Play About Iraq War Divides a Connecticut School

[YankeyMCC]

Source: NY Times

(snip)
For the spring semester, students in the advanced theater class took on a bigger challenge: creating an original play about the war in Iraq. They compiled reflections of soldiers and others involved, including a heartbreaking letter from a 2005 Wilton High graduate killed in Iraq last September at age 19, and quickly found their largely sheltered lives somewhat transformed.
(snip)

(Snip)
The principal, Timothy H. Canty, who has tangled with students before over free speech, said in an interview he was worried the play might hurt Wilton families “who had lost loved ones or who had individuals serving as we speak,” and that there was not enough classroom and rehearsal time to ensure it would provide “a legitimate instructional experience for our students."
(snip)

(snip)
At least 10 students involved in the production, however, said that the principal had told them the material was too inflammatory, and that only someone who had actually served in the war could understand the experience. They said that Gabby Alessi-Friedlander, a Wilton junior whose brother is serving in Iraq, had complained about the play, and that the principal barred the class from performing it even after they changed the script to respond to concerns about balance.
(snip)

(snip)
In response to concerns that the script was too antiwar, Ms. Dickinson reworked it with the help of an English teacher. The revised version is more reflective and less angry, omitting graphic descriptions of killing, crude language and some things that reflect poorly on the Bush administration, like a comparison of how long it took various countries to get their troops bulletproof vests. A critical reference to Donald H. Rumsfeld, the former defense secretary, was cut, along with a line from Cpl. Sean Huze saying of soldiers: “Your purpose is to kill.”
(snip)


Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/24/nyregion/24drama.html?ex=1332388800&en=673a2bc193676ba4&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

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Much more in the article. At one point the principal is quoted as saying the kids are 'unprepared' to answer questions about the war. My response as a parent would be "And what are you doing to prepare them?"

[AX10]

1. Wilton is a Republican town.

It is on the border of New York, north of Norwalk. That area has alot of affluent business people who are traditionally Republican. It's a small town though.

[shain from kane]

2. Change the name to a fictional country. It worked for the Marx Brothers, Three Stooges, Chaplin,

Orwell, and thousands of science fiction books.

[sutz12]

3. In some ways, I believe this.....however...

<<only someone who had actually served in the war could understand the experience>>

The however comes in when I remember that The Red Badge of Courage was written by a young man who had never seen a battlefield.

Our high school kids are more intelligent and strong than a lot of RWers will allow when it comes to things like this. If they feel strongly enough to try and put it into a play that will be publicly displayed, you can be sure they feel very strongly about the subject. I suspect that censoring them and forcing them to write talking points into their play will only strengthen their resolve. At least I hope so.

We have a class of High School students who have seen, first hand, how the RW noise machine and censors operate. I hope a lot of them get into journalism.

[Rowdy Church]

4. Anti-American Lessons

What is happening on school campuses all across this country is nothing short of anti-American.

Several weeks ago we read that a school principal put a journalism teacher on paid leave after issuing a disciplinary warning against her for allowing a student opt-ed on the topic of GLBT rights. He then demanded that all editorials and editions of the school paper had to be *approved* before publication. Censorship has become the standard that we are now teaching journalism students.

What kind of message are we sending to our youth when we teach them that America is founded upon the principles of Free Speech, a Free Press and Civil Rights -- and at the same time deny them those rights.

In many of the cases, this one included, the administration officials are subverting opinions and ideas that they do not support personally. It would not be a leap of logic to suggest that most of these cases involve neo-cons who do not like the messages or topics being expressed by students that do not fit into their right-wing talking points and ideals.

I hope the young generation being subjected to these abuses recognize just how wrong it is and it forever cements for them just how important the right to free speech really is and just how important it is to fight against censorship.

If so, then ultimately these wrong headed school administration officials are doing us all a favor in the long term.

[roody]

5. I am glad that high schoolers are learning

what a sham our "freedom" is.

[mahina]

6. Plays would be a wonderful way to build community for peace.

Last night we went to see "in the Heart of America", a play about two Gulf War 1 soldiers. It was terrible, really really bad*, but as I saw the faces of the young people around me who came to be galvanized, to be provoked, it was clear this would be a terrific venue.

*badly written, directed, acted, the whole thing.

[DavidDvorkin]

7. The principal is clearly not prepared to answer questions about the war

But the kids are getting a useful political and social lesson out of all this.

[youngdem]

8. Good. All good plays should provoke

Excellent.

[Mika]

9. The play was not pro Bush enough. another snip..

In response to concerns that the script was too antiwar, Ms. Dickinson reworked it with the help of an English teacher. The revised version is more reflective and less angry, omitting graphic descriptions of killing, crude language and some things that reflect poorly on the Bush administration, like a comparison of how long it took various countries to get their troops bulletproof vests. A critical reference to Donald H. Rumsfeld, the former defense secretary, was cut, along with a line from Cpl. Sean Huze saying of soldiers: “Your purpose is to kill.”

Yeah.. the play needed to be Fair and Balanced™ - with more pro war script revisions, less script that reflected badly on the Bush admin, and omitting the tiny detail of lack of armor for troops.

The principle wanted the play to be more like Faux News. :puke:

on edit: Maybe they could have worked the "Clinton did it" meme into the play. It surely would have been OK then.