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Friday, December 5, 2008

Parents of Rowlett High School students don’t like Rent

by PegNews wire

Arguing that the musical production of Rent soon to be staged by the theater group at Rowlett High School "glamorizes drug use and homosexuality," some parents of kids attending the Garland ISD school want to put a stop to it before it starts. Meanwhile, students involved in the production are strongly in support of the staging.

Even though the play has been edited (by committee, no less) to exclude such things as same-sex kissing, parents and an unnamed local minister still consider the project objectionable and don't want the play to be staged in their local school auditorium.

posted by JM

Staff
Verified User
Anonymous

""I don't think it's the school's place to teach my child diversity or tolerance of a lifestyle that I don't accept," said Gallop."

Because you're gonna do a great job of it yourself, right?

Pavel Lishin Verified

11 months, 3 weeks ago
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LOLZ @ Rowlett...I'm sure The Ballad of Ricky Bobby would have been a smash hit.

Travis Bush Verified

11 months, 3 weeks ago
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Yes, I'm sure there are no gays or drug users burgeoning out in the stix of Rowlett...

rnathanwhite Anonymous

11 months, 3 weeks ago
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yea it's pretty glamorous, let me tell you. i wanted to go have all kinds of gay sex after i saw the play. AIDS and singing, what could beat that?

luniz Anonymous

11 months, 3 weeks ago
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yeah. the un-named pastor is Pastor Kason Huddleston from The River church. www.intheriver.org . It's a nice small trailer based church. It's full of classy tolerant folks.

rowlettblog Anonymous

11 months, 3 weeks ago
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censorship is wrong in any guise,if you don't want to see it don,t go.the play has been edited,so as to be age appropiate.To support the play does not condone or approve of the life styles protrayed,but there is a message,watch it and learn

quixote Anonymous

11 months, 2 weeks ago
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quixote, it simply doesn't work that way in Texas and never has. It is the responsibility of every blowhard religious nutbag in Texas to insert their faith into anything and everything. Tools using religion to suit their own agendas is the simplest way to put it.

Travis Bush Verified

11 months, 2 weeks ago
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Clay213 Anonymous

11 months, 2 weeks ago
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Hey, any attempt to reduce the impact of musical theater on my day gets my full support. ;o)

Jason Rice Verified

11 months, 2 weeks ago
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See, I think when Obama gets everybody out of Guantanamo, we should through these idiots in there instead. And subject them to The Birdcage and Darwin documentaries 24/7.

Montgomery Sutton Verified

11 months, 2 weeks ago
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Ya know Montgomery, I've noticed the most intolerant people I ever meet are "open minded" - and inflexibly so. ;o)

If it was a production of Cabaret and the MC was in a white hood, we'd hear you screaming pretty loudly - but it would be a very valid interpretation - and probably a better American setting for the social statement it really is. But bad for a high school.

They don't live in your neighborhood for a reason. Lord! if people leave their kids for the system to raise we moan and scream. If they show the slightest interest in them, we moan and scream.

I just feel sorry for this poor high school teacher who thought... "here's a musical" (shudder) "that has moved my entire generation for reasons X,Y, and Z and a nice reduced version that I can reach these kids with to show the power of live performance." Next year, they'll probably be looking for a job, probably alongside the well-meaning principal that doubtless ok'ed it.

For the record, I'd let my 6 year old watch the sterilized version.... but you explain "The Tango Maureen" to a 15-16 year old, 'kay. And everyone knows not to pop in the soundtrack at a set build. Me holding a power tool with "525600 verses" going on and on and on in the background? Not pretty.

Jason Rice Verified

11 months, 2 weeks ago
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The amusing part of this story is that teens have access to music that makes Rent sound like Sunday school. Just another case of adults making themselves look naive and stupid.

Travis Bush Verified

11 months, 2 weeks ago
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::have access to music

Yeah, but it's not piped over the intercom system at taxpayer expense. Seriously, I can understand the response. If you even look at the cinema version, it's not small-town fare. The sanitized version often done for conservative colleges and high schools is probably fine, BUT the name selling it is not a super-safe product.

Think how happy you'd be with a musical of Texas Chainsaw Massacre at that school.

Jason Rice Verified

11 months, 2 weeks ago
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Hey now! Leatherface is good people..

Travis Bush Verified

11 months, 2 weeks ago
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Here we go again equating bellicose provincialism with patriotism,and the reframing of bigotry as small -town decency.

quixote Anonymous

11 months, 2 weeks ago
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Quixote is poignante!

I'd have to see "Rent" to form any meaningful opinion on the matter.

Kids already know what "the gay" and "the drugs" are by the time they get to high school. I'd be more concerned about them watching "Saw" than this...

ch0 Anonymous

11 months, 2 weeks ago
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Saw would make a great musical...Jason?

Travis Bush Verified

11 months, 2 weeks ago
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Trav - "Saw" was actually my first thought, but for the metaphor to hold the generational backlash would not be there.

Quixote - go ahead, throw down on patriotism this one. I'll take your "It won a Tony, it should be allowed to play in Dimebox, Texas" and serve it up as sushi. If people have no right to affect their local social norms, it's Fascism. Right wing or left wing; same rules, same name.

If you just mailed "Angels in America" tickets to your grandmother, - or even "Rent" - as a Christmas gift, you win. Otherwise - tilt away.

Jason Rice Verified

11 months, 2 weeks ago
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I really think they should just stick to the play I posted

Clay213 Anonymous

11 months, 2 weeks ago
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k, Clay. Why do you or don't you think the musical about a group of East Village (New York) artists promised free rent for life by a college chum and all their freeloading, artsy (arguably promiscuous) cohabitants variously dying of AIDS is appropriate and relevant for a town that has a cell phone school ban, graffiti cameras, a median age of 32 (young) and a median household income of ~$89K (in a county averaging ~$53K) ?

If ya want focus... ;o)

Jason Rice Verified

11 months, 2 weeks ago
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At least some of the parents there are standing behind their kids and supporting the play. I know there's nothing more discouraging than a parent saying "no" because of religious or supposed "moral" objections. I grew up with that and I know how pervasive it can be. It is enough to break a kid's spirit, especially if they are motivated to be involved in the theater to begin with.

Travis Bush Verified

11 months, 2 weeks ago
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Frankly, the demographics I cite above confuse and surprise me. That indicates enough college degrees to stave off this kind of kneejerk reaction and justify the teacher's selection.

Jason Rice Verified

11 months, 2 weeks ago
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I could recount numerous times where my parents pulled the "no part of the world" business on me. It is frustrating and heartbreaking, lemme tell ya. Kids have only accelerated their awareness and level of independence since I was a teenager, but one thing remains a constant. Say "no" once too often and watch rebellion manifest itself in a myriad of ways.

Travis Bush Verified

11 months, 2 weeks ago
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Clay213 Anonymous

11 months, 2 weeks ago
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::I really think they should just stick to the play I posted

Team America? Didn't know there was a stage version.

Jason Rice Verified

11 months, 2 weeks ago
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There should be.

Clay213 Anonymous

11 months, 2 weeks ago
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SHOW CANCELED

I wonder if the students got on their desks and declared "Oh Captain, My Captain & Tennille.."

Travis Bush Verified

11 months, 2 weeks ago
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I'd imagine that, especially given the publicity over this, that this group can get private sponsors and go on with the show apart from the school district at least for one performance. It might require some innovation, especially relative to sets and so forth.

And the kids learn an important lesson about the arts, especially that when you are accepting financial support your artistic expression is controlled by the ones holding the purse strings.