How to Navigate Controversial Show Choices in School Theatre
Plus, your weekly round-up of theatre news you may have missed!
Welcome to The Scene, your weekly round-up of theatre news you may have missed. In this week’s email:
BROADWAY BEAT- ‘Shucked’ will end its Broadway run. | Broadway League resumes initiative to get NYC students to Broadway | Jesse Eisenberg And Kenneth Lonergan Among Playwrights Announced For Annual ’24 Hour Plays’ Benefit Event | Watch Max Bialystock (A.K.A. Nathan Lane) Make a Surprise Cameo in Gutenberg! The Musical! | Jaja's African Hair Braiding Gets 2nd Extension on Broadway
HOT TOPICS - Americans for the Arts releases new findings about the arts’ impact on the U.S. economy | Tagging Along With The New York Times’s Chief Theater Critic | An Oral History of The Laramie Project 25 Years After Matthew Shepard's Murder | Harry Potter And The Cursed Child Stars to Appear on Food Network's ‘The Kitchen’ This Weekend
WEST END WATCH - London Premiere of Lynn Nottage's Clyde's Begins October 13 | Will West End ‘Next to Normal’ Come to New York? ‘Fingers Crossed,’ Says Star Caissie Levy | Jez Butterworth's New Play The Hills of California To Play West End | Watch Highlights From Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends, Starring Bernadette Peters, Lea Salonga, More | 'Breaking the Fourth Wall is the Best Thing Ever!': Actor Nancy Crane on Taking on Toxic Masculinity in A View From The Bridge
THE BIG IDEA – How to Navigate Controversial Show Choices in School Theatre
PLAYSCRIPTS FREE READ OF THE WEEK - Aliens vs. Cheerleaders by Qui Nguyen
The Broadway Beat
‘SHUCKED’ WILL END ITS BROADWAY RUN by Broadway News - The new musical comedy opened at the Nederlander Theatre on April 4.
BROADWAY LEAGUE RESUMES INITIATIVE TO GET NYC STUDENTS TO BROADWAY by Ruthie Fierberg, Broadway News - Broadway Bridges will welcome teens to 20 participating shows in fall 2023.
JESSE EISENBERG AND KENNETH LONERGAN AMONG PLAYWRIGHTS ANNOUNCED FOR ANNUAL ’24 HOUR PLAYS’ ON BROADWAY BENEFIT EVENT by Greg Evans, Deadline - The one-night-only benefit event set for Monday, October 23, at Manhattan’s Town Hall.
WATCH MAX BIALYSTOCK (A.K.A. NATHAN LANE) MAKE A SURPRISE CAMEO IN GUTENBERG! THE MUSICAL! by Talaura Harms, Playbill - Even stars Andrew Rannells and Josh Gad looked surprised when Lane joined them on stage as the show's special guest star producer.
JAJA'S AFRICAN HAIR BRAIDING GETS 2ND EXTENSION ON BROADWAY by Logan Culwell-Block, Playbill - The Jocelyn Bioh world premiere is now running via Manhattan Theatre Club.
Hot Topics
AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS RELEASES NEW FINDINGS ABOUT THE ARTS’ IMPACT ON THE U.S. ECONOMY by Ruthie Fierberg, Broadway News - In 2022, arts and culture organizations created $151.7 billion in economic activity.
TAGGING ALONG WITH THE NEW YORK TIMES’S CHIEF THEATER CRITIC by Sarah Bahr, The New York Times - At a recent performance of “Gutenberg! The Musical!” on Broadway, Jesse Green gave us an inside look at his review process.
AN ORAL HISTORY OF THE LARAMIE PROJECT 25 YEARS AFTER MATTHEW SHEPARD'S MURDER by Meg Masseron, Playbill - Moisés Kaufman and Leigh Fondakowski on how Tectonic Theater Project shaped a moment into a movement.
HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD STARS TO APPEAR ON FOOD NETWORK'S ‘THE KITCHEN’ THIS WEEKEND by Michael Major, Broadway World - The episode will air at 11:00 a.m. EST this Saturday, October 14, on Food Network.
West End Watch
LONDON PREMIERE OF LYNN NOTTAGE'S CLYDE'S BEGINS OCTOBER 13 by Andrew Gans, Playbill - The European premiere of Lynn Nottage's Clyde's, part of the Donmar Warehouse's 30th birthday season, begins October 13.
