Connecticut High School Bans Student Play on Iraq War

[roody]

 This is from today's show of Democracy Now

www.democracynow.org


Wednesday, June 20th, 2007
Connecticut High School Bans Student Play on Iraq War
----------------------------------------------------
Administrators at Connecticut’s Wilton High School have banned students from performing "Voices in Conflict", a play about the Iraq war, calling it "sensational and inappropriate." We speak with the play’s director, as well as two students involved in the production. We’re also joined by Iraq war veteran Charlie Anderson, whose story is depicted in the play.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Two weeks ago, audience members packed into an off-Broadway theater here in New York to watch the curtain go up on an unusual production - a high school play about war. The play, called “Voices in Conflict,” was performed by students from Wilton High School in Connecticut. The reason they were performing it on a New York stage instead of the school auditorium? Their high school principal had banned it.

---snip---

* Bonnie Dickinson. Has taught theater at Wilton High School in Connecticut for 13 years. She is the director of the play “Voices in Conflict.”

---snip---

[ananda]

1. translation

"sensational and inappropriate." means too close to the truth for comfort.

So many bureaucratic Americans are ruled by fear these days.

Anyway, good for the students not to let it stop them.

Sue

[roody]

2. A student said that they are not allowed to

discuss the "war" in any of their classes, except a little bit in Middle East Affairs which is not offered every year.

[SteelPenguin]

3. color me unsurprised

it's cool that they managed to perform it off broadway, but I'm not shocked that the school denied it.

Heck when I was in high school they almost didn't let us do Grease because it was too 'controversial' (smoking and premarital teen sex!?! HEAVENS NO!) and only eventually succumbed to pressure by putting a 'rating' on the posters.

[NeedleCast]

4. Ban More Things!

Because as soon as we ban everythingm, we won't have to worry about anything.

[NewJeffCT]

5. Wilton is a very wealthy town

in a state that is one of the wealthier states.

Interesting that a play like this would even be proposed in the first place, but I'm glad the students had the resources to pursue this further.