Billy Elliot the Forum

Layton gives a wonderful, thoughtful interview in this video from Ditchthelabel.org :

http://www.ditchthelabel.org/layton-williams/

ERinVA wrote:Layton gives a wonderful, thoughtful interview in this video from Ditchthelabel.org :

http://www.ditchthelabel.org/layton-williams/

Awesome! Thanks for sharing! I don't know if I ever heard Layton speak before, or at least not as much as he does in this video, so it was a really nice opportunity to hear him out on so many important topics!

Sean

And another excellent interview with Layton:

https://www.londontheatre1.com/news/108 ... -williams/

Here's the trailer for the Bad Education movie:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSLFUsHAXTs

another interview with Layton...

http://attitude.co.uk/bad-education-sta ... aying-gay/

Mike wrote:another interview with Layton...

http://attitude.co.uk/bad-education-sta ... aying-gay/

Read this article earlier. Layton makes some interesting comments - not sure if some others might like what he has to say.

Brad wrote:

Mike wrote:another interview with Layton...

http://attitude.co.uk/bad-education-sta ... aying-gay/

Read this article earlier. Layton makes some interesting comments - not sure if some others might like what he has to say.

Yes, interesting interview. What makes you say that some others might not like what he has to say though?

Layton says:

But I think it was when I moved to London to do Billy and I was surrounded by more gay men in the show and stuff, I was like, ‘Oh right, so that’s what I am’. And doing Billy, there were so many of us boys that were all curious. We were all kind of coming to terms with our sexuality, so all together we realised ‘Oh my God we’re all the same’. There were quite a few [love] triangles. We were in such a good place to just really explore and be who we wanted to be — compared to my school at home, where there was maybe one person who was out.

While it's possible that "some others" don't like him talking openly about that stuff, in my opinion this is a great and important statement. I always thought of BETM as a safe place for gay boys, a place where they can be who they are and explore themselves. That's one of the reasons why I like it so much - the fight against homophobia is kind of a lifelong theme for me. It's great to actually hear my "suspicions" confirmed by one of them.

That said, "Just because I like ballet doesn't mean I'm a poof, you know" of course remains a valid point.

I expect that the Billy House is not much different from a boarding school as far as this is concerned. Plenty of curiosity and teenage drama, including "love triangles," whether straight or gay. It's nice to know, however, that living in the Billy House and being part of the cast as a whole provides a supportive atmosphere for kids to weather this inevitable adolescent rite of passage.

ERinVA wrote:I expect that the Billy House is not much different from a boarding school as far as this is concerned. Plenty of curiosity and teenage drama, including "love triangles," whether straight or gay. It's nice to know, however, that living in the Billy House and being part of the cast as a whole provides a supportive atmosphere for kids to weather this inevitable adolescent rite of passage.

Put well Ellen.

jtsw1 wrote:Layton says:

But I think it was when I moved to London to do Billy and I was surrounded by more gay men in the show and stuff, I was like, ‘Oh right, so that’s what I am’. And doing Billy, there were so many of us boys that were all curious. We were all kind of coming to terms with our sexuality, so all together we realised ‘Oh my God we’re all the same’. There were quite a few [love] triangles. We were in such a good place to just really explore and be who we wanted to be — compared to my school at home, where there was maybe one person who was out.

While it's possible that "some others" don't like him talking openly about that stuff, in my opinion this is a great and important statement. I always thought of BETM as a safe place for gay boys, a place where they can be who they are and explore themselves. That's one of the reasons why I like it so much - the fight against homophobia is kind of a lifelong theme for me. It's great to actually hear my "suspicions" confirmed by one of them.

That said, "Just because I like ballet doesn't mean I'm a poof, you know" of course remains a valid point.

What Ellen said