WILL WEST END ‘NEXT TO NORMAL’ COME TO NEW YORK? ‘FINGERS CROSSED,’ SAYS STAR CAISSIE LEVY by Michael Gioia and Jenna Fanelli, The Messenger -Levy, who previously starred as Elsa in Broadway's 'Frozen,' is fresh off her run in 'Next to Normal' on London's West End
JEZ BUTTERWORTH'S NEW PLAY THE HILLS OF CALIFORNIA TO PLAY WEST END by Margaret Hall, Playbill - The piece will reunite him with director Sam Mendes, who previously directed Butterworth's The Ferryman.
WATCH HIGHLIGHTS FROM STEPHEN SONDHEIM'S OLD FRIENDS, STARRING BERNADETTE PETERS, LEA SALONGA, MORE - by Andrew Gans, Playbill - The West End transfer of Cameron Mackintosh's Sondheim tribute opened October 3 at the Gielgud Theatre.
'BREAKING THE FOURTH WALL IS THE BEST THING EVER!': ACTOR NANCY CRANE ON TAKING ON TOXIC MASCULINITY IN A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE by Aliya Al-Hassan, Broadway World - 'In my experience, theatre is where actors go to connect to good writing and audiences.”
The Big Idea
How to Navigate Controversial Show Choices in School Theatre
For theatre educators, choosing a production can feel like a serious predicament. On the one hand, you want to provide Thespians with an opportunity to challenge themselves and explore complex source material. On the other, there’s the very real risk that a controversial choice can put your role and program in jeopardy.
Unfortunately, more educators than ever are facing this decision, leaving them with one important question: How do I prepare?
THE STATE OF CENSORSHIP IN SCHOOL THEATRE
According to the 2023 EdTA Play Survey, 85 percent of respondents reported being somewhat concerned about censorship, with another 67 percent saying the concerns over censorship were influencing their selections for the 2023-24 school year.
An additional 30 percent said they were aware of concerns about their choice of show, but only 6 percent were asked to switch to another title, with only 1 percent being affected by cancelations. However, depending on location, those metrics may soon rise as legislation and administrators take a more active approach.
Productions of shows including Indecent, The Addams Family, Marian, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee all faced cancellation in 2023 based on concerns over their material, which often covered sensitive topics including LGBTQ+ characters, suggestive material, dark themes, and adult language.
WHY ARE THESE PRODUCTIONS IMPORTANT?
Outside of concerns over censorship and a loss of creative control over programs, these situations fundamentally impact the role of theatre in schools.
“The whole concept and idea behind theatre is that it shines a mirror and allows us to have complex conversations around society, culture, structures of power, and ways that we interact with the world and each other,” says Jordan Stovall, Director of Outreach and Institutional Partnerships for Dramatists Guild of America.
Adding roadblocks to educators means:
Limited exposure to diverse perspectives, cultures, and topics.
Reduction in students’ real-world preparedness and critical thinking.
Preventing the forming of safe spaces for self-discovery, support, and discussion.
Decreasing awareness of historical and societal issues within a community.
And the list can go on. The bottom line is censorship can have consequences beyond simply stopping a show from going on, which is why being prepared to defend a production choice is more important than ever.
“Obviously, this [tackling a controversial show] comes with a tall order of responsibility,” they say. “In order to have that conversation, it means that the educator should be prepared for the beginning, middle, and end of what it means to engage with that content.”
4 STEPS TO PREPARE FOR CONTROVERSIAL SHOW CHOICES
While there’s no guarantee that a “controversial” show choice will lead to pushback, being prepared can help be proactive if it does. Here are four strategies to consider.
1. UNDERSTAND YOUR MATERIAL AND OPTIONS
When looking through show options for your season, chances are you’ll be looking for scripts that can accommodate your space, set requirements, and cast availability. However, this is also a chance to look for problematic material.
Know where your problem areas are: Most theatre educators already have a good understanding of their community and administration and the topics they’re not comfortable seeing. Many theatrical licensing databases offer detailed synopsis, content warnings, and keywords that can make it easier to scan and narrow down your options.
