College Censorship of Plays (Specifically, DOG SEES GOD) -- advice wanted — Page 2

What kind of plays does the school usually do?

I think the money you pay them gives you the right to say "cum on your tits" on a stage.

You can "think" that all you want, but if it's a private (as opposed to s atate-funded) college, they get to make the decisions of what you can and cannot say.

PS - Roscoe, are you a jilted ex-lover of mine or is "Dog Sees God is an overly long SNL sketch" your catchphrase? I swear I think you posted it (maybe unknowingly) on a board about 'Miss Saigon Understudies.' (???)

Really love that quote.
I too feel that there is something to the language in this play. Especially since it's based on the "lives" of fictional children we sort of grew up with. So contrasting that sort of image with the kind of language in the play makes for a neat irony and comment on growing up, the differences between childhood and teenage-hood, and the way time affects us. IMO, the language does that in this play and so to censor it for a bunch of conservative people is ludicrous.

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Aside from suffering a loss of licening, I would highly recommend to just perform the play as is. I'm so sick of this politically correct obsessed culture.

Perhaps you should considder going to a more open minded school.

At my college I performed in a play that had me eat a bible on stage and then burn the pages after I spit them out.

Don't need a zanax. Just working to remind folks of what a total piece of crap DOG SEES GOD really is. Keepin' it real, and all that.

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For anyone who is interested in the results:

Without going into specifics, and after two weeks of negotiations, after two weeks of me fighting with the powers that be, the production IS happening.

The largest struggle for me was deciding if an altered production would a) ruin the integrity of the piece, and b) change the show to an extent where it shouldn't be performed.

In the end, I think that the 30+ changes that were settled on DO *change* the piece, but in both "versions" of the play, the same story is being told - just a little differently. It's catered to our audience who, if they were presented the original, would have shut down from the themes of the show and only focused on the language and mature content "not being appropriate." But because of the alterations we've come up with (which were, for the most part, changing single words), I think that our audience wouldn't be bothered by the language and content to an extent where they ignore/shut down the story. There's still enough language left where the shock factor occurs, but the message still comes through loud and clear.

It's important that the audiences here see this show and are presented with these thoughts about acceptance, bullying, homosexuality, religion, and finding an identity.

Roscoe - if you would like to attend my production of the show, and then afterwards tell me to my face that you still think this show is nothing more than an "SNL sketch" - be my guest. I'll put your name on our "comp" sheet.

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Every time that dude posts he sounds like a bigger and bigger douche (Bert, not Roscoe). I thought people in the entertainment industry were supposed to have thick skins.

Sorry, I arrived late to this discussion...

Just wanted to say that the process of learning to entertain always involves adjusting to the audience. What is considered obscene in Boston might not be in Berkeley.

Even nationally, film producers have to decide whether they want the wider appeal of a PG-13 rating or if they want an R (or an NC-17). And sometimes it comes down to just a few seconds of a scene or even to a single word.

"You can "think" that all you want, but if it's a private (as opposed to s atate-funded) college, they get to make the decisions of what you can and cannot say."

That's not quite true. If only ONE of their students receives Federal student aid, then their are few restrictions they can impose. And while it may not seem like it, Universities and colleges are regulated, and the free flow of information is what college is. If you have to change a script, then do another show. If I were a playwright, I wouldn't permit it. And you bet I would send people to watch every performance to make sure nothing was omitted. While I've seen shows where the controversial material seemed to be there mainly to force a reaction as opposed to sounding natural (the profane lyrics in Spring Awakening come to mind), it doesn't change the fact that they are part of the script and the wirter's intent. Who are you top change it?

Can we assume from this thread that playwright Bert has no opinion on the alteration of his work, and only exists to insult and impugn those who dare not fall over themselves with praise for him?

Yes, and one of the is the playwright of Dog Sees God.