University celebrates LGBT History Month with free online talks

The first talk will be held on Friday 5th February 2021 between 4.00 pm and 5.00 pm. I'll Cover You: Performing Angel in Rent, will feature Alex Thomas-Smith, Will Wilhelm and Layton Williams – all of whom have performed as Angel in recent productions of Rent in Manchester, Chicago and on the UK tour. The musical follows a group of friends grappling with addiction, eviction, sexual identity, parents, materialism and the yearning to leave a meaningful legacy.

The panel of actors will be hosted by Dr James Lovelock, a musical theatre academic with a background in improvising and creating musical theatre, and will look at how the role of Angel can be interpreted in different ways according to emerging gender and sexual identities in the 21st century.

On Friday 12 February 2021 between 4.00 pm and 5.00 pm, James will also host an online talk, Some Other Me: Bisexual and pansexual representation in theatre, with writers and performers, Arun Blair-Mangat (& Juliet), Callum Heinrich (Mamma Mia) and Beth Hinton-Lever (West Side Story). The talk will cover queer representation in film and television, with bisexual and pansexual characters beginning to appear in shows such as Doctor Who and Schitt’s Creek.

James will discuss the actors’ experiences as bisexual and pansexual writers and performers in the theatre industry, focusing on how theatre can expand its range of queer representation in future productions.

The free talks are open to everyone and can be booked through Eventbrite as follows – Some Other Me and I’ll Cover You.

A full list of events is available here: https://www.wlv.ac.uk/schools-and-institutes/faculty-of-arts-business-and-social-sciences/wolverhampton-school-of-art/lgbt-history-month-2021/

About the panellists and host

Alex Thomas-Smith (they/he)

Alex is a professional singer, dancer and actor from London. He works both on stage and screen. Alex is originally from Leeds, but he moved to London at the age of 18 for his training. He started his television career when he was only 11 years old in the BAFTA award-winning CBBC drama, The Revenge Files of Alistair Fury.

Alex made his on-stage debut in the Olivier nominated musical Bugsy Malone at the Lyric Hammersmith. Currently appearing in Dear Evan Hansen, he is understudying Jared Kleinman and Evan Hansen as part of the West End cast.

Will Wilhelm (they/them)

Will is a trans/non-binary actor based in Chicago, IL. They were born and raised in Rochester Hills, Michigan, where they grew up with their parents and a myriad of younger siblings. Upon graduating high school, Will moved to Evanston, IL to attend Northwestern University.

Will began their professional career in Chicago while studying at NU and has since had the pleasure of working with some of the finest regional theatres around including Steppenwolf Theatre, Victory Gardens Theatre, and Williamstown Theatre Festival. They were in the resident acting company at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland for two years where they created several genderqueer characters in classic works.

Layton Williams (he/him)

Layton is an actor, singer, and dancer, best known for playing the role of Stephen in the television series Bad Education. His first job was at the age of 12 playing the title role in Billy Elliot in London's West End. During his childhood he also played young Michael in Thriller the musical, Kylie in the BBC series Beautiful People and featured in the CBBC Documentary School for Stars, which documented life at the acting school Italia Conti.

From late 2016, he began playing Angel in the 20th anniversary tour of Rent around the UK. The production, particularly his performance, received rave reviews. Since January 2019 he has been playing the title character of Jamie New in Everybody's Talking About Jamie and is currently taking the role on tour around the UK.

Arun Blair-Mangat

Arun is a young, professional stage actor who is known for working both on the stage and screen. He graduated with BA in History from the London School of Economics in 2015. Based in London, he is also well-known for his prowess in music and vocal talents.

Callum Heinrich

Callum is an actor based in Guildford, London. He trained at Guildford School of Acting and graduated with a BA Honours in Musical Theatre (2016-2019). In the ongoing production of Mamma Mia!, Callum is part of the ensemble, playing understudy Sky, Father Alexander and Bill. Directed by Phyllida Lloyd, the show is playing at the Novello Theatre. He became a Featured Ensemble in Drew Baker’s The Pirate Queen at the London Coliseum in 2020.

Beth Hinton-Lever

Beth Hinton-Lever has an MA in Performance (Musical Theatre) from Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and a BA in Classical Archaeology and Classical Civilisations from University College London. Her work in theatre includes; Treasure Island at Derby Theatre; West Side Story at Curve Theatre Leicester; Hadestown at the National Theatre; As You Like It at Queen’s Theatre in association with the National Theatre; Reasons to be Cheerful with Graeae Theatre and on UK tour; Spring Awakening at Hope Mill; Dancehall and Sleeping Beauty at Cast. Her awards include the National Student Drama Festival Award for Best Choreography.

Dr James Lovelock (he/him)

James is a musical theatre academic with a background in improvising and creating musical theatre. He was the original musical director for Showstopper! The Improvised Musical, and his musical Sunshine Guy was premiered at the University of Birmingham in 2013 and subsequently performed at the Landor Theatre in February 2013 as part of the From Page to Stage series. James is the director of Baron Sternlook Productions, which produced two full runs of Baron Sternlook's Improvised Musical at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2014 and 2015 and continues to perform regularly in Birmingham and the West Midlands.

James graduated with a PhD from the University of Birmingham in 2017 after submitting his thesis titled 'Not Just for Gays Anymore: Men, Masculinity and Musical Theatre'. He has been involved in a range of LGBTQ initiatives including a concert performance of Soho Cinders as part of LGBT History Month in February 2015 and the establishment of a staff-student LGBTQ Performing Arts research group at the University of Wolverhampton in 2017. James has over 15 years’ teaching experience and has presented papers at both national and international conferences.

ENDS

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