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June 2, 2023 9:21 AM Subscribe
When Carroll High School of Fort Wayne Indiana canceled the school play, "Marian, the True Tale of Robin Hood" because it included LGBTQ+ themes, the students decided to take matters into their own hands.
Thank you, May Kasahara.
The students are using the profits from ticket sales to start a fund helping other school groups facing similar challenges. And it made me think - when I was in high school, my senior year the high school musical was Hair. And, yes, there was a collective eyebrow-raise on the part of the school board, and there was a meeting about it; but the outcome of that was not to cancel the play entirely. Instead, the board made a deal that the play would be censored in several places, and they also asked a different student to address the audience each night with a personal account of What They Had Learned About History From Doing This Play. Of course students agreed, and some of those speeches got seriously personal and moving.
But the play was still staged. ....This was, however, the 1980s and apparently saner heads prevailed back then.
I'm donating something as a former theater kid right now, and I'm going to tell them why.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:43 AM on June 2, 2023 [24 favorites]
The students are using the profits from ticket sales to start a fund helping other school groups facing similar challenges. And it made me think - when I was in high school, my senior year the high school musical was Hair. And, yes, there was a collective eyebrow-raise on the part of the school board, and there was a meeting about it; but the outcome of that was not to cancel the play entirely. Instead, the board made a deal that the play would be censored in several places, and they also asked a different student to address the audience each night with a personal account of What They Had Learned About History From Doing This Play. Of course students agreed, and some of those speeches got seriously personal and moving.
But the play was still staged. ....This was, however, the 1980s and apparently saner heads prevailed back then.
I'm donating something as a former theater kid right now, and I'm going to tell them why.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:43 AM on June 2, 2023 [24 favorites]
Dotted among the crowd, Sydney saw, were security personnel in bulletproof vests. At the entrance, theatergoers were submitting to bag checks and a metal detector wand.
Absolutely wild this is necessary.
posted by simmering octagon at 9:45 AM on June 2, 2023 [19 favorites]
Absolutely wild this is necessary.
posted by simmering octagon at 9:45 AM on June 2, 2023 [19 favorites]
Yes -- I think the difference between a production of Hair before the internet and this today is that there are culture warriors just begging for an excuse to shoot at some kids on behalf of other, purer kids somewhere else. That's not to say that I think the play should have been cancelled. Maybe a compromise where they could raise money for private security, I don't know. But the high school administration, as usual, does not appear as a profile in courage.
posted by Countess Elena at 9:48 AM on June 2, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by Countess Elena at 9:48 AM on June 2, 2023 [3 favorites]
I think if the super-intendent and principal had truly been concerned about the safety of the students and not anything else, they would have attended the play as supporters and personally have donated to the gofundme. Did they?
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 9:52 AM on June 2, 2023 [14 favorites]
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 9:52 AM on June 2, 2023 [14 favorites]
The kids are alright.
These kids, anyway.
posted by non canadian guy at 10:14 AM on June 2, 2023 [7 favorites]
These kids, anyway.
posted by non canadian guy at 10:14 AM on June 2, 2023 [7 favorites]
I'm so proud. And if there's a silver lining to the school (and school board's) decision, it's that the kids learned that there are systems (and power and agency) to be found outside "the system" when the latter won't bend or listen.
posted by BlueBlueElectricBlue at 10:32 AM on June 2, 2023 [20 favorites]
posted by BlueBlueElectricBlue at 10:32 AM on June 2, 2023 [20 favorites]
Wow - that was just so inspiring. I teared up at the end.
I so admire these young people - their courage, and their determination to do the play anyway.
I'm also so glad so many caring adults came forward to help make it possible.
It's interesting that the article doesn't seem to say anything about their parents - the only mention of parents in the article are the parents who objected. ( ... Doesn't say anything about other parents in the district who supported the show, either. Hm.) I hope all these young people have loving, supportive parents, who are absent from the story only because it's appropriate to put the focus on the students.
Thanks so much for posting this, BigHeartedGuy - I'm very glad to know about this. It's a wonderful start to my day.
posted by kristi at 10:51 AM on June 2, 2023 [8 favorites]
I so admire these young people - their courage, and their determination to do the play anyway.
