeers by Thomas Logan’s Starlight Theater in Waterford. During his next audition, Len Fisher of Inspire Theater in Dearborn cast him as the Cowardly Lion (Wizard of Oz); Billy had caught the acting bug again. Since then Billy has gone on to play in over 9 theatrical productions including Coach Bolton (High School Musical) and Lt. Schrank (West Side Story). As well as being a Stage Dad for Kelley’s, his 6 year old daughter, production of Cinderella. He has been cast as talent for students at Wayne State University and the Motion Picture Institute in a half dozen film shorts, has been an extra in 3 episodes of local Director Jamie Sonderman InZer0, as well as a featured and supporting actor in three local full length feature films, Blood Siblings, After the Bloodrush & Comic Relief. Billy has studied at The Detroit Repertory Theater, Second City. Taking that education, he gave back as an Acting Coach and privately coaches actors. He has been eaten by zombies in Heaven’s Gate, a new internet pilot, talent for two shorts for Christopher Coppola’s “PROJECT ACCESSIBLE HOLLYWOOD”-Fest, and the Lord High Sheriff for the Michigan Renaissance Festival 2007. One major source of transformation for Billy was when his coach advised him to look into Landmark Education. The program offered there, the Landmark Forum, gave Bill some technologies that allow him to be present during his times on the stage and off. That presence is crucial to an actor, Billy says, “Whenever I have dropped a line or missed a cue, it was because my mind was not present, it was elsewhere – Landmark has given me the tools to be passionate, creative and fully engaged in every aspect of my life.” Last Summer, Billy was Volunteer Chairman with the first Detroit Windsor International Film Festival () which will be held June 26-29, 2008. Looking back over the past three years, he believes that he has been blessed to work with wonderful creative talented people in the Creative class of Detroit and if he can give back a fraction of what he has been given he will be whole and complete. As his coach Noel George tells him, “Your job is to Audition, Audition, Audition.”