Administrators at Red Wing High School have decreed the planned student production of
Rent to be unsuitable for its spring musical. The board’s objections centered upon the play’s depiction of drug use which, despite being relevant to the storyline and presented without glamorization, could apparently tarnish the hearts and minds of the students.
The sadly predictable banning exemplifies the shortsighted mentality that routinely gets such books as
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn pulled from school library shelves. Moral watchdogs – or the fear of moral watchdogs – compel educators, the very people who should be encouraging broader cultural understanding, to compromise their methods in order to accommodate relatively small but militantly fervent pressure groups. So instead of presenting a contemporary work that is critically acclaimed, pertinent to our times, and energizing to the performers, the governing body at Red Wing High School will no doubt substitute the safest, most milquetoast work they can dust off the shelves.
While the board’s decision is pragmatically understandable, it is also culturally lamentable. At any rate, I do hope that the disenchanted student performers will consider whether they feel the production worth developing outside the authority of the school board. That is to say, there’s no reason why the students couldn’t just form their own afterschool / weekend troupe. Perform Rent in someone’s garage. Don’t let the absence of sets and costumes dissuade. The play’s the thing, as The Bard observed, and as long as the young performers have the courage and conviction to take ownership of their own production, there’s no reason they shouldn’t succeed – uncompromised on their own terms.
Meanwhile, the touring company of
Rent will be making a stop at the Orpheum Theatre from 03/25/09 – 03/29/09. Ticketing information is available through
Hennepin Theatre Trust. Everyone, including students from Red Wing High School, is welcome to attend.
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