One of my favorite theater bloggers is making a plea to help the teacher of the students who performed in Voices in Conflict, who's job now may be in Jeopardy.
I just want to second and further publicize Alisa Solomon's plea in last post's Comments to speak up for the rights of Bonnie Dickinson, the teacher at Wilton High School in Connecticut, who shepherded her class in the "Voices in Conflict" docu-drama project consisting of testimony from soldiers in Iraq.
Solomon saw the show and heard in the talkback that despite the show's success both at home and now in some command performances downtown, Dickinson is still being threatened with suspension.
Isn't School and Theater supposed to be educational? Help young people discover the world around them? Encourage them to care about what is going on in the world?
Showing posts with label theater censorship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label theater censorship. Show all posts
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Connecticut Student Play in NYC
Not only did the students who had their show canceled allowed to finally stage their show, but they also got to take it on the road for an off-Broadway premiere!
Backstage at the Vineyard Theater, Taylor Telyan, 18, was bent over an ironing board, ironing her hair. A few feet away, her friend and castmate Tara Ross, also18, was applying makeup; outside their door, a couple of boys were sacked out on a couch, studying notes in binders. They had 35 minutes until their Off Broadway debut.
Backstage at the Vineyard Theater, Taylor Telyan, 18, was bent over an ironing board, ironing her hair. A few feet away, her friend and castmate Tara Ross, also18, was applying makeup; outside their door, a couple of boys were sacked out on a couch, studying notes in binders. They had 35 minutes until their Off Broadway debut.
“The fact that New York City wanted to see our show, I was just blown away,” said Erin Clancy, 18, another castmate.
“It’s been so surreal,” added Michael Ward, 17. “There are actors who spend their entire lives getting here.”
They are all Connecticut high school students and performers in “Voices in Conflict,” a 45-minute show that caused more than three months of controversy. The result is a kind of victory march through three prestigious New York theaters that culminates Friday night at the Public Theater. (more)
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Controversial Student Play finally goes on
Another case of censorship in our schools and in the theater. These students pulled together a series of monologues from source material, rehearsed and practiced and then were cut short just three weeks before the production was scheduled to open.
I understand that people have strong feelings on political issues such as the war, but theater is supposed to make you think. Would it really have been any better to stage a "safe" musical or is there more value in encouraging the students to think about difficult issues. I lean towards the value in encouraging young people to think, express their views and become involved.
In Connecticut, on June 6th, Months after their principal canceled the school production about the war in Iraq, Wilton High School students staged a dramatic reading of the play Wednesday night to a packed house at a nearby theater. The principal justified canceling the show by citing concerns about how it might be seen as biased against the war and might ruffle feelings in the community, which had lost one recent graduate to the war. He also said he did not think there was enough classroom and rehearsal time to ensure “a legitimate instructional experience.”
I understand that people have strong feelings on political issues such as the war, but theater is supposed to make you think. Would it really have been any better to stage a "safe" musical or is there more value in encouraging the students to think about difficult issues. I lean towards the value in encouraging young people to think, express their views and become involved.
In Connecticut, on June 6th, Months after their principal canceled the school production about the war in Iraq, Wilton High School students staged a dramatic reading of the play Wednesday night to a packed house at a nearby theater. The principal justified canceling the show by citing concerns about how it might be seen as biased against the war and might ruffle feelings in the community, which had lost one recent graduate to the war. He also said he did not think there was enough classroom and rehearsal time to ensure “a legitimate instructional experience.”
Sixteen cast members clutched their scripts and captivated a standing-room-only audience of 225 people. At several points during the 50-minute performance of the play, called “Voices in Conflict,” at the Fairfield Theater Company, audience members gasped, laughed and whistled appreciatively.
The play, which had been assigned as part of an advanced drama class, had been conceived as a series of monologues. Students helped their teacher, Bonnie Dickinson, assemble materials from film, books, blogs and other sources in an effort to portray the views of actual soldiers and others on the conflict in their own words. By tackling a topical play, Ms. Dickinson said she had hoped to deliver a more worthwhile experience for her students than usual high school fare like “Grease.” (more)
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