Another teacher loses her job over her choice of school plays — Page 2

Man, if this is roaring them up, I'd like to see what they thought of our 7th-12th grade production of Sweeney Todd a few years back...

---

What bothers me is that teachers are being pushed out of their positions over choices that are par for the course all around the country. In the dozen other threads I've been part of about this issue, people are always calling for the high schools to stick to shows like West Side Story, but apparently that's not even a safe choice. The Crucible is a 50 year old prize-winning masterpiece of American theater. It is not only appropriate for high schools -- it is core curriculum in many of them. Questioning that show choice in 2006 is patently ridiculous.

Grease has always been problematic for high schools, due in part to the sugar-coating much of the material got in the movie. Even in conservative areas (like my home area, Utah) the movie is immensely popular, but high school and community productions always stir up controversy because they veer from it in ways that are grittier. Folks come in expecting this cute little show and get a slightly more realistic view of teenage life.

And anyone, and I mean ANYone, who thinks Urinetown is an inappropriate vehicle for high school students obviously knows nothing about it. Its treatment of serious social issues in the guise of sleek, postmodern satire is exactly what students of the arts should be studying today, and the way it uses forms of musical theatre from operetta to Weill/Blitzstein to mega-musical to self-referential comedy is a veritable workshop in musical theatre history.

I'm not saying the classics aren't good enough for kids today, but there is a limited repertoire anyone community can stomach over and over, and when new works emerge with (off-putting titles notwithstanding) are a perfect match for that population, schools should be pursuing them eagerly.

That's my 2 cents, or more like a quarter.

I didn't read every post I have to say but...I think some shows need not be done.

I'm not saying anything specific.

I think portraying drinking (getting drunk), sex, drugs to middle school and HS age kids is probably not the best thing to do. Most of the students (not all) are going to not "see the show for the show" but take those little things and use them as excuses to drink, have sex, do drugs.
Homosexuality is another story. Of course it SHOULD be ok to do a show about it in a school, however, we all must remember that most of the student in HS and middle school still have immaturity and again, probably won't accept the show for the show but "to take the subjects out of the context of the show and use them inoppropriatly. Ex: Make fun of..

It's about who is seeing the show and whether the subject matter would be ok.
All subject matter SHOULD be ok but thats not how it works.

Of course, the same thing could happen anywhere- on Broadway..etc. But, generally, on Broadway, there are a variety of ages and the people who pay the money to go to Broadway shows are usually going to enjoy the show and not pick it apart to make fun of the subject matter.

Did that make ANY sense?

---

Updated On: 3/19/06 at 10:28 PM

When are people going to realize that performing and endorsing, ESPECIALLY when it comes to THEATRE, can rarely be used interchangeably.

And by the way, prohibiting an issue to be exposed - especially to students of junior and high school age - just makes the issue more alluring and addictive.

---

I believe theater was made to challenge the way of thinking and to ask people to learn from what is being presented. I can understand a High School way of thinking but that is not the case everywhere. If you go to a High School in California, I highly doubt (unless it was a strict religious school) that you would be met with protests, but you don't have High Schools presenting Take Me Out. HOWEVER, if you go to High Schools in the midwest (where they are more conservative) you're bound to come up with protests. I can attest to that because I've been there. They are far more sheltered than High Schools on the West and East coasts. Sad story but true in some cases. Personally I think it's sad when people can't even tell the difference between what is real and what is not. If there is a kiss onstage it's a kiss onstage, their thinking is as shallow as that.

---

I think that the types of shows that high schools put on should depend on the students acting in it. If the students are mature enough to handle the material, the sky is the limit.

My school put on Cabaret last year as our spring musical and had no problems. I even live in a very, very Republican/conservative area of New Jersey and the show still went on. I do realize, however NJ Republicans are very different from, let's say, Utah Republicans. But still... its art people need to learn to take it for what it is.

---

This topic really bothers me.

Do they think that when we did "Of Mice and Men" at my HS we were all going to go off an kill our stupid best friends? No.

---