“Rent”: The Show Mustn’t Go On?
There’s a “Rent” dispute raging through some unlikely places—Rowlett, Texas…Newport Beach, California…Bridgeport, West Virginia. It’s not about housing rights, but about a rite of passage—the high school musical—and what constitutes a responsible show for teens to stage.
After the producers of the Broadway musical “Rent” spun off a modified version of the Pulitzer and Tony Award winning play, high schools across the country showed interest in staging it. “Rent: School Edition” was intended to replace aging school performances like “The Music Man” with an edgier production that doubles as a teaching tool about discrimination and tolerance.
The school version omits some profane language and same-sex contact. But the story, centered on a group of New York City artists—gay, straight, drug addicted, and HIV-positive among them—remains the same. And that has rankled school officials, who have in turn enraged drama teachers, leaving students caught in the middle.
“I know drugs are out there, I know children are having babies at twelve…But I don’t know if we need ‘Rent,’” said a West Virginia schools superintendent who forbade a local high school to stage the show, explaining that West Virginia families wouldn’t find the content of “Rent” appealing.
But broadening perspectives is the point, say supporters of the show. “ My responsibility as a drama teacher is to expose my students to a variety of different types of plays,” explained a California high school teacher who said his school principal told him to cancel the show after disapproving of its gay characters. The principal denies it, and flabbergasted students were told they might stage “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” instead.
The controversy over “Rent” got so intense in Rowlett, Texas that Rowlett High’s theater director cancelled the production himself, to spare his students the pressure of local residents who called the subject matter immoral, anti-family, and inappropriate for a high school audience. “Everyone is pretty upset,” said a student with a leading role.
All of which prompted one of the original Broadway cast members from “Rent” to remark, “You’re going to be upset in 2009 about a show because it has a man onstage in women’s clothing? You’ve gotta be kidding me.”
Tell us what you think: When teens are shielded from reality, is it a help or a disservice? When it comes to responsibility in the arts, who should decide what’s appropriate?
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RENT
I have been active in theatre for a long time in backstage tech. I am also a parent of theatre kids (now adults) and a former high school teacher. I think the problem is that it is NOT the school’s responsibility to stage students in material that their parents or the school may deem inappropriate. While it is reasonable to acknowledge that these situations exists and engage in meaningful dialogue about them, putting students in the situations in public on a stage indirectly exposes the student and student body to the situation, which, like it or not, parents and schools have a right to object to. Parents have a right to decide what is acceptable for their children. School productions should remain “G”. Budding actors can participate in community theatre or go see other productions on their own time.
kay lester | 10 months, 2 weeks ago
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Censorship is bad
Whether it’s about theatre, books or music all censorship will do is dumb us all down. Controversial subjects should be discussed, explored and then decided on, not hidden from. Schools that prevent these productions from going on are causing their students not to trust them to be available to discuss the “hard” subjects. Instead, they are telling their youth that these subjects are not fit for public discussion, which marginalizes youth that have questions about whatever the subject is.
Linda T | 10 months, 2 weeks ago
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Oh please
Guess what? Kids have sex, do drugs, and watch adult related movies on the computer in your living room.
Rent’s actually a great play, with modern life lessons that can help the actors and the audience grows as people. Sure, the parents have a right to veto what gets put on at their kids’ school, but get over it already. Your kids are not innocent and neither are you. Rather than worry about what ends up going into their devious little heads, why you don’t talk to them about real world issues, share your thoughts, and learn from them. You’ll realize that you’ve got nothing to worry about “Rent.”
Joe Queue | 10 months, 2 weeks ago
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Careful...
Kay Lester is dead on. So long as parents are forced* to send their kids to these schools, they have every right to approve of or object to what their kids are being taught. It’s yet another part of the problems created by mandatory government education centers (i.e. public schools). If people are required to attend, it creates a huge onus on that school to not create offensive situations. For all those saying “Hey, drugs and gay people are out there, therefore it’s okay to do the play” — How would you feel if they put on a play that was anti-gay? Hey, there are anti-gay people out there, so it’s okay, right? Careful…. If you choose to expose your kids to these themes in plays, let them do community theater. That’s the parents’ call.
[* forced — unless you are wealthy enough to pay for their education twice — through taxes and again through private school tuition.]
Stephen R | 10 months, 2 weeks ago
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Typical American Response---Let's get all EMOTIONA
Why do we Americans get so heated and emotional when controversy arises? It serves no one to allow emotions to come into play when trying to have dialogue. Is it any wonder that we have not evolved much in some arenas? To comment on Stephen R’s comment about “anti-gay” themes. There are TONS of shows on TV and TONS of musicals that have biases against all sorts of people—gay people included. We already DO ALLOW them and don’t bat an eye. Perhaps, this production attempts to start “leveling the score”.
