A Chat About Cowbois With Kate Gaul and Jules Billington

“Directing a cast of sixteen is like conducting a beautiful storm. The scale allows for a community to emerge on stage….it’s deliciously anarchic. It’s the biggest, most joy-filled sandbox I’ve played in for a while.”

Seymour Centre

Cowbois
20 Nov – 13 Dec 2025

We had a chat with director Kate Gaul and actor Jules Billington about the current production of Cowbois at the Seymour Centre.

Kate, What was the first thing that went through your mind when you were presented the opportunity to direct a queer, western play? “My first thought was this is genius. The Western is such a deeply gendered genre — dusty, macho, heroic — so the chance to explode that with queer joy, musical, dance and tenderness felt irresistible. It’s both hilarious and revolutionary.”

What has it been like to direct a cast of 16 and marry that with a live band?, “Directing a cast of sixteen is like conducting a beautiful storm. The scale allows for a community to emerge on stage — a town you can believe in. Then weaving in the live band transforms it again; it gives the work pulse and heart. The music doesn’t just underscore the story — it is the story’s bloodstream.”

Outside of the obvious (a western play) what has been different about this production to others you have recently directed? “Well, for one thing, there are more hats and guns than I usually deal with! But truly, the scale of it — sixteen performers, a band, music, movement, comedy, drama and Western tropes all colliding — it’s deliciously anarchic. It’s the biggest, most joy-filled sandbox I’ve played in for a while.”

Was there a struggle bringing any of the characters to the stage? “The struggle wasn’t in the characters themselves — they’re so beautifully written — but in finding how their individual quirks and vulnerabilities fit together. It’s a big, messy, joyous puzzle of humanity. Once the actors found their rhythm and the band joined in, it all clicked — suddenly the town had a pulse.”

So Jules, what was the biggest struggle in bringing your character to the stage? “Every now and then, a role comes along that fits one’s skin so well, it feels criminally easy to slide into. This was one such role! So much of Jack’s text could have been lifted from my own personal journal entries; Charlie Josephine has captured the trans-masc experience so vividly and accurately.  This is, however, my first time singing solo on stage – and so learning new techniques for that has been a joyful challenge that I have embraced!”

What do you love about your character? Jack’s swagger and confidence is infectious and sexy. He liberates anyone and everyone (including myself) to own their personal power, and in their own unique flavour. 

What is your goal for this production/character? What I appreciate most about Charlie Josephine’s terrific script is that he’s celebrating the trans experience, but he’s framed it inside the Western genre offering mainstream accessibility. Anyone who’s anyone can rock along to the theatre, enjoy this show and feel connected to the world of it. That is a huge gift, especially given the current conversations around transness in the world today.

Kate, You have described this play as ‘provocative’. How is it provocative? “It’s cheeky, sexy, and full of swagger — but what makes it truly provocative is how it subverts the whole idea of the Western. Instead of guns and glory, we get love, courage, and community. It dares to imagine a world where being yourself isn’t the dangerous part.”

What do you want people to take away from the show? “I want people to walk away with a grin and a full heart — maybe even a little
swagger in their step. Cowbois is about the freedom to be yourself, whoever that is. It’s about love, belonging, and the power of chosen family. If it sends audiences out into the night feeling bolder and more alive, we’ve done our job.”

Thanks for your time. I hope it is a huge success.