Open Forum

Hello all, 

Just wanted to throw a question out there to the collective wisdom of the group.  

I am just starting to think about my season for next year.  Many of my kids would like to do Little Shop of Horrors which would fit us pretty well and which has a whole lot of positives.  But I am finding it very hard to get around Audrey and Orin's relationship and what I see as the presentation of abuse in a humorous manner.  

Things have changed a lot since this show was written, and in the era of #MeToo it seems to me that a series of jokes about a relationship that is clearly domestic abuse is basically untenable.   Particularly in a high school setting.  That is not a message that I want to present on my stage.  

So my question is whether any of you have found a good way to direct around that issue or if anyone has successfully petitioned MTI to alter any of those lines.  ​

Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

I hope you are all hanging in there with show cancellations and suspension of classes,
Chris

------------------------------
Christopher Sheldon
Performing Arts Teacher
Bancroft School
Worcester MA
------------------------------

I should also mention that I got permission from MTI to change "you little slut" to "you little tramp." Not too much better, but I had a visceral reaction to the original wording, I could only imagine how my audiences would react.

------------------------------
Jodi Disario
Director of Drama
Willow Glen High School
San Jose, CA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-17-2020 14:04
From: Christopher Sheldon
Subject: Solving the Problem of Little Shop?

Hello all,

Just wanted to throw a question out there to the collective wisdom of the group.

I am just starting to think about my season for next year.  Many of my kids would like to do Little Shop of Horrors which would fit us pretty well and which has a whole lot of positives.  But I am finding it very hard to get around Audrey and Orin's relationship and what I see as the presentation of abuse in a humorous manner.

Things have changed a lot since this show was written, and in the era of #MeToo it seems to me that a series of jokes about a relationship that is clearly domestic abuse is basically untenable.   Particularly in a high school setting.  That is not a message that I want to present on my stage.

So my question is whether any of you have found a good way to direct around that issue or if anyone has successfully petitioned MTI to alter any of those lines.  ​

Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

I hope you are all hanging in there with show cancellations and suspension of classes,
Chris

------------------------------
Christopher Sheldon
Performing Arts Teacher
Bancroft School
Worcester MA
------------------------------

Original Message------

Hello all, 

Just wanted to throw a question out there to the collective wisdom of the group.  

I am just starting to think about my season for next year.  Many of my kids would like to do Little Shop of Horrors which would fit us pretty well and which has a whole lot of positives.  But I am finding it very hard to get around Audrey and Orin's relationship and what I see as the presentation of abuse in a humorous manner.  

Things have changed a lot since this show was written, and in the era of #MeToo it seems to me that a series of jokes about a relationship that is clearly domestic abuse is basically untenable.   Particularly in a high school setting.  That is not a message that I want to present on my stage.  

So my question is whether any of you have found a good way to direct around that issue or if anyone has successfully petitioned MTI to alter any of those lines.  ​

Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

I hope you are all hanging in there with show cancellations and suspension of classes,
Chris

------------------------------
Christopher Sheldon
Performing Arts Teacher
Bancroft School
Worcester MA
------------------------------

Apparently my original post didn't go through. Basically:

Little Shop is the show we lost to COVID-19 5 days before opening. The way that we were handling the Orin/Audrey relationship was to have Orin underplay- not playing for laughs in any scene with Audrey. We found that having him talk low, quiet, and slow made his abusiveness even scarier. We did the slap on the other side of the "window," which is made of scrim. It takes the focus off of the actual slap.

We also included a half page in our program with a hotline for people in abusive relationships to call. It was sponsored by the YWCA.

------------------------------
Jodi Disario
Director of Drama
Willow Glen High School
San Jose, CA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-17-2020 14:04
From: Christopher Sheldon
Subject: Solving the Problem of Little Shop?

Hello all,

Just wanted to throw a question out there to the collective wisdom of the group.

I am just starting to think about my season for next year.  Many of my kids would like to do Little Shop of Horrors which would fit us pretty well and which has a whole lot of positives.  But I am finding it very hard to get around Audrey and Orin's relationship and what I see as the presentation of abuse in a humorous manner.

