<p>I would love to hear from some posters who want to instill strict limits on high school productions as to whether they would allow certain shows like the following and which they would disallow and why (I’d allow all these but just curious). I have seen all these done by youth, by the way:</p>
<p>The Laramie Project
Anne Frank
The Crucible
Grease
Footloose
Nine
A Chorus Line
Grand Hotel
Sweeney Todd
Carrie
Cabaret
Jekyll and Hyde
Follies
Gypsy
Bat Boy
Jesus Christ Superstar
Godspell
Hair
RENT
Avenue Q
The Producers
Merrily We Roll Along
Miss Saigon
Aida
Urinetown
Pippin
Into the Woods
Tommy
Spring Awakening (the play, not the musical which the rights are not available yet)
Nine
Little Shop of Horrors
The Me Nobody Knows
A Little Night Music
Chicago</p>
<p>AlwaysAMom,
I did not see that article. I also did not see Cabaret this past fall at Tisch, though my D saw it and had friends as the leads. I know the girl who played Sally and she is 21 and would normally be a senior (has been in my D’s year) but took a leave of absence to do the West Side Story European Tour and is now back at Tisch but will not be graduating this month. Was her character topless in this production?</p>
<p>Speaking for north Texas, I believe that most of our local districts would say “none of the above.” The Crucible, Into the Woods and Little Shop are fairly frequently done. There is one local director who gets to do whatever she wants and she has done Miss Saigon. A local arts HS did Urinetown. Otherwise, we rotate Annie, Bye Bye Birdie, Hello Dolly, etc.</p>
<p>Have you ever lived in the Bible Belt? When a local HS was rehearsing Rent, they showed footage on TV of the parents addressing the school board in protest. I don’t think any of the parents had actually seen the show. The school board sided with the protesting parents. If you are a high school teacher and know that the board will crater at the first sign of parental displeasure, you play it safe.</p>
<p>Wow, yes that would be a big leap. But, should high school be a training ground for this? </p>
<p>Sorry, Soozie, no, Im not going to make a list. I dont want to get into a why this, but not that argument. Plus, I dont profess to know all musicals, or every detail of them. My knowledge of musical theater cant hold a candle to yours, and I know that.</p>
<p>I will say this: if you put on a show that you have no problems showing to your grandmother, the head of the school board, and the superintendent, then, there you go. </p>
<p>If you:
have lots of members in the community protesting
have many parents that arent allowing their kids to audition
have to think about whether it is appropriate
hope the superintendent doesn't come see it
then you should probably re-consider it.</p>
<p>I stand by my statement that drama club is for learning about theater. There is so much to learning that aspect alone, and for many of these kids, its their first theater experience. There are plenty of other ways for the kids who are going on full steam into the business to get the experience they crave.</p>
<p>Now regarding literature (why does this keep coming up?), there is a huge difference between the written word and a dramatic production. In books, the kids dont live these same scenes over and over, and it isnt aural or visual (yes, reading is visual, but it’s not a picture). And grandma and her school-tax-paying, ticket-buying friends arent there to see her little darling reading a book. </p>
<p>But, guess what? If I were to take my kids on a field trip, I would consider taking them to the Laramie Project, Cabaret, Chicago, Rent, the Producers, and all of the others we are talking about (with parental permission and full disclosure of the content). The kids would see it, the message would come across loud and clear, but they wouldn’t be re-living it daily for months. I’m not against the shows, and I am not against the kids seeing them. I just don’t think they belong on a high school stage.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Missypie, not from the Bible belt here, just a plain-old liberal Democrat from New York. And a teacher whose classes are 80% comprised of the kids we are talking about, 5 days a week, 40 weeks a year. I get a little protective of them, I guess. Teachers should be doing their best to have school to be a safe zone.</p>
<p>Again, money is hard to come by in public school theater. If a show is controversial, families won’t bring their little kids and grandmas to see it.</p>
<p>I definitely have not lived in the Bible Belt and am sure it is different there. :)</p>
<p>As far as playing it safe…I’d only agree if the majority were really against a certain piece in the school setting. But I have read about cases where a small minority made a fuss about a show (ie., Grease and The Crucible) and I don’t think that schools need to bend to a small minority and there may be some people who are displeased with many different shows that truly are quite tame in fact.</p>
<p>pageturner, </p>
<p>I am not saying that high school should be a training ground for college theater. But I don’t think high school needs to limit the works to “kiddie fare” either. </p>
<p>Most of the shows I listed above, all of which I have seen youth productions of, are shows that I would invite grandparents to. I don’t have to contemplate if they are appropriate because I believe they are indeed appropriate. If nobody lets their kids audition, that would be a problem, yes, but I can’t imagine that with most of those shows and figure it would be a minority of people who would make a fuss (granted, I don’t live in the Bible Belt as missypie mentions). </p>
<p>My thoughts earlier today about what is learned in theater was not meant to be about kids who plan to pursue theater for a career but rather about ALL kids and the many objectives of what I would hope would be learned through participation in theater arts. </p>
<p>I don’t see the distinction you are making between books on these same themes and plays. Depicting these issues or characters is one way of delving into a piece of literature or a script to understand it and to be able to discuss it and analyze it. </p>
<p>You mention about HS being a “safe zone.” Safe from what? What is not safe in terms of being exposed to issues presented in Laramie Project, RENT, A Chorus Line, Bat Boy, Urinetown, Hair, Pippin, Cabaret, etc? I am concerned at the notion of that exploring such topics and issues are a way to shield teenagers from great works that explore such ideas. And yes, I don’t see how this is different than exploring similar issues in literature and history class. What are we protecting them from in any of the shows I listed?</p>
