Finalists Announced For Disney Casting Call

Five Finalists Announced For Disney Channel’s Casting Call To Find Newest Cast Member
For Season Four Of Award-Winning Comedy “As The Bell Rings”

Two Kiwis and Three Aussie Kids Selected from Thousands of Video Entries

Go Online and Vote for Your Favourite!

SYDNEY, May 11, 2010 – Disney Channels New Zealand and Australia, the #1 rating kids and family channel, today announced the five finalists for its open “Casting Call” across New Zealand and Australia to find the newest cast member of ASTRA Award-winning and Logie-nominated locally produced comedy, “As the Bell Rings”. Two New Zealanders and three Australians have been chosen from more than 5,000 video entries to take part in season four of the series, which films in Melbourne this winter.

The five finalists were chosen based on a three-minute audition video featuring an introduction and performance of a scene from the show. They are (in alphabetical order):

• Tori Bailey, Gold Coast, age 15
• Jami Kerrigan, Auckland, age 11
• Ronn Kurtz, Melbourne, age 14
• Vicki Neal, Gold Coast, age 16
• Hayley Wilmshurst, Auckland, age 15

Through to June 6, fans will be able to visit the Disney Channel website (www.disneychannel.co.nz) to view the online auditions and select their favourite finalists. To help fans make their choice, video of the five finalists from an acting workshop at the National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA) in Sydney will air on Disney Channel later this month. The finalists spent the past weekend studying acting under the tutelage of NIDA-certified instructors and attended a formal casting.

Following the close of fan voting on June 6, the new cast member will be selected based on a combination of input from the general public, Disney Channel and the series’ director. The winner will be announced June 14.

“As the Bell Rings”, which consistently wins its primary timeslot with Kids 5-15 in subscription TV households, chronicles the lives of a group of friends between classes and in the hallway -- their antics, exchanges, and everyday adventures and challenges. From school crushes, exams and teachers, the program explores diverse and relatable themes, as seen through the eyes of Australian and New Zealand kids. In 2009, “As the Bell Rings” was recognised as Most Outstanding Short Form Program at the ASTRA Awards and was nominated for a Logie for Most Outstanding Children’s Program. It will again be directed by David McDonald (“Comedy Inc –The Late Shift”, Life Support”, “The Election Chaser”) and produced by FremantleMedia Australia.

Filming of the new season of “As the Bell Rings”will commence in Melbourne in late June and is slated to premiere on Disney Channel in New Zealand and Australia later this year. The series is based on Disney Channel Italy's hugely popular short form series "Quelli dell'Intervallo". Locally-produced adaptations of the sitcom shorts also air on Disney Channels in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Singapore and China.

“As The Bell Rings” is a FremantleMedia Australia production for Disney Channels New Zealand and Australia.
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