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Post by iamkristinl16 on Oct 29, 2021 15:41:14 GMT
When I heard the name of the play, I do think of lynching and wonder what it is about. I wouldn't automatically assume that it was FOR lynching since the title is "Nooses Off". But, it does being negative connotation to my mind and if I was a theater director I would choose something else. I am curious what the complaints were specifically if they are coming from people who are concerned about "CRT" and the like.
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Post by SockMonkey on Oct 29, 2021 15:50:13 GMT
So, here's the thing. I am on my high school's theatre team, one of the directors. We have very serious and thoughtful conversations about our play selection and its impact on our students, their families, and our community. There are SO MANY options when it comes to murder mystery/play-within-a-play types of shows that I can't see a way to where our team would select a play like this with a title (and likely promotional imagery) that could be perceived as harmful to students and families (especially our Black students and families). While we can't predict each individual's response to such imagery or the title, we would consider how it could be interpreted, ESPECIALLY because the title's play on words depends on prior knowledge of the show "Noises Off," which unless you're a theatre nerd you might not even realize. I haven't read the show, so I can't speak to the content within. There are just many, many plays to be performed out there that I know we would probably not have made this choice, as it's likely not very special literature that would offer something other shows can't. That said, getting two complaints that the title is offensive affords your school's production team to engage in good conversation with the folks who contacted them. They have the opportunity to explain the title and the show, which may allay some fears and concerns. Regarding the library challenges, we are ALSO seeing challenges and FOIAs regarding materials and curriculum. It's tiresome, because much of that is borne out of political action and urging from far-right organizations, not from true community concern or understanding of any of the materials being questioned. TLDR; we don't have any committees or team to discuss this sort of thing. I know the musical director does consider some things (i.e. we will never do a show that includes a stabbing, can't do a show in which young women are asked to play prostitutes, won't do Lion King, etc.) but there is no protocol in place to consider how any given show will impact the student body or community at large. I would say that the play selection process should always consider how the play would impact the student body and community. And, it sounds like from what you described, there ARE protocols for mitigating harm (depiction of sex and violence), but perhaps there are perspectives that are not being considered (depiction of or impact on some student/community populations). |
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Post by playingcinderella on Oct 29, 2021 18:07:57 GMT
As a theatre director, there are so many variables you have to consider when selecting a play - clearly they missed the mark with this one.
At my school, my co-director and I select our season without outside input (with the exception of the musical which involves a music director and choreographer). We submit each script to an administrator which is flagged with anything we think might be controversial as well as explanations/options for changes. The administrator is supposed to read the play entirely and either gives us blanket approval or request changes (which we then take to the publisher and request permission to change). I have been in schools with committees, it did not work well for me but it could be because the committee was formed of people with very little theatrical knowledge who wanted to do either shows we could not afford, that we did not have the correct talent for or that would not profit financially. Our productions are 100% paid for by our department with the proceeds of one show funding the next so that is a huge part of the equation for us - we have to make enough to refill the coffers for the next show. The year that the committee selected Grease (which is very expensive to license and produce), we did not have the right male actors/voices to do the show. We lost a huge amount of money on that show and it impacted future years in that program.
The musical we just produced had some content that could have been perceived as questionable by our community - language and some sexual innuendo. Nothing outrageous and it was a melodramatic comedy but to prepare our audience, we included a PG-13 Rating and note that the content might not be appropriate for all ages. If the advantages of producing this particular piece outweighed the negatives of the name, the director could do some things to help preemptively alleviate those - mostly by acknowledging it and providing an explanation before the complaints arose. Also being familiar with the playwright of Nooses Off - I think he might have been willing to consider allowing the show to be produced with an alternative title.
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Post by SockMonkey on Oct 29, 2021 18:26:51 GMT
As a theatre director, there are so many variables you have to consider when selecting a play - clearly they missed the mark with this one. At my school, my co-director and I select our season without outside input (with the exception of the musical which involves a music director and choreographer). We submit each script to an administrator which is flagged with anything we think might be controversial as well as explanations/options for changes. The administrator is supposed to read the play entirely and either gives us blanket approval or request changes (which we then take to the publisher and request permission to change). I have been in schools with committees, it did not work well for me but it could be because the committee was formed of people with very little theatrical knowledge who wanted to do either shows we could not afford, that we did not have the correct talent for or that would not profit financially. Our productions are 100% paid for by our department with the proceeds of one show funding the next so that is a huge part of the equation for us - we have to make enough to refill the coffers for the next show. The year that the committee selected Grease (which is very expensive to license and produce), we did not have the right male actors/voices to do the show. We lost a huge amount of money on that show and it impacted future years in that program. The musical we just produced had some content that could have been perceived as questionable by our community - language and some sexual innuendo. Nothing outrageous and it was a melodramatic comedy but to prepare our audience, we included a PG-13 Rating and note that the content might not be appropriate for all ages. If the advantages of producing this particular piece outweighed the negatives of the name, the director could do some things to help preemptively alleviate those - mostly by acknowledging it and providing an explanation before the complaints arose. Also being familiar with the playwright of Nooses Off - I think he might have been willing to consider allowing the show to be produced with an alternative title. We go through a sort of similar process; our adult production team looks at scripts together and we consider the entire season. Sometimes there's a theme for the year, or a "thread" that ties the shows together. Sometimes not (like pandemic years when we had to pivot to shows we could do virtually). When doing a musical, we consult with orchestra & choral directors and choreographers when selecting. We also look at the balance of shows over a four year period (the length of time our students are with us) so we're balancing classics with modern, comedies with dramas, etc., to give our students a broad experience over their four years with us. We don't really consult with kids, but we're open to ideas from them. Our kids always want to do shows for which there are no rights (Wicked! LOL), shows that we are not comfortable doing (our team will not do Grease for MANY reasons), or shows for which we don't have students with the right vocal ranges. Typically our students don't have the breadth of knowledge of shows in order to be able to select according to our criteria, but we are always listening to their suggestions and interests, as well as considering who is already in our program and what would recruit more students. Like your program, ours is self-funding, so we have to consider costs of rights, tech (shows with flying or effects like rain are $$$), and costumes when selecting shows, too. This is all to say that is IS a complicated process, but students should be centered in it, and we should not make choices that will disenfranchise or otherwise harm students and their families. |
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Post by playingcinderella on Oct 29, 2021 19:40:06 GMT
This is all to say that is IS a complicated process, but students should be centered in it, and we should not make choices that will disenfranchise or otherwise harm students and their families. Absolutely. I think I was just trying to say with all the considerations and moving parts, especially if they are a singleton and without an established procedure to vet scripts - it's some times easy to miss things and not realize the potential harm until it's brought to your attention. The more I think about it, I have to be honest, I'm not sure the administrator who reads and approves our scripts would have thought of that potential harm if we had submitted this show. It's easy for me to sit here and say that I would have - behind a keyboard and not in the midst of selecting a season - I hope I would have - I'm always striving to be better informed and to examine potential shows through a variety of lenses. I'm surprised by the number of schools that have produced this show - in all sorts of different parts of the country (and other countries). I think these conversations are important so that we can add do better and be better. |
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