Things have changed a lot since this show was written, and in the era of #MeToo it seems to me that a series of jokes about a relationship that is clearly domestic abuse is basically untenable.   Particularly in a high school setting.  That is not a message that I want to present on my stage.

So my question is whether any of you have found a good way to direct around that issue or if anyone has successfully petitioned MTI to alter any of those lines.  ​

Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

I hope you are all hanging in there with show cancellations and suspension of classes,
Chris

------------------------------
Christopher Sheldon
Performing Arts Teacher
Bancroft School
Worcester MA
------------------------------

I had a parent freak out about that same issue after a rehearsal. She threatened to pull her daughter out of the show because of it. Of course, the parent didn't have her freak out in front of me, so I didn't get to respond to her, but I had a response ready: Clearly, the relationship is abusive, and that is one side of "unbalanced relationships" presented in the show. But, in order to show a "solution to a problem," you have to show the problem first.  Several relationships in the show are unbalanced or unhealthy in some way. If that upsets you/the audience, then good! You see a problem on stage that reflects a problem in society. So, go fix it in society so we no longer have to show it on stage to draw attention to it. How is the problem fixed? Well, who is the first person to be eaten? The mental and physical abuser. No, violence shouldn't be the first solution, but it's what Seymour turns to...for which he is later punished. Lots of good lessons to learn from this show, IF you give it a chance. Now don't get me started on Urinetown!

------------------------------
Kevin Welsh
Auditorium Director
Columbus East High School
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-17-2020 14:04
From: Christopher Sheldon
Subject: Solving the Problem of Little Shop?

Hello all,

Just wanted to throw a question out there to the collective wisdom of the group.

I am just starting to think about my season for next year.  Many of my kids would like to do Little Shop of Horrors which would fit us pretty well and which has a whole lot of positives.  But I am finding it very hard to get around Audrey and Orin's relationship and what I see as the presentation of abuse in a humorous manner.

Things have changed a lot since this show was written, and in the era of #MeToo it seems to me that a series of jokes about a relationship that is clearly domestic abuse is basically untenable.   Particularly in a high school setting.  That is not a message that I want to present on my stage.

So my question is whether any of you have found a good way to direct around that issue or if anyone has successfully petitioned MTI to alter any of those lines.  ​

Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

I hope you are all hanging in there with show cancellations and suspension of classes,
Chris

------------------------------
Christopher Sheldon
Performing Arts Teacher
Bancroft School
Worcester MA
------------------------------

We are working with our school counseling team to provide appropriate resources about abuse and drug use.

------------------------------
Jessica Shaw
Speech and Drama Teacher
Alexandria VA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-17-2020 14:04
From: Christopher Sheldon
Subject: Solving the Problem of Little Shop?

Hello all,

Just wanted to throw a question out there to the collective wisdom of the group.

I am just starting to think about my season for next year.  Many of my kids would like to do Little Shop of Horrors which would fit us pretty well and which has a whole lot of positives.  But I am finding it very hard to get around Audrey and Orin's relationship and what I see as the presentation of abuse in a humorous manner.

Things have changed a lot since this show was written, and in the era of #MeToo it seems to me that a series of jokes about a relationship that is clearly domestic abuse is basically untenable.   Particularly in a high school setting.  That is not a message that I want to present on my stage.

So my question is whether any of you have found a good way to direct around that issue or if anyone has successfully petitioned MTI to alter any of those lines.  ​

Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

I hope you are all hanging in there with show cancellations and suspension of classes,
Chris

------------------------------
Christopher Sheldon
Performing Arts Teacher
Bancroft School
Worcester MA
------------------------------

Good morning,

These are all great ideas and ways to deal with abuse. When we did the show we actually had someone come and talk to the cast about domestic abuse. It went over really well.

------------------------------
Crit Fisher
Lighting/Sound Designer
New Albany High School
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-17-2020 14:04
From: Christopher Sheldon
Subject: Solving the Problem of Little Shop?

