The Dramatists Guild shares the outrage of our member, writer Joe Iconis, regarding the Turlock High School administration’s abrupt cancellation of his show, Be More Chill, after a single performance. Buckling to pressure by cancelling a show does not stave off controversy; it exacerbates it.
We hope that the administration will reschedule the performances and, as they consider new procedures going forward, we invite them to consider the recommendations of the toolkit, Dramatic Changes: A Guide to Producing Live Stage Works on College Campuses in Turbulent Times, created by the Dramatists Legal Defense Fund.
While aimed at colleges, the toolkit can be instructive for high schools as well, as they try to balance the interests of their community with our society’s fundamental right of free expression.