Playwright Paula Vogel speaks onstage at the 2017 Tony Awards.
Getty Images for Theo Wargo/Tony Awards Productions
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Getty Images for Theo Wargo/Tony Awards Productions
Playwright Paula Vogel speaks onstage at the 2017 Tony Awards.
Getty Images for Theo Wargo/Tony Awards Productions
PEN America and two other free speech groups are drawing national attention to the decision by Florida County school officials to cancel the play. itself About censorship.
Last week, officials at Duval County Public Schools canceled the production of the Paula Vogel movie. Vulgar at the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. Officials said the WJCT report said the play about a love affair between two women was “inappropriate.”
PEN America, along with the National Coalition Against Censorship and the Dramatist’s Legal Defense Fund, released a statement condemning the decision, saying, “We have asked school officials to revoke the decision and work with students to put the play on as planned.” I urged him to perform.”
Vulgar It’s about the controversy surrounding the 1923 Broadway production. god of revenge, A Yiddish play by Sholem Ash. In the story, the daughter of a Jewish brothel owner falls in love with one of her father’s prostitutes. Ash’s script includes a scene in which he loves two women. The play was a hit on the theater scene in Europe and downtown New York. However, once it was translated into English and played on Broadway, the entire cast was arrested and charged with obscenity.
The free speech group wrote: Vulgar It explores “LGBTQ+ rights, immigration, censorship and anti-Semitism in the early 20th century – themes that are highly relevant to the issues facing society today.” They say that in Douglas Anderson’s recent work, rent When Chicagoindicates in ‘sexual dialogue’ as much, if not more, as is conveyed in ‘ Vulgar.”
If “vaguely defined adult sexual discourse” is reason enough to ban plays from school productions, “these and many other regular productions will be banned from student theatres.” ‘ continued the statement. – Romeo and Juliet to depict sexually active teenagers, Oedipus the King For incest themes and other works of serious literary and artistic value to students and members of the community. ”
Paula Vogel herself also addressed why her play was canceled. She also recorded a podcast with student actors.
“What struck me was the courage of this high school student who spoke up and the courage of the students in that cast,” she told PEN America. Afraid of their work….Censorship of art is always the first step to totalitarianism, and ultimately to genocide.”
She went on to say that other high schools are performing. Vulgar Nothing: “It’s up to the director and the students. If you don’t want to kiss me on stage, let me hug you. I won’t police the instructions on stage. I won’t police the script. My high school will produce my play.” , I’d like to change the F word to “fudge”, but I don’t care. ”
NPR has reached out to Douglas Anderson School of the Arts and Duval County Public Schools for comment, but has not yet received a response.
According to WJCT’s Brendan Rivers, Douglas Anderson Principal Tina Wilson told cast members: Vulgar superseded by Chekhov’s plays Seagull.
In an email to students, she wrote: school production. “
“This decision has nothing to do with Florida’s new law restricting discussion of topics of race and gender,” Rivers said in a statement from district officials.
Vogel’s play “It’s about the purity of love, the strength within a community, the shallowness of those who seek to silence their identities,” said Madeline Scotti, a member of the Douglas Anderson cast. Vulgar in an Instagram post.she urged people to read Vulgar When god of revenge“And have a forbidden conversation.”
