Common Sense Drought in Stevens Point Kills "Urinetown"

The high school students in Stevens Point will miss out on of the most enjoyable, humorous productions of the past twenty years, Urinetown: District says goodbye 'Urinetown,' hello 'Music Man'

Administrators there axed plans for high school students to put on a play called “Urinetown.”

They wanted to find something more wholesome as a replacement and chose “The Music Man.”

School Superintendent Bette Lang said she found the show’s title questionable, but her final decision to nix it was based in her belief that productions at the high school should be age-appropriate for as many students as possible in the district. (emphasis added)

In the opening of Urinetown, wise-beyond-her-years Little Sally describes the water shortage when she is interrupted by Officer Lockstock.

Officer Lockstock: Whoa there. Not all at once. They'll hear more about the water shortage in the next scene.

Little Sally: Oh, I guess you don't want to overload them with too much exposition, huh?

Officer Lockstock: Everything in time, Little Sally. You're too young to understand it now, but nothing kills a show like too much exposition.

Little Sally: How about bad subject matter? Or a bad title? That could kill a show pretty good.

Obviously the folks in Stevens Point will never get the joke. And no one in Stevens Point ever shared Everyone Poops with their four year old.

Anyone old enough to appreciate the Music Man is old enough for Urinetown. Unless, of course, they never did the pee dance and they believe this planet has an unlimited supply of fresh water.

Update: Disclosure- Rachael played Little Sally in the University of Michigan production of Urinetown.

Comments

[Merry Selk]

Never would I have expected to argue for the more conservative show -- but here it is: It's reasonable to choose a 'safe' high school musical -- since it affects the kids who will be performers, as well as the community who would come to watch.

Our local (Albany CA) high school has always had ecstatic kids and packed houses for the annual student musical, with Guys & Dolls, etc.

Last year the school offered the musical GYPSY, about Gypsy Rose Lee's introduction to the world of stripping. The kids were embarrassed in their skimpy costumes and bumps and grinds, there were just a few big parts and not enough smaller ones. And the audience -- parents, neighbors, elementary kids -- didn't come because they thought the show was too 'risque.'

This year, the show will be Chorus Line, which has parts for lots of kids, not so much undress, and a presentation that more in the community will appreciate.

[Merry Selk]

Another Wisconsin school story:

clock Nov 24, 2006 10:38 am US/Central
Fond du Lac Parents Want Angelou Book Banned

(AP) FOND DU LAC Some Fond du Lac parents have asked school officials to remove former U.S. poet laureate Maya Angelou's autobiography from the high school curriculum.

Students at Fond du Lac High School read "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" in sophomore advanced English classes.

But some parents have objected to passages that describe Angelou's rape and subsequent unwanted pregnancy. About 80 people attended a meeting at the school this week to discuss the book and the request to remove it.

School Superintendent Gregory Maass said the initial complaint came from one family.

"We had a mother and father and student who questioned the book," he said. "The high school provided the student with an alternative book."

The parents were not satisfied and asked for the book to be removed from the curriculum, Maass said.

School officials declined to name those parents or others who have asked for the book to be banned.

Fond du Lac High School Principal Mary Fran Merwin said parents, teachers, principals and at least two ministers spoke at the meeting, where no decision was made. She said the school has used the book for a decade.

"It is Angelou's own account of growing up," Merwin said. "It has a number of attributes, and it's a historically relevant story about a black woman growing up in the United States."

English teacher Joe Pentek also defended the book.

"I felt as a teacher of the book that the students were mature enough to handle the concepts of the book and look beyond the images portrayed to a deeper meaning and the effects of what Angelou went through," he said. "What better place to discuss adversity than in a classroom setting?"

School board president Gary Sharpe said the request was the first to remove a book in his eight years on the board. A school committee will make a decision on the book, and if parents remain unhappy, they can appeal to the superintendent and school board, he said.

Sharpe declined to comment on the book, saying he didn't want a conflict if the case came before the board.

"Certainly if it comes before the board I will read the book," he said. "What we want to do is educate children and they need to read to be educated and well-rounded. Whether this is one of those books that helps do that, I don't know."

(© 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

[chacal la chaise]

thanks for the post, and also thanks for the comment about the school in fon du lac. amazing what goes on--some parents must surely "believe" that the best thing for their kids is to remain virgins for life.