Iowa’s Ottumwa High School
What is the purpose of putting on shows in high school? Is it educational? Recreational? Is it community relations? Is it a family activity?
I’ve always thought that high school theatre was for the benefit of the students putting on the show – for the education, the team-building, the exploration of talent and so on. That parents, siblings, relatives, friends and neighbors come to see these productions – whether academic in origin or extracurricular – is a byproduct, not a purpose. Although, to be fair, in many schools, the drama programs have to be self-supporting, so a certain amount of general audience development may be necessary, which can mean throwing a wide net.
Nonetheless, the recent cancelation of a high school production of The Laramie Project in Ottumwa, Iowa caught me by surprise. Not because I’m unfamiliar with educational administrators being uncomfortable with Laramie, but because the principal there has said “the play is too adult for a high school production but it does preach a great message.” If the message is great, where’s the problem? What makes it too adult? That it’s about a murder? Murder is in movies, books, plays, and TV shows consumed by much younger kids. Is it that the murder victim was gay? Sadly, homophobia remains everywhere, but it’s worth noting that marriage equality has been the law in Iowa since 2009.
According to reports in The Ottumwa Courier and Heartland Connection, both the principal and superintendent are pleased that arrangements have been made for the production to be done by the students elsewhere in the community. So why exactly don’t they want it in their own backyard or, more accurately, auditorium?
The reason cited is because they feel what the school offers should be family entertainment for all ages, and that the admirable but adult themes of Laramie don’t fit that criteria. So the question is whether this is a long-standing, publicly stated policy, or one introduced only to block the production of this particular play, which is taken from verbatim accounts of the death of Matthew Shepard in Wyoming more than a decade ago.
I spoke with Moisés Kaufman, the artistic director of Tectonic Theatre Project, the company that created The Laramie Project and its companion piece The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later, since he has the best perspective on the play’s production history. Referring to Laramie as one of the most produced plays in America – professionally, amateur, college and high school – Kaufman acknowledged that productions are also challenged or canceled with some regularity, saying it happens in high schools two or three times annually. Based on my general awareness of theatre news nationally, I was surprised: I thought it was more frequent, but the play’s popularity in high schools is confirmed by Dramatics magazine.
“Invariably,” Kaufman observed about cancelations of Laramie, “it has the opposite effect of what the administration is trying to do – it emboldens the students to be artists and social activists. Students realize that art is an incredible weapon and they have a responsibility and opportunity that comes from being an art maker.”
Kaufman said that, comparable to the figures often associated with marriage equality issue, there’s a big divide in the thinking between people over 50 and those under 50. “Students are very ready for this conversation, they’re living it,” said Kaufman. “It’s adults who are having a hard time with it.” Describing the typical conflict over high school productions of Laramie, Kaufman said, “First, it’s a disconnect in ideology and preparedness to deal with contemporary ideas, and secondly, that they’re listening to outside voices that have nothing to do with the education of the students.”
In Ottumwa, if the administration freely acknowledges the value of the piece and expresses support for the students doing it, but off school grounds, it seems that what’s at stake is a fear of outside pressure, an avoidance of potential challenges, with “family friendly” as a smokescreen for conflict avoidance. It’s a shame that the administration can’t back up their own sentiments and advocate for Laramie within the school, rather than harboring school resources and insulating themselves from any personal and professional risk instead of standing up for what they believe in. What kind of example and lesson is that?
The assertion that high school shows should be for all ages is not a new argument to me; I heard it voiced at a Board of Education meeting at my alma mater, Amity High School in Woodbridge CT, when a handful of community members registered their displeasure with a pending production of Sweeney Todd. It suggests that because so many parents and administrators were raised on the anodyne – albeit wonderful and classic – musicals of the 40s, 50s and 60s, that those shows remain exemplars of the only appropriate repertoire.