I'm also so glad so many caring adults came forward to help make it possible.
It's interesting that the article doesn't seem to say anything about their parents - the only mention of parents in the article are the parents who objected. ( ... Doesn't say anything about other parents in the district who supported the show, either. Hm.) I hope all these young people have loving, supportive parents, who are absent from the story only because it's appropriate to put the focus on the students.
Thanks so much for posting this, BigHeartedGuy - I'm very glad to know about this. It's a wonderful start to my day.
posted by kristi at 10:51 AM on June 2, 2023 [8 favorites]
I went one better on my offer to help - my high school drama club has its own Facebook group, and I just posted a link to the article and put out the HAIRsignal to everyone from our 1988 production to go help out too.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:54 AM on June 2, 2023 [14 favorites]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:54 AM on June 2, 2023 [14 favorites]
In a statement to The Washington Post, district spokeswoman Lizette Downey said the decision to cancel “Marian” was due not only to parent complaints, but primarily to “disruptions already occurring between students directly involved within the theater department.” She did not specify what those “disruptions” were.What the fuck does this even mean? If your position is that the world is a little too full of crazy homophobic bigots and you worry for students' safety, I can maybe see how that thought process works, even if I think you're a coward-ass coward for capitulating to it. But here the spokeswoman suggests there is some infighting among the students in the theater department that is "primarily" the cause of the decision.
There is not a whiff of this elsewhere in the article, and of course the spokeswoman did not elaborate, so it just smells like nonsense, or worse, a deliberate attempt to muddy the waters. But the problem with this strategy is that, of course, it still makes the district look like assholes, or even worse, incompetents who cannot seem to handle the students whose job it is for them to teach. In conclusion I don't think Lizette Downey is very good at her job.
posted by axiom at 11:31 AM on June 2, 2023 [14 favorites]
But here the spokeswoman suggests there is some infighting among the students in the theater department that is "primarily" the cause of the decision. There is not a whiff of this elsewhere in the article, and of course the spokeswoman did not elaborate, so it just smells like nonsense, or worse, a deliberate attempt to muddy the waters.
I mean, if you squint, it looks like she's trying to make the argument that she's talking about students in the theater department who didn't actually wanna do the show but were too afraid to go public about it because they were scared of social justice warrior backlash or whatthefuckever.
Still bullshit, and I doubt such students exist - or at most, only one - but I think that's the argument she's trying to make.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:35 AM on June 2, 2023 [6 favorites]
I mean, if you squint, it looks like she's trying to make the argument that she's talking about students in the theater department who didn't actually wanna do the show but were too afraid to go public about it because they were scared of social justice warrior backlash or whatthefuckever.
Still bullshit, and I doubt such students exist - or at most, only one - but I think that's the argument she's trying to make.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:35 AM on June 2, 2023 [6 favorites]
That may be the argument but it's still ludicrously stupid. It's tantamount to saying that any student in the theater department (which, I presume, is voluntary) may have veto power over the choice of which play gets made at Carroll High.
OK, so maybe it wasn't just one. Fine. Say it's 5 or whatever. I'm going to make the tiny, reasonable assumption that none of them are in this off-school-grounds show. So there were enough student actors to put the thing on anyhow, without the dissenters. I fail to see how any of this amounts to anything sensible. "There exist students who are not in this play but would like to be in a different play" is not really an argument for "so we cancelled this play" in my book.
posted by axiom at 11:44 AM on June 2, 2023 [9 favorites]
OK, so maybe it wasn't just one. Fine. Say it's 5 or whatever. I'm going to make the tiny, reasonable assumption that none of them are in this off-school-grounds show. So there were enough student actors to put the thing on anyhow, without the dissenters. I fail to see how any of this amounts to anything sensible. "There exist students who are not in this play but would like to be in a different play" is not really an argument for "so we cancelled this play" in my book.
posted by axiom at 11:44 AM on June 2, 2023 [9 favorites]
Oh, it's absolutely bullshit. I just think it helps to understand that that's what she's attempting to say so you can better counter it ("Is there a way we could meet and speak with one of these students, under an assumed name for their own protection?......Not even that way, huh? Interesting.")