If history is any teacher, it has not served us well to put our head in the sand regarding many issues—-racial prejudice, hatred, abuse, HIV infection, homophobia, the economic downturn… An artist (painter, composer, writer, teacher, doctor) has a responsibility to get his audience to view the world in a different way—otherwise it IS NOT ART and not worth doing.
As far as Stephen R’s comment on children being “forced” to attend these schools. This smacks of utter contempt for public education. SHAME ON YOU! I am a taxpayer who has paid 25 YEARS of taxes to educate American children yet I haven’t had any children. I still paid taxes to schools even though people like you try to undermine them with your hateful words. If anyone should be angry it should be me that I have to pay to educate children of ungrateful parents who aren’t nearly as enlightened as they think they are.
WHY HAVE WE HISTORICALLY APPEASED THE LEAST EDUCATED AND AWARE PEOPLE OF THIS COUNTRY? It has delayed our progress from the Civil War until today! Shame on us all!
AJ Stryker | 10 months, 2 weeks ago
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It's NOT censorship
It’s NOT censorship when you make the choice of a decent show over one that does not reflect the values a school district wants to portray. As a 12 year veteran school director and a parent of a theater student, I think that the school should not allow this play and many others to be done in the high schools. There are plenty of good plays and musicals that could be done that would be appropriate (perhaps some with a few minor changes) for high school students and more importantly, for the community. Something I rarely hear mentioned is the fact that high school musicals should be for the whole community. These HS students will have plenty of opportunities in college or out in the world to go to and even perform in movies that glorify sex, drugs etc. They should do shows in HS that will be good for families so that parents can feel good about taking younger children to see the high school students perform. Also, so that senior citizens can attend and not be offended. Why must theater teachers always feel like they have to “push the envelope” with their students? If you want to do that, go teach in a college.
Marilyn Reed | 10 months, 2 weeks ago
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"Let's Get All Emotional..."
“Let’s Get All Emotional’s” response does exactly what he (or she) decries…gets all emotional. I have spent 25 years putting three children through the public school system and I have to say that I agree with “Careful…” If I had my choice, I would not have used the public school system. I don’t think my children got the kind of education I wanted them to have and if I had the money, they would have gone to a private school. It isn’t the public school system’s job to expose our kids to the baser things of this world. It’s their job to teach them the fundamentals. Parents have the right to allow their children to view what they deem appropriate at home, but the school system should be held to a different standard. It is my right as a parent to teach my child my values when it comes to sex, morality, religion, etc., and the school system infringes on that right daily. We aren’t “Less educated” or “less aware”. Both my husband and I are college graduates and we have raised a physicist, a nursing student and a computer engineering student. We have had to suplement their public school education to allow them to develop their potential. I’m not complaining about it. I’m just stating the facts. The government has taken the job of educating our children by default, but that does not mean that parents should have to surrender their rights at the door. With freedom comes responsibility and the school system does not have the right to constantly undermine our values. Setting guidelines for public schools is not censorship, it is responsible behavior. The school systems in this country are not just serving the liberal sector. They are serving EVERYONE and they have a responsibility to respect our values, even if they don’t agree with them. THIS IS AMERICA. Just because I don’t agree with you does not make me prejudiced, a homophobic, sexist, or any other name you throw at people who don’t have your viewpoint. If we really want change in this country, then we need to start respecting our constitution and the people it serves…ALL of them.
Kim Allen | 10 months, 2 weeks ago
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Theater Teacher
Bravo. You hit the nail on the head. Although we want to expand our high school productions to more modern plays, G rated shows are a must. Parents and school boards have the final say.
Joyce Bogusky | 10 months, 1 week ago
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Regardless of "wrong" or "right"
I live in the small city of Rowlett, Texas… 50,000 people. It is shocking to me what this production has done to this town! Fighting for morals and tearing your town apart in the process just seems ridiculous.
Texas Girl | 10 months, 1 week ago
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Question to all who have commented...
I don’t want to participate in the argument. I’m just curious, how many of you have actually watched Rent (the Broadway show or the movie)? Be honest. Nothing requires you to watch something if you find it offensive. I’m just curious if people’s opinions are coming from their reactions to the musical or their reactions to the subject matter or content of the show. Seriously though, be honest, because you could argue from both sides whether you’ve seen the movie or not.
Of course, please don’t cheat and go watch it real fast before you comment again.
If I will start by saying that I personally have seen it, but it was a long time ago and I don’t remember most of it.
Laura Shipley | 10 months, 1 week ago
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