WNEP.com: A controversy is brewing in Lycoming County over the decision to cancel a musical that was set for students to perform next spring. In South Williamsport, administrators thought the subject matter of the musical was not appropriate for students.
We had several viewers reach out to us because they are upset South Williamsport’s Junior Senior High School has dropped a performance of Broadway’s Monty Python’s Spamalot over controversial content, which includes a homosexual wedding.
3 comments:
My current theatre teacher always preaches how theatre is a medium to bring about social change, or at least call attention to a subject. I think those words are very relevant to this. Homosexuality is a very real thing, and has been around for a long time. Why censor something so prevalent in society? The school wouldn’t censor a show with guns because of gun control law controversy, so they shouldn’t censor this. Theatre is a way to enlighten the subconscious of audiences, and exposure is key. They are not teaching any opinion, attendance is not even mandatory; they are simply putting on a presentation that perhaps invites you to form your own opinion. I understand that the school board had every right to do this, but their decision seems unwarranted to me. It’s always sad when art is censored. If something truly is harmful, unlike this situation, why not educate and discuss instead of ignoring? That doesn't solve problems or shelter students; I’m willing to bet 40% of the students looked up the show to see why it was ended.
I have seen the same issue in my high school, where school administration has prevented the drama department from putting on a production. Personally I think that it is important for students to experience things that might not be “appropriate” for them. The reality is that homosexuality exists in the world and not exposing a student to it is very unrealistic. There is only so much that one can do to “shelter” a student. It is understandable for a production to be revised of harsh language but hiding from reality is never a good solution. Most younger audiences would never understand what is going on anyways. It is the parent’s decision to let their child see the production, and there will always be a parent that disagrees with the selected performance. Hiding from this reality is not what the administration should be doing, parents that disagree will have to get over their previous sensibilities and understand that sheltering their child is never a good idea.
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