See what adjustments can be made: Of course, if there’s a show you’re really interested in doing, don’t let these warnings deter you. “A lot of times, licensors have junior versions and/or approved changes from the playwrights already that are adaptable or able to be used with younger performers,” Stovall says.
Understanding the legal framework which protects your right to choose different material: “While acknowledging that public school officials have greater discretion in prohibiting certain types of speech when minors are involved, the Supreme Court has said that students and teachers do not shed their First Amendment rights at the schoolhouse gate. Therefore, it is important to forge relationships with local organizations that defend the First Amendment, such as your local ACLU chapter, ” states Director of Business Affairs for the Dramatists Guild, Jessica Lit. “They can be a great resource if and when controversy arises.”
And when there’s a production that can’t be adjusted? “Make sure you’ve done your research and understand dramaturgical context for why certain difficult concepts are being explored,” Stovall says. “You’ll be able to have a conversation with your students and administrators as to how the events in the play pertain to the overall message of what is being delivered and why certain events or topics are being brought up in the first place.”
2. FOCUS ON SUPPORT AND TRANSPARENCY
Getting a production choice approved is only part of the battle. When tackling sensitive material, it’s also important to think through the student experience and how best to support them.
“Some people might know the whole show, some people might have a Cliff Notes understanding of the show,” Stovall says. “It’s not really until you sit down with the script and read through it that you begin to understand as an actor or creative team some of the things you’re going to have to grapple with throughout the production process.”
For educators, that can mean flagging material you think may raise questions or concerns among your students, providing dramaturgical context to better explain specific choices in the script, and making space for discussion, both private and public, to address any concerns. “It also means including students in the conversation about selecting works to produce and having transparency in the process for choosing works,” adds Lit.
3. FACILITATE OPEN DIALOGUE
While your students and administration may be comfortable with a choice, that doesn’t mean parents and the community at large will. Part of the reasoning behind choosing these types of productions is the dialogue they create.
One option is to have a postmortem discussion as a community. Not only can this help open the door for feedback, but also it can address any controversy you may be dealing with. This is also where research comes in handy, as the more informed your production team thespians, the more prepared they are to discuss the material.
4. REMEMBER YOU’RE NOT ALONE
“There are a lot of educators all over the country that care passionately about what it means to be engaging with this material that run into really difficult questions and challenges,” says Stovall. “Sometimes it can feel like, what is even the point…it’s very easy to feel that exhaustion.”
This is why it’s important to remember you’re not alone. Stovall suggests finding a community where you can have these conversations – whether it’s an EdTA forum, local teacher’s group, an organization such as the Dramatists Guild or Equality Florida, or attendance at a conference. Chances are you aren’t the only one dealing with these issues, and having others to bounce ideas off or talk through challenges with can go a long way to help.
The Future of School Theatre Censorship
While teachers continue to face challenges on the stage and in the classroom, leveraging these strategies can help face them. By understanding your options and being able to adjust as needed, creating a safe space for your Thespians, and opening dialogue with the community at large, something as simple as a show choice can have a lasting impact.
And for many educators, that also means looking at the bigger picture. “The people who are in high school and colleges today are going to be the industry of tomorrow,” Stovall says. “And they’re in formative times where a lot of the concepts that we enforce and teach today are the concepts and mentalities that we’ll find in tomorrow’s [theatre] industry.”
FREE READS
Read entire plays for free! Free Reads titles are perfect for your theatre, school, and competition performances. Click on the play’s title or image to be taken to the Play’s page; once you are there, click the "READ NOW" button, and enjoy!
Free Read of the Week
Aliens vs. Cheerleaders by Qui Nguyen
The Story: After aliens abduct and scan two unsuspecting teenagers' brains to find their leader, they are led to Principal Forsman of Saint Valley High School. Little do the power-hungry aliens suspect that the school's cheerleading squad is full of brains, brawn, and butt-kicking skills. But when the cheerleaders are overpowered, it's up to hipster outsider Molly and her nerdy sidekick Lewis to step in and save the planet. (This play was specially commissioned by Playscripts for high school actors.)
Action Comedy | 25 - 30 minutes | 6 W, 4 M, 4 Any (10-12 actors possible: 6-10 W, 4-8 M) | Set: Minimal