<p>Seems like there are regional differences in what flies and what doesn’t with respect to high school drama productions and musicals. I’m in MA and our high school drama productions don’t shy away from “mature” themes. D2 was involved in drama for most of her high school career and had a lead part in Getting Out (by Marsha Norman). While there wasn’t nudity, there is a rape scene. Some of the other plays that the local hs drama society put on in the last 5-6 years included: Acts and Contrition (Jim Moore), Present Laughter (Noel Coward), Twigs (George Furth).</p>
<p>This is probably not regional, but some local school boards are very willing to put their fingers into things like the school musical, what girls make cheerleader, etc. The wise ones do all they can to avoid entertaining these issues.</p>
<p>West Side Story has a rape scene too for that matter. My D has played Anita (not at school) and I just saw our HS do this show as well. The Jets sexually attack Anita in Doc’s shop near the end of the play when she goes to give Tony a message on behalf of Maria.</p>
<p>Even though WSS involves murder and rape and even racial tolerance issues, I would hope most high schools would permit such an American classic to be staged.</p>
<p>Safe from unnecessary discomfort, especially if all they want to do is be a part of a great extra-curricular activity. </p>
<p>Did I say that they shouldn’t be exposed to the issues? If I did, that wasn’t my intention. I believe I said (or meant to say) that the shows don’t belong on a high school stage. And I said that for all of the reasons I have been saying it for many posts: </p>
<p>1) Grandma, Dad, Mom, and little brother pay for tickets
2) The material we are talking about (no, I won’t specify- see my previous post) is material they will be acting out, living with, exposing themselves (to) day after day for months. That is the difference from reading it in a book, by the way. </p>
<p>These are just kids! Some are 14! So many of them are really not ready for that kind of pressure! For goodness sake, some of them have never set foot on a stage before! And their first experience is to be controversial? In their underwear? </p>
<p>I fully support the shows themselves. I support having kids see them. Heck, I support kids acting in them during high school in a community theater setting or in college, if they want to. But I cannot support them in our high school. There are too many other shows out there that can be performed that will not cause this kind of controversy. And the kids will learn a lot from them.</p>
<p>Missypie:
Well, ya see, you could get a group of parents who are rather nitpicky since some are saying sexual or rape scenes are out. In WSS, when Anita comes to give a message to Tony in Doc’s shop. the Jets lift one of the boys (I think it is Big Deal) and carry him in a prone position and lay him on top of Anita who is now on the ground on her back and it is suggestive to indicate a sexual unwanted assault. For that matter, in one scene, Tony and Maria lay in bed together and they are not married. As well, there is violence with knives and guns. Issues of racial tolerance are prevalent themes too. These are some things that some seem to object to in some other plays. So, where is the line drawn?</p>
<p>pageturner,
I don’t agree that many of the plays on that list don’t belong on a high school stage. </p>
<p>Acting the material is a way of understanding literature or scripts, beyond just reading them. As I wrote in an earlier post on this thread…Theater is an another art form in which students learn what it means to be a human being in various settings where thoughts and feelings can be safely explored and experienced. Through role-playing, scriptwriting, and developing characters in particular circumstances, students create situations and actions that allow them to make sense of their world and to understand those who are different from them…similar to literature objectives. Theater allows students to take an idea and create a presentation of that idea. Theater allows students to relate to other cultures, times, and places (like history curriculum does). I don’t see how that is not safe or not a good way to understand literature or history. </p>
<p>Who said this material is “controversial”? I don’t see why it would be in many instances. What is controversial about Laramie Project? It is a REAL event that happened and explores tolerance, a topic often in the school curriculum. The Crucible involves tolerance as well. It is also historical. What’s the issue with Urinetown? Footloose? I don’t see participating in these musicals as being controversial at all. </p>
<p>I never said that I think high school kids should perform in their underwear! I already mentioned that our school’s production of Cabaret had some poor and inappropriate costume choices involving underwear, whereas the show could and should have been put on with slips and tap pants type lingerie indicative of the era in fact. </p>
<p>I do wonder where you draw the line as to which musicals are controversial or not. As I said, I would invite my 8 year old or my parents to any musical on that list.</p>
<p>missy, your high school then created some adaptations if they did not include the suggestive rape of Anita in Doc’s shop late in the second act or the time when Tony visits Maria in her room and lays in bed with her. So, there are ways to take out certain things and maintain the integrity of the show. But the kids still participated in and watched West Side Story.</p>
have many parents that arent allowing their kids to audition
have to think about whether it is appropriate
hope the superintendent doesn’t come see it
then you should probably re-consider it.</p>
<p>I feel like I keep repeating the same things…And SOMEONE said something about underwear. But I don’t remember who…</p>
<p>Soozie, you have taken your kids to a variety of musicals and plays. That’s great, really. But I really don’t think that the majority of the community (our community, anyway) is as enlightened as you are about such things. Maybe our kids participating in a few of those shows you listed isn’t an issue. Grease? The stigma has already been broken on that. Chicago? Cabaret? Rent? No way. Won’t happen for years, if at all. West Side Story? Been done, but without the scenes you described. Sweeney Todd? Maybe. I’ve heard some talk, but it hasn’t been done yet (for the reasons I have stated). Gypsy? Been done, to great consternation. Some on you list I don’t know well. Some on your list I don’t understand why they are there. I must have missed something…</p>
<p>That’s enough from me. Anyone else want to jump in here? I’m exhausted.</p>