Billy Elliot the Forum

would you mind if billy was played by a boy who was born a girl.
obviously they wouldn't be pretending to be male, he would be transgender

That's an interesting question in light of all the recent publicity about transgender issues.

We have talked before about girls playing Billy, but never about a transgender boy playing Billy. I'll be interested to see people's response.

Nope. No way. It would completely change the entire story. My 2 cents.

I agree. It changes the themes of the show. But it would take the idea of "Acceptance" to a new high.

Don't forget that the producers of the show have made a point of non-traditional casting without respect to ethnicity. If that hasn't changed the themes of the show, why should having a boy who identifies as a boy in spite of his birth-assigned gender be significantly different? I'm not talking about a girl disguised as a boy playing Billy; I'm talking about a truly transgender boy playing Billy.

In fact, why would it even be necessary for anyone in the audience to be informed of the young man's gender identity? Would it really be anyone's business?

Seems to me this is actually 2 questions.

1. A child assigned girl at birth who has been fully assigned and accepted to the male social role. Could easily play the Billy role. He would be a boy so no issue at all.

Being as they are children there is a probability that they want to change their gender but can't get the support yet or haven't the knowledge to make a final decision.

A girl who needs to be a male, but still in the process of being reassigned or is new to the accepted male role. would be difficult to cast, as it would show.
As gender reassignment is far more life changing/important than doing ballet it would undermine most of the relationships in the play. Although in principle possible, I just don't think anyone could act out that part in those circumstances.
Obviously he would be far too concerned by their gender dysphoria to do a role like Billy anyway. The same argument applies to a boy who wants reassignment to be a female.

Of course in the Uk if someone is reassigned sex, it would probably be illegal to advertise that fact, (whithout their say so) so it would is quite possible that a Billy has been TS. (I kind of doubt it though)

it's theater. somebody either suitable for the role or not.
who cares about the actor's background?!

It shouldn't really matter and the audience shouldn't have to know. It's casting a suitable performer that's what counts IMHO.

If the story was ABOUT a transgender character and a cis gendered performer was cast in the role, would it matter?

When seeing Dustin Hoffman play Tootsie and Robin Williams play Mrs. Doubtfire it really drove home to me the extent to which binary-based gender presentation is so highly socially constructed.

ERinVA wrote:That's an interesting question in light of all the recent publicity about transgender issues.

This bit of history on (non)segregated rest rooms was fascinating for me...

http://theconversation.com/how-did-publ ... lace-59575


Since we're on the topic of gender bending, I recently had this idea for a story ballet... where a young girl really wants to become a professional ice hockey player when she's older and practices in secret. Her parents, however, force her to take ballet classes!