Study of the Billys

Will "Billy" be staged all over the world? A place to discuss.
We will move posts, if starts, so has own section, like London, New York etc
Billylola
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Study of the Billys

Post by Billylola »

I think it would be a worthwhile sociological study to see how the Billys did later in life. These are incredibly gifted and talented pre-teens with a host of wonderful achievements that were accomplished so early in life. How did they do as they matured into adult life? There are anecdotal mentions but it would be a rather interesting to see if they continued with high level performances. How about their personal life?
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Re: Study of the Billys

Post by dancingboy »

It must be remembered that many of the boys who have played Billy ( London) are not yet adults. The first Billy, Liam Mower, is only 23 years old. Liam was with the RBS and now with Matthew Bourne and has appeared in Nutcracker, SwanLake and Car Men.
Most of the Billys I know/know of, including American Billys, are between the ages of 15 to 18. Many are, of course, still continuing their education, some at Performing Arts Schools/Academies thus being able to carry on with their dancing. Those I have seen since leaving BETM look destined to continue in the industry.

As for their personal life, why should we be interested in that?
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CJ-Rochester
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Re: Study of the Billys

Post by CJ-Rochester »

May I suggest looking at the "Where are they now?" thread at the link below? The thread was created to show examples of the accomplishments of former Billy kids. It would be a lot of work to keep the thread completely current, but it does show that most of these kids end up doing pretty well in their post-Billy lives.

http://www.billyelliottheforum.me.uk/fo ... =65&t=4730
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ERinVA
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Re: Study of the Billys

Post by ERinVA »

Thanks for mentioning that thread, Chris . You are absolutely right that it was too much to keep up. And as you say, that in itself shows that lots of retired Billys continue to be very active in the performing arts.

As for discussion of their personal lives, Billylola, that is strictly off limits on this forum. We respect the privacy of the present and past cast members and their families, and we only allow discussion of career-related matters.
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Re: Study of the Billys

Post by Todd »

While most aspiring actors would celebrate being cast as an ensemble member or in a small part of a professional stage production, I've always wondered what a former Billy must think when this happens to them, after they've been the lead in a West End or Broadway show. I can imagine that it must be quite humbling, and one can see how trying to make sense of it while still a teenager or young adult must be quite difficult at times.

I would think it would also be a major adjustment when they leave the show and return home to resume their normal routine, attend school, etc. While seeing family and friends must be nice at first, I can see how it wouldn't take too long to start missing the adrenaline rush that comes from a standing ovation from a packed theatre, and the friends from the cast that had become like family over the past year or so.

I think this is an interesting topic, as I've always been intrigued by this sort of thing. Maybe it's not a big surprise that one of my all-time favorite movies is "Sunset Boulevard," a story about a former movie star who still craves the spotlight and misses the fans who adored her.
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Re: Study of the Billys

Post by Real Geordie »

These are exactly the thoughts I have had. It must be similar to spending a gap year travelling the globe, with every day new sights, excitement and experiences, then returning home and being slapped in the face with the wet fish of reality. It has already been posted elsewhere that at least one Billy in Australia felt this type of low :-

“ ………...for Lochlan Denholm, the end of his stint on Billy Elliot brought him back to earth with a bump. Living with up to 10 boys in the "Billy House" for actors in the show had been "like a sleepover every night", he told The Age in 2009. "Then you're at home, sitting there and so bored, staring at a wall and there's nothing to do……."

I vaguely remember Stephen Daldry commenting in an interview some while ago, as an aside, that back up support was provided for the younger performers by a social worker or counsellor. Possibly to help with issues such as this ? It was unclear whether such care was also available when they left the show. I would think however that this is a potential problem well recognised, and discussed at the outset with both young performers and their parents. There would also be the benefit of experience handed down by others who had already made this journey. Still ………… it must be a difficult adjustment to make.
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Re: Study of the Billys

Post by kport »

Kids are pretty resilient. Those who have been on tour had personal guardians, chosen by each family, living with them, and every night saw them going back to their personal digs with their guardian, mom or grandma, just like on a vacation. It was an extended family road trip, with a lot of friends and a lot of shows as well.