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:54 AM on June 2, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:54 AM on June 2, 2023 [6 favorites]
The local coverage differs a bit. At WaPo, the "former teacher born and raised in Fort Wayne, Nathan Gotsch, 40," fresh from a failed Congressional bid and signing on as as director of the independent production, "set up a GoFundMe to pay for the play; it pulled in $80,000 in under two weeks. Nonprofit Fort Wayne Pride, which advocates for LGBTQ rights, stepped in as fiscal agent, managing the money."
On May 9, at local public radio wboi.org: after decision and the school board meeting, "some students connected with Fort Wayne Pride, the organization that puts on Pride events for the LGBTQ community, and began planning to put the play on independently. On Thursday, May 4, students launched a crowdfunding campaign to pay for the play. In the first twelve hours, the campaign had reached $10,000, with a goal of $50,000. [...] As of Tuesday afternoon, the campaign has reached nearly $75,000 in donations."
It's creepy that the only coverage in the school newspaper, The Charger, is from February: Administration Shuts Down Spring Play Before Production
posted by Iris Gambol at 11:56 AM on June 2, 2023 [7 favorites]
On May 9, at local public radio wboi.org: after decision and the school board meeting, "some students connected with Fort Wayne Pride, the organization that puts on Pride events for the LGBTQ community, and began planning to put the play on independently. On Thursday, May 4, students launched a crowdfunding campaign to pay for the play. In the first twelve hours, the campaign had reached $10,000, with a goal of $50,000. [...] As of Tuesday afternoon, the campaign has reached nearly $75,000 in donations."
It's creepy that the only coverage in the school newspaper, The Charger, is from February: Administration Shuts Down Spring Play Before Production
posted by Iris Gambol at 11:56 AM on June 2, 2023 [7 favorites]
There is a scene in the awful 80's sex comedy Porkys 2 where the school is planning on doing a Shakespeare production and the local Bible thumpers want to shut it down for its immorality. This culminates in the leader of the Bible thumpers getting into a heated quote battle with the principal of the school where the Bible dude quotes obscene Shakespeare passages and the principal quotes back obscene Bible passages, eventually driving the Bible dude away.
What I'm saying is if the principal in an awful, offensive 80's sex comedy has a better moral compass and a stiffer spine than your school's principal and super-intendent, you might want to look into replacing them.
posted by Joey Michaels at 12:46 PM on June 2, 2023 [24 favorites]
What I'm saying is if the principal in an awful, offensive 80's sex comedy has a better moral compass and a stiffer spine than your school's principal and super-intendent, you might want to look into replacing them.
posted by Joey Michaels at 12:46 PM on June 2, 2023 [24 favorites]
There is a scene in the awful 80's sex comedy Porkys 2 ....
Heh; you've reminded me of another instance of Kids Speaking Truth To Power that I took part in, in which I actually used Porky's 2 to help me make my point.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:50 PM on June 2, 2023 [5 favorites]
Heh; you've reminded me of another instance of Kids Speaking Truth To Power that I took part in, in which I actually used Porky's 2 to help me make my point.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:50 PM on June 2, 2023 [5 favorites]
this church in portage had a drag show and of course, the not so local shitheads were demonstrating against it - i couldn't help but notice that 2 or 3 of the protesters were dressed in very professional looking bud light bottle costumes
i mean those would easily cost hundreds of dollars a piece
and they've only had a month in which bud light bottle costumes could be put together - and i don't believe our local costume shop has those - or anyone besides some hollywood ad agency would have had those, if they had them at all
so, who's paying for this to the point where professional level bud light costumes appear a short time after the controversy at a small midwestern city, just like that?
these people are being funded and organized like crazy by someone - it would be great to know who
posted by pyramid termite at 2:30 PM on June 2, 2023 [10 favorites]
i mean those would easily cost hundreds of dollars a piece
and they've only had a month in which bud light bottle costumes could be put together - and i don't believe our local costume shop has those - or anyone besides some hollywood ad agency would have had those, if they had them at all
so, who's paying for this to the point where professional level bud light costumes appear a short time after the controversy at a small midwestern city, just like that?
