Growing up in a town that didn’t value the performing arts is tough for anyone, but Jack Kay ’15 seemed to be the one to break through. After graduating from Juilliard in the midst of COVID, it seemed like his acting dreams might never come true. After years of working as a waiter at a restaurant in Brooklyn, NY, his wait paid off. Kay is featured in the new Netflix series “Boots”, where he plays the role of Jones, a confident gay recruit going through boot camp in the 1900s. Kays’ journey from a small town to a breakout role acts as an important example for high school students, and his story resembles how important it is for self-acceptance and pursuing one’s dreams, without the social pressures of the community around you affecting you.
Even though Kay is now growing his platform and is on Netflix, getting there wasn’t as easy as it may look. Leaving Grosse Pointe to Juilliard, where he studied classical singing, forced him into a place where it seemed others had a lot more time to develop their sense of self, while he had to finish figuring out parts of himself, such as his identity, that he didn’t always feel comfortable exploring at home. He said that change was a big part of how he found confidence later on.
“I was constantly doing my best to conform to the social norms of Grosse Pointe,” Kay said. “By the time I got to Juilliard, I was a little less confident and a little underdeveloped.”
Kay’s mother, Mauyra Kay, saw that journey from a far different angle. As an active member of PFLAG, a community group founded in the 1970s to support parents, friends and family of LGBTQ+ individuals, she’s used to helping people as they figure out their identity, including her own son.
“It was the first time I really understood what it felt like to be in a marginalized position in my own community,” Mauyra Kay said. “I wanted other parents who were feeling what I felt while Jack was growing up to have a community and a place to turn.”
As Mauyra Kay worked to create a supportive community for families, Jack Kay was doing his own kind of work, such as figuring out how to stay committed to the performing arts despite growing up in a place where it didn’t always feel encouraged.
“All of the things I once hated about myself are the things I’m now celebrated for,” Jack Kay said. “If you have the voice inside of you that’s telling you that you want to pursue something, that in and of itself is talent.”
Together, the Kay’s show how support and community can shape a teenager’s path. From finding confidence in Jack Kay’s own voice to Mauyra Kay helping other families feel less alone, their stories show how acceptance is needed to perform. For Jack Kay, that support in his community gave him the confidence he needed to grow into his future with certainty.
“This town is not the whole world; there is a whole other world out there,” Jack Kay said. “The sooner you start to accept yourself, the sooner you’ll be able to reap the benefits of being a unique person.”