My guess is that kids living in a residence run by the production company have a life pretty much the same as in any UK boarding school: the residence is their dorm or house, and they go off to 'lessons' at the main school. They have the equivalent of teachers to take them through the Key Stage 3 curriculum; matrons and houseparents and all the support network of a residential school. And they have occasional holiday time to spend at home, in their communities, away from the limelight.

What is different is that they stand in front of an audience of a thousand or more, that they entertain, and an audience that returns their gift with huge approval. And along the way they make mistakes, and they have off days, and days where they feel a little less than brilliant and days where they feel they nailed it - but as I stated before, these kids are amazingly resilient. What they gain early on is self-awareness and self-confidence.

Kids in regional shows create such a bond that you think they will never get over the inevitable parting; but just like kids at summer camp, they do. And, of course, with social media these days they keep in touch with each other and follow each other's careers and hopes and dreams, sometimes for years.

I shouldn't worry too much about them. There are plenty to look after them and there are plenty of role models for them. Their support networks are robust, caring and positive. They know kids from other shows do the same thing, around the world, and they know that they are lucky to be doing what they do. Kids are positive, and I am certain that they will one day look back and say that they would not have changed a thing.

What IS amazing is the academic success so many are having, at college level, in spite (or perhaps because of) their nomadic, tutored education on the road: Princeton, Yale, international ballet schools: the list goes on and on. That, in itself, is proof that The Kids Are Alright!
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Re: Study of the Billys

Post by angelenroute »

Goes without saying, but this is why I try my very best to support the ones I've gotten to know and/or are close by to me here in the greater New York City area. Whether they're back on Broadway or in school or elsewhere, we should do what we can to support them. That means attending shows (buying tickets) when we can, and also advertising said shows and events whenever we can. I hardly ever use Twitter, but try to retweet important tweets when I can, and share photos that are career-related on my Facebook and Twitter.

BETM is an incredibly important part of their lives, but everything they do afterward becomes the most important thing at that time. Each new event, public appearance, and show is a potential stepping stone to the one afterward, too.

Sean

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Re: Study of the Billys

Post by Eltonjohn »

Perspective is interesting. If you're 15 and played a big role for 3 years, that represents 20% or 1/5th of your young life. Once you hit 30, however, those same 3 years are just 10% of your life's experiences. New (and varied) experiences (including boredom for example) get layered on that one transitions and adapts to.

What would be interesting perhaps is to see what the Meyers-Briggs profiles are like for a population of people who demonstrate early success in musical theatre and either continue on in show biz or otherwise. I bet the M-B types and personal characteristics revealed would be somewhat skewed or show disproportionately higher frequencies of certain traits.
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Re: Study of the Billys

Post by Todd »

Eltonjohn wrote:What would be interesting perhaps is to see what the Meyers-Briggs profiles are like for a population of people who demonstrate early success in musical theatre and either continue on in show biz or otherwise. I bet the M-B types and personal characteristics revealed would be somewhat skewed or show disproportionately higher frequencies of certain traits.
It would be interesting to see a "where are they now?" book written in about 25 years to find out how many of the former Billys continued in show business and how many end up with a "normal" 9-to-5 job. I can imagine an office staff social event where everyone tells something interesting about themselves and one of them says, "I was the lead in a West End musical when I was 12 years old." There would no doubt be some laughter and reactions like, "Yeah, right . . . and that's what led you to become an accountant here ?!"

I've always wondered what it must be like for someone who does something famous that they become well-known for early in life and then that's all people want to hear about for the rest of their life. I would think that Shirley Temple or Mickey Rooney must have gotten tired of re-hashing stories from 60 years ago when they were kids. I've read where Carl Switzer - who played Alfalfa in the Our Gang films - continued to have people come up to him when he was an adult and say, "Hey Alfalfa, sing off-key for us !" And who knows how many times Paul McCartney has been asked, "So, tell us about the break-up of the Beatles." I'm sure they all want to say, "You know, I have done other interesting things in my life over the past 50 years."

While the Billys aren't quite as high-profile - being stage performers as opposed to movie or TV stars - they've certainly had a unique experience that no one else besides the other Billys can quite identify with. While some of them may indeed go on to more famous and memorable roles (Tom Holland comes to mind already), I'm sure the uniqueness of what they accomplished at such an early age will be something they will grow to appreciate even more as they get older.
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