My older child has been hard at work rehearsing a play at the middle school. This play was written by the director/drama teacher, and she said up front that the script has “mature themes,” having to do with middle school students’ sexuality (as I understand it, one of the male leads has questions about his sexual orientation).
All was quiet until this week, which is performance week, when three families abruptly withdrew their children and complained to the administration about the play’s content. The principal cancelled the play later in the day.
The students are naturally upset, and some parents are livid. Phone calls have been made to the local paper, and there is even talk about organizing a parent protest with the aim of getting some coverage on the local TV news. It’s all moving a bit fast for me, and I’m not sure how to react. Film at 11!
So, did you get to see the script of the play? I am, for once, siding with parents. While the topic of questioning one’s sexual orientation definitly belongs in the context of middleschooler’s lives, it does not belong on stage, conmsidering that some of said middle-schoolers (and some parents) maybe wrestling with this question and may not be ready to have it brought into bright daylight…
vhaecky
April 6th, 2008