these people are being funded and organized like crazy by someone - it would be great to know who
posted by pyramid termite at 2:30 PM on June 2, 2023 [10 favorites]
Mother Jones did a deep dive on who is behind the push for transphobic legislation here. More to the point, The Guardian did a dive into who is funding the current book banning push and traced funding back to - among other people - right wing billionaire gobshit Dick Uileihn, Leonard Leo (right wing gobshit and former Koch gobshit) and your typical cast of far right gobshit billionaires.
posted by Joey Michaels at 2:51 PM on June 2, 2023 [16 favorites]
posted by Joey Michaels at 2:51 PM on June 2, 2023 [16 favorites]
My mom was there! She lives in Fort Fun and is pretty active in theater AND social justice, so this was right in her sweet spot. Yay mom!
posted by dirtdirt at 3:04 PM on June 2, 2023 [14 favorites]
posted by dirtdirt at 3:04 PM on June 2, 2023 [14 favorites]
It's dismaying how teachers and administrators fold when confronted with ridiculous moralizing from hateful bigots, and inspiring how the kids won't let themselves be bullied. Thanks for the glimmer of hope!
posted by signsofrain at 3:09 PM on June 2, 2023 [11 favorites]
posted by signsofrain at 3:09 PM on June 2, 2023 [11 favorites]
The Guardian did a dive into who is funding the current book banning push and traced funding back to - among other people - right wing billionaire gobshit Dick Uileihn, Leonard Leo (right wing gobshit and former Koch gobshit) and your typical cast of far right gobshit billionaires.
This gives me an interesting idea.
You know how some people pin everything on George Soros, and say that all kinds of stuff is suspect because Soros funded it? Why not do the same thing with the Kochs? Write off any right-wing asshat as being secretly in the pocket of the Kochs and so they can't be trusted.
We would also have the advantage of being right.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:57 PM on June 2, 2023 [10 favorites]
This gives me an interesting idea.
You know how some people pin everything on George Soros, and say that all kinds of stuff is suspect because Soros funded it? Why not do the same thing with the Kochs? Write off any right-wing asshat as being secretly in the pocket of the Kochs and so they can't be trusted.
We would also have the advantage of being right.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:57 PM on June 2, 2023 [10 favorites]
Davis School District in Utah bans the Bible, after passing a law allowing parental review.
Hail Satan.
posted by eustatic at 6:53 PM on June 2, 2023 [5 favorites]
Hail Satan.
posted by eustatic at 6:53 PM on June 2, 2023 [5 favorites]
That was beautiful. I’m dusty.
If I ever get my photo in the Washington Post I want my caption to be as cool as “Tristan Wasserman, 18, recorded pigeon noises for the play's soundtrack. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post),” especially since it turned out they made the noises themself and didn’t outsource it to pigeons (ugh).
posted by bendy at 7:07 PM on June 2, 2023 [5 favorites]
If I ever get my photo in the Washington Post I want my caption to be as cool as “Tristan Wasserman, 18, recorded pigeon noises for the play's soundtrack. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post),” especially since it turned out they made the noises themself and didn’t outsource it to pigeons (ugh).
posted by bendy at 7:07 PM on June 2, 2023 [5 favorites]
Bulletproof vests. I have to go there about every other month now that we’ve started implementation of the new imager on my flight project. I used to travel to Fort Wayne often prior to transition. Seems I’m going to have to watch my back very carefully now. I don’t know what NASA is going to do to protect those of us who have to travel places like this long term. Likely nothing until something happens.
posted by Flight Hardware, do not touch at 7:25 PM on June 2, 2023 [8 favorites]
posted by Flight Hardware, do not touch at 7:25 PM on June 2, 2023 [8 favorites]
You know how some people pin everything on George Soros, and say that all kinds of stuff is suspect because Soros funded it? Why not do the same thing with the Kochs? Write off any right-wing asshat as being secretly in the pocket of the Kochs and so they can't be trusted.
