Good morning.
We produced SKM in 2019 to thunderous applause from many and the disdain and annoyance of a very few; one person went so far as to reach out to her local congress member to lodge a specific complaint with him. That person's complaints were about "bullying" but by time it got to my superintendent, it was language: dyke & asshat were both used in the official paperwork added to my personnel file... right there by my "promise to never use foul language" again on stage.
When our cast and crew were told we had to remove the word dyke, we discussed what the alternative should be, which turned into a discussion of the horrible things their families had said to them: we replaced dyke with freak, and it was even more effective and painful and powerful on stage (no offense to Nguyen) than the original language.
Beyond that, it was the most successful play I've ever produced. It spoke to more students and adults about acceptance and love and remembering the people you love. Our theatre was packed each night of the run, our stage and costumes were fAbUlOuS!, and the warm and loving response from everyone (but that one lady) was food for the soul.
have fun!
break legs!
CC
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Caroline Clayton
Teacher
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Original Message:
Sent: 03-28-2022 15:59
From: Christopher Hamilton
Subject: She Kills Monsters
I was wondering if anyone out there has produced (or attempted to produce) She Kills Monsters in a conservative area and what the reaction was. I am thinking of proposing it for next year, but I expect there may be some push-back from admin, the school board, and/or the community. If I do propose it, I want to go into it knowing this and ready to defend it. I believe that I can properly defend it, but I was hoping that there may be others out there who have maybe gone through a similar situation that may be able to share some words of wisdom, specifically what kind of push-back they got (so I can address it ahead of time), or anything else they'd like to share about their experience (community reaction, etc.) If you'd rather send me a private message than post it out here, that'd be fine too. Thanks for all of your help and support!
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Christopher Hamilton
Drama Teacher
Kamiakin High School
WA
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