Rumors and Outrage over a Middle School Cancelling a Production of 'Spelling Bee'

The original company of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Joan Marcus)

There is news today coming out of Hyattsville, MD where the local middle school decided to cancel its upcoming production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee just weeks before it was set to open.

According to a letter sent from the school to parents, it provided no details into why the production was canceled. It stated,

“Unfortunately we have decided to cancel the Spring Musical dates of May 2nd, 3rd and 4th,” the letter said, adding that a parent meeting would be held Tuesday to answer “any of your questions, comments or concerns.”

Without any details, rumors and speculation started to swirl among the students and parents. One rumor, which is making waves now, is that the show was cut because one character has gay parents.

In a petition demanding the show be performed, Jamie McGonnigal(An Actor/Producer/Activist) claims,

“Then a parent complained. We don't know specifically what the parent complained about, but students were told the complaint was about the portrayal of a married gay couple in the play. One of the characters has gay dads and they appear briefly in the show. Concerned parents have been told several different reasons for the cancellation, and the PGCPS have contradicted their own reasoning on multiple occasions, obviously knowing the negative repercussions of cancelling due to the LGBT family being portrayed.”

It should be noted that while there is speculation this may be the reason for the cancellation, there hasn’t been any confirmation. Also according to sources I’ve spoken to, no such complaints had been made and according to one person involved at the school, they said “We would never cancel a production or go through this much over one complaint.”

In response to the rumor, a spokesperson for Prince George’s County Public Schools released the following statement: “Our chief concern focused on the age-level and grade level appropriateness of the material. We are not seeking to remove gay characters from the production. As a school system, we celebrate our diversity and recognize the many rich contributions of the LGBTQ community to our school and the greater Hyattsville community.”

“I know that there was a rumor and a concern, but we’re not seeking to remove gay characters, nor was the play canceled because of gay characters,” schools spokeswoman Raven Hill said.

While there is no evidence that the show was canceled over gay characters, what the school is saying is that it was due to certain language in the script. According to local news,

A school district spokesperson also told ABC 7 that the school became aware of a parent’s concerns about the play in early April. That prompted a review of the script, which she says raised several concerns surrounding profane language, sexual innuendo, and several lines in the play that could potentially be viewed as racist.

ABC 7 reached out to the licensing agency, Music Theatre International, and a spokesperson confirmed that they have accommodated similar requests in the past.

They’ve also offered an alternative version to a song that’s called "My Unfortunate Erection," switching out the lyrics to "My Unfortunate Distraction" instead.

A spokesperson for Music Theatre International said the play is very popular in high schools but has been performed by middle schools as well.

Moving forward, Prince George’s County Public Schools said it will develop a new policy and protocol for how school plays are chosen and approved. The hope is for that new policy to be in place by the 2019-20 school year.

MY TAKE:

This honestly sucks. I feel awful for the students involved with this production who must feel like the carpet is being yanked from underneath. I think it’s a shame that the school didn’t do the proper research into this show before approving it. This is their fault and now the kids are paying for their mistakes.

Do I think Spelling Bee is a bit too racy for middle school audiences? In its original form, yes. But given the adjustments that MTI allows, I think it can be a fine show for those grade levels and teaches some valuable lessons. Also, speaking as an Asian-American, I can’t find anything remotely racist in the show(unless you whitewash it).

In regards to the rumors about it being canceled over gay characters. At this point, it’s nothing more than rumor and gossip. From everything I’ve looked at and everyone I’ve talked to, there doesn’t seem to be any truth or evidence that gay characters are the reason the show was canceled.

These days, we’re quick to light our torches and grab our cyber pitchforks without research. I’ll be honest; I’m guilty of doing that many times. But as much as people want to call out the school board of Hyattsville for being bigoted against the LGBTQIA+ community, there’s just no evidence to support it. It’s essential that these things are mentioned because there is a vast difference between a show being canceled for inappropriate language and it being canceled over gay characters.

But if I’m wrong and the school did, in fact, cancel due to gay characters. That’s a major problem.

Last night, the school board held a meeting to discuss the production and consider putting the show back on with disclaimers that there might be mature content featured. While I think to call it “mature content” is a leap for Spelling Bee, I do hope the school smartens up and puts the show back on.