Tony-winning LI teen has a new role

At 15, Trent Kowalik already knows what he wants to do "when he grows up." So it's natural he'd be anxious about what's next after the smashing success of the first chapter in his career: Because of his tender years, he shared the Tony-winning title role in the musical "Billy Elliot." Kowalik left 11-year-old Billy behind when he turned 15 in March. He's been focusing on his real-life role as a freshman at Wantagh High School, wondering when the next show-biz opportunity would come. Monday evening, he returns to the stage for the first time since graduating from "Billy Elliot."

"I'm really excited about doing this," Kowalik says of the showcase performance of a snippet from a musical called - for now - "The Shopping List." Attendance is by invitation only for the Manhattan performance, expected to last only 10 minutes or so. Kowalik sings a few lyrics by Jim Merritt of Hempstead, a frequent Newsday contributor, with music by Sooyeon Kim of Astoria and book by Gary Apple, originally of Old Bethpage. There's no dancing so far, Kowalik says. ("Billy Elliot," of course, was all about dancing.)

If the showcase draws enough interest, the musical could move on to workshops and further development. For now, it's just a 10-minute piece about a kid who goes to the supermarket with his shopping list.