Hello all,

Just wanted to throw a question out there to the collective wisdom of the group.

I am just starting to think about my season for next year.  Many of my kids would like to do Little Shop of Horrors which would fit us pretty well and which has a whole lot of positives.  But I am finding it very hard to get around Audrey and Orin's relationship and what I see as the presentation of abuse in a humorous manner.

Things have changed a lot since this show was written, and in the era of #MeToo it seems to me that a series of jokes about a relationship that is clearly domestic abuse is basically untenable.   Particularly in a high school setting.  That is not a message that I want to present on my stage.

So my question is whether any of you have found a good way to direct around that issue or if anyone has successfully petitioned MTI to alter any of those lines.  ​

Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

I hope you are all hanging in there with show cancellations and suspension of classes,
Chris

------------------------------
Christopher Sheldon
Performing Arts Teacher
Bancroft School
Worcester MA
------------------------------

The angry "Little Shop" letter we got was about singling out one religious group in a blasphemous way, when Oren the dentist says, "Jesus Christ!!."  The ironic part of this story is that the letter was from one of our guidance counselors. Did he object to the mental and physical abuse Audrey goes through? Nope.  We did get a chance to talk and I "gave [him] something to think about" with that.  I also pointed out that villainizing a character with rough speech was not only an efficient way of telling the audience who the bad guys are, but also a foreshadowing of the price he would pay -- with his life, in this case.

------------------------------
Douglas "Chip" Rome
Theatre Consultant
Educational Stages
Burke VA
http://bit.ly/EdStages
http://bit.ly/RWTEOview
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-17-2020 14:04
From: Christopher Sheldon
Subject: Solving the Problem of Little Shop?

Hello all,

Just wanted to throw a question out there to the collective wisdom of the group.

I am just starting to think about my season for next year.  Many of my kids would like to do Little Shop of Horrors which would fit us pretty well and which has a whole lot of positives.  But I am finding it very hard to get around Audrey and Orin's relationship and what I see as the presentation of abuse in a humorous manner.

Things have changed a lot since this show was written, and in the era of #MeToo it seems to me that a series of jokes about a relationship that is clearly domestic abuse is basically untenable.   Particularly in a high school setting.  That is not a message that I want to present on my stage.

So my question is whether any of you have found a good way to direct around that issue or if anyone has successfully petitioned MTI to alter any of those lines.  ​

Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

I hope you are all hanging in there with show cancellations and suspension of classes,
Chris

------------------------------
Christopher Sheldon
Performing Arts Teacher
Bancroft School
Worcester MA
------------------------------

Same thing here. I did not get any complaints about the black eye, the broken arm, the name-calling, the violence. Nobody complained about the violence against Audrey. The only complaint I got was that Oren says, "Jesus Christ" while he does it.

People.

------------------------------
Jeff Johnson
Director of Theatre Arts
Del Oro High School
Loomis CA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-19-2020 11:02
From: Douglas Rome
Subject: Solving the Problem of Little Shop?

The angry "Little Shop" letter we got was about singling out one religious group in a blasphemous way, when Oren the dentist says, "Jesus Christ!!."  The ironic part of this story is that the letter was from one of our guidance counselors. Did he object to the mental and physical abuse Audrey goes through? Nope.  We did get a chance to talk and I "gave [him] something to think about" with that.  I also pointed out that villainizing a character with rough speech was not only an efficient way of telling the audience who the bad guys are, but also a foreshadowing of the price he would pay -- with his life, in this case.

------------------------------
Douglas "Chip" Rome
Theatre Consultant
Educational Stages
Burke VA
http://bit.ly/EdStages
http://bit.ly/RWTEOview

Original Message:
Sent: 03-17-2020 14:04
From: Christopher Sheldon
Subject: Solving the Problem of Little Shop?

Hello all,

Just wanted to throw a question out there to the collective wisdom of the group.

I am just starting to think about my season for next year.  Many of my kids would like to do Little Shop of Horrors which would fit us pretty well and which has a whole lot of positives.  But I am finