How Statewide Drag Bans Could Complicate High School Theatre
by Chris Peterson, OnStage Blog Founder
As more states start introducing legislation aimed at banning drag performances in public spaces, including schools, the theatre community is once again caught in the crosshairs. On the surface, these bills — like Alabama’s newly proposed HB 67 — may sound like they’re targeting a very specific type of performance. But dig even a little deeper, and the potential consequences for high school and college theater programs get a lot messier.
Because here’s the thing: theatre has always played with gender. Sometimes out of artistic choice. Sometimes (let’s be honest) because you just don't have enough guys to cast Newsies.
Alabama’s HB 67 defines drag as a performance where someone “exhibits a sex identity that is different from the sex assigned to the performer at birth,” using costumes, makeup, or “other physical markers.” No nuance about intent. No mention of context. Just a broad, sweeping definition.
That might sound manageable until you remember how many classic shows depend on flexible casting. Schools already struggle to find enough male students to fill male-heavy casts. If you're directing Guys & Dolls and suddenly you can’t cast a female-identifying student as Nicely-Nicely Johnson without risking a legal gray area? You’re not just fighting for the best performance — you're fighting to put on the show at all.
And it’s not just older shows. Productions like Peter and the Starcatcher — which traditionally cast women in multiple male ensemble roles — have already been pulled from school stages in Alabama out of fear that even a good-faith casting choice could violate the new law.
Educators are already raising alarms. The Alabama Educational Theatre Association is pushing for an amendment to HB 67 that would exempt theatrical productions altogether. Even Rep. Scott Stadthagen, the bill’s sponsor, says he didn’t intend to impact theatre — but when the language is vague, the consequences are real.
School theatre is about creativity, collaboration, and sometimes just sheer logistical problem-solving. Casting across gender has never been about making a political statement — it’s been about making the show happen. If these laws aren’t clarified, they could seriously limit the kinds of shows schools feel safe producing. They could box young actors into rigid casting categories that rob them of valuable artistic experiences.
And let's be honest: high school and college theaters don't exactly need more barriers right now. Between shrinking budgets, mounting censorship pressures, and now potential legal confusion over casting decisions, it’s getting harder and harder for young artists to simply make art.
At its core, theatre is about empathy — about stepping into someone else’s shoes, sometimes literally. To police who can play what, based on birth certificate lines rather than character and performance, doesn’t just make casting harder. It chips away at one of the most fundamental reasons we do theatre in the first place.