The right's response would be : "Yeah, so what?"
They view billionaires shaping public thought, discourse and society as the natural order. It part of why they accuse Soros all the time. Every right wing accusation is a confession either of what they are doing or what they would do.
posted by srboisvert at 3:14 PM on June 3, 2023 [4 favorites]
The right's response would be : "Yeah, so what?"
They view billionaires shaping public thought, discourse and society as the natural order. It part of why they accuse Soros all the time. Every right wing accusation is a confession either of what they are doing or what they would do.
posted by srboisvert at 3:14 PM on June 3, 2023 [4 favorites]
Thank you, BigHeartedGuy, for posting this. Looking forward to sharing it with my genderqueer kid tomorrow. Also, thanks very much to EmpressCallipygos for the funding link.
posted by Scout405 at 6:52 PM on June 3, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Scout405 at 6:52 PM on June 3, 2023 [1 favorite]
They view billionaires shaping public thought, discourse and society as the natural order. It part of why they accuse Soros all the time.
Then we'd be calling them on the hypocrisy, surely? If you're claiming that THEY think it's okay for billionaires to shape public thought, then surely we'd be pointing out that "then what the fuck is your issue with Soros then"?
And yes, I know you're going to say it's anti-Semitism, to which I'd reply "then let's make them say that out loud".
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:05 PM on June 3, 2023 [1 favorite]
Then we'd be calling them on the hypocrisy, surely? If you're claiming that THEY think it's okay for billionaires to shape public thought, then surely we'd be pointing out that "then what the fuck is your issue with Soros then"?
And yes, I know you're going to say it's anti-Semitism, to which I'd reply "then let's make them say that out loud".
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:05 PM on June 3, 2023 [1 favorite]
Then we'd be calling them on the hypocrisy, surely?
The Accusation of Hypocrisy Spell only works on Democrats.
posted by srboisvert at 5:09 AM on June 4, 2023 [6 favorites]
The Accusation of Hypocrisy Spell only works on Democrats.
posted by srboisvert at 5:09 AM on June 4, 2023 [6 favorites]
Well, it sure sounds like simply coming up with an idea also works on some progressives as well, because it triggers there "tut tut that won't work" instinct. And meanwhile the right can double down on attacking others.
Look, these kids and the people AROUND them had an idea and went ahead and tried it, and were successful. They didn't wring their hands about "oh but it probably won't work because we would just draw all the crazies and there's nothing we can do oh shame". Maybe the left doesn't have a "circular firing squad" as such, maybe the problem is naysayers.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:49 AM on June 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
Look, these kids and the people AROUND them had an idea and went ahead and tried it, and were successful. They didn't wring their hands about "oh but it probably won't work because we would just draw all the crazies and there's nothing we can do oh shame". Maybe the left doesn't have a "circular firing squad" as such, maybe the problem is naysayers.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:49 AM on June 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
You know how some people pin everything on George Soros, and say that all kinds of stuff is suspect because Soros funded it? Why not do the same thing with the Kochs?
Well, for one thing, “George Soros” is really just a right-wing dogwhistle for “jew.”
posted by Thorzdad at 8:20 AM on June 4, 2023 [6 favorites]
Well, for one thing, “George Soros” is really just a right-wing dogwhistle for “jew.”
posted by Thorzdad at 8:20 AM on June 4, 2023 [6 favorites]
Maybe we don't have to derail the conversation about this amazing success story and can focus on that instead. Like, y'all aren't wrong but maybe that is not for this thread. Anyhoo, thanks so much for posting this, BigHeartedGuy, and thanks so much for the archive link, May Kasahara. You both rock and so do the students and their supporters who made this particular production of "Marian, the True Tale of Robin Hood" happen.
I didn't realize how much I needed a story with a happy ending until I read this.
posted by Bella Donna at 11:52 AM on June 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
I didn't realize how much I needed a story with a happy ending until I read this.
posted by Bella Donna at 11:52 AM on June 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
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posted by solotoro at 9:31 AM on June 2, 2023 [15 favorites]