I think that perspective is deeply flawed. Would we choose to teach students from textbooks that were written with 1960s sensibility? Would we protect our athletes with the insufficient equipment of that era, or even from the 80s? Would literature and music be comparably circumscribed? I doubt it, especially in any district that wants to prepare students educationally, socially and emotionally for the world they’ll soon face, out from under the protective wings of parents and schools. High school theatre may still be thought of by many as a charming and even quaint activity for kids, and an easily expendable one at that, but it can instill great lessons and even save lives, if the students are permitted to engage with the full range of dramatic work, be it classic, new or even original.
The lessons of The Laramie Project are obvious to anyone who knows the piece or even just the facts surrounding Matthew Shepard’s death. High school teachers and administrators should be proud that students want to perform it and should be proud to have it, and other socially conscious, emotionally charged works on their stages.
As someone who had to make do in high school with Don’t Drink The Water and Bye Bye Birdie, I admire and envy every student who has had the chance to engage with material as challenging and important as The Laramie Project and other equally important, thoughtful and moving pieces of theatre. And if some pre-teens have to miss seeing their big siblings in a show, well surely that’s not the only time they haven’t been allowed to tag along. What’s done in their elementary or middle school is for them, and what’s done in high school is for bigger kids – and for every adult in town. Maybe there’s still time for Ottumwa High School to teach the right lesson.
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Update: Hear me discussing censorship of high school plays on the Reduced Shakespeare Company podcast
Update, August 9: from The Ottumwa Courier: “Laramie Project Pushes Forward” by Chelsea Davis
I couldn’t agree with you more, Howard. Thanks for sharing your writing about this. “Laramie” is an important and very-human story that ought to be told. Great seeing you at the EST Marathon. Cheers, Julie
I was The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later just a few months ago. It was done by a community theatre group in connection with a town’s Pride Day. I didn’t attend the Pride Day, but heard that it was fairly well received considering the town is in a pretty rural town in the Bible belt. What made me sad was the attendance of the show. Despite being heavily advertised in conjuction with Pride Day, the show only had a handful (like, less than 20) of attendees.
I think that comes down to the fact that the adults ARE the ones having the problem with it. They can’t face the reality that the show portrays. As for a high school…. I can see the same thing happening there. The kids can handle it. The adults, not so much.
Interesting points. As a high school educator for 15 years, I saw our school put on this production 10 years ago and it was quite moving. All the same, I would be interested to see where would Howard draw the line on what subject matter he would deem inappropriate for high school students to produce? Is there such a line based on his argument?
Are there lines? Yes. And defining them is ultimately the responsibility of the faculty, administration and board. But limits need to be articulated in advance, not applied simply when something “questionable” arises in the mind of one or two individuals. Though not in my post, Moisés Kaufman said that some communities have difficulty with cursing in the (verbatim) language in LARAMIE; in those cases they approve text alterations as needed. This seems to be true for many shows, with an approved high school version AVENUE Q for example, which eliminates “The Internet Is For Porn,” among other material. However, challenging themes should not be shied away from, since they create the greatest opportunities for learning (not simply entertainment) and there should be open conversation, not edict, when administrators are concerned about the appropriateness of material championed by teachers and/or students.
My school produced a production of Laramie this past fall. I was lucky enough to be in the cast. It strongly impacted all of the cast members and everyone who saw it. One cast member was so moved and felt so inspired by the show and so comfortable with the cast that on one of our last nights performing he shared his personal life story of being gay, not comfortable in his own body and being denied by his own father and how that has effected his life and what it meant to him to be a part of this show and work with a group of people who poured their hearts into the production.
Let’s see…have any high schools ever put on Grease? What about The Sound of Music, or West Side Story, or any play? In high school I was the antagonist in 12 Angry Men…….Maybe high schools should stick with Barney and Cinderella……….then we might not offend any parents that have a totally warped sense of reality!
Barney would totally offend me because of how trite it would inevitably be! But your comment did make me laugh because I know people who actually think like that.
I hope when I have kids that they get to produce shows like Laramie Project.
Mr. Sherman, thank you so much for your reasoned and valuable voice and insights in this discussion. I hope people will take your words to heart. Susan Burk, Laramie Project Specialist, Matthew Shepard Foundation