Surprise Surprise, another high school theatre show cancelled due to LGBTQ+ themes
World premiere of Marian, or the True Tale of Robin Hood at Flux Theatre Ensemble (Photo by Isaiah Tanenbaum.)
by Chris Peterson, OnStage Blog Founder
In news that surprises no one but should disgust everyone, a high school in the conservative state of Indiana has canceled a high school production that contained LGBTQ+ themes as well as non-binary characters. School administrators cited the move was made due to "safety concerns for the students involved."
That’s some bullshit right there.
Indiana's Carroll High School planned a production of Adam Szymkowicz's “Marian, or The True Tale of Robin Hood.” According to Concord Theatricals, the shows rightsholder, it is described as:
“A gender-bending, patriarchy-smashing, hilarious new take on the classic tale. Robin Hood is (and has always been) Maid Marian in disguise, and leads a motley group of Merry Men (few of whom are actually men) against the greedy Prince John. As the poor get poorer and the rich get richer, who will stand for the vulnerable if not Robin? What is the cost of revealing your true self in a time of trouble?
Modern concerns and romantic entanglements clash on the battlefield and on the ramparts of Nottingham Castle in this play about selfishness, selflessness, love deferred and the fight. Always the fight. The fight must go on.”
According to local reports, the show was selected by the school’s drama department and approved by a school administration member. However, during auditions for the show, parents and other adults in the Northwest Allen County Schools (NACS) complained and the plug was pulled.
Carroll High School in Fort Wayne, IN
School board member Darren Vogt made the following statement to local news.
“We are a K-12 education program, and any time there is a production, it should be able to be something that all family members can go and see and not be embarrassed by or anything in their children’s eyes. So, we should make sure that we go and educate our kids and focus on the great arts,. It’s still a NACS performance, if you know what I mean. So, I would stand by the administration’s decision to pull the play.”
While Szymkowicz agrees that the original text is not appropriate for high school productions, he is disturbed by the cancelation and what this means for the students involved.
“I worry about these students and students all over the country who are being told it’s not okay to be who they are," Szymkowicz said to Playbill. "My play is about inclusion, and it’s a shame for a play to be shut down by bigotry in this way. For every cancellation we hear about, I wonder how often plays, and events are never even considered for fear of angry phone calls or harassment."
He also said he is working on a teen version of the show. (UPDATE: The high school version has already been released, and schools have already performed it.)
There is an online petition being circulated to reinstate the production. It reads,
“The play contains queer representation, including a same sex couple and a non-binary character. It was going to be a huge step forward in representation for Carroll's queer community as well as a lighthearted comedy for people of any identity to enjoy. Auditions went on as planned, with the majority of those auditioning a part of the LGBTQ+ community themselves. Unfortunately, on the second day of auditions, some adults and parents within the NACS community caught wind of the play's contents and began calling the administration in protest, some using threatening tones. The following morning, the play was called off due to "safety concerns for the students involved".
We cannot stand for this. As a community, we need to fight for our rights to be ourselves. We need to show students that there is nothing wrong with being who they are unapologetically even in a world filled with hate for what it does not understand. If others want to be violent towards students who are just trying to have fun portraying a story that is real to them, that is on those people. Not the students. We should not be punished for existing.”
The petition has garnered over 3,600 signatures with a goal of 5,000 as of the time of publishing this article.
Here’s my take on the situation. I think it’s a shame the school administrators are doing this, and their statement of protecting the students is straight-up bullshit.
Theatre is an extra-curricular activity at the school; no student who didn't want to was forced to be involved with this show. No one’s safety was ever at risk unless being a member of the LGBTQA+ community is dangerous at Carroll High School.
Changes to the show’s original script were shown to school administration and approved. They absolutely knew what this show was about and its characters. Normally this is where I sometimes side with school administrators but not here.
High school students shouldn’t have to fight these battles with cowardly school boards and administrators. Yet, this keeps happening over and over again. And what these “adults” don’t seem to realize is that decisions like these are often more destructive to students than helping them. It’s telling them that they should be ashamed of who they are, who they love, and how they want to live their lives.
My hope is that the petition does some good and wakes up school administrators that material like this needs to be performed in 2023 and beyond. And if it fails, I hope the passionate and aspiring theatre students at Carroll High School know that there is an entire world that loves to produce material like this and would welcome them with open arms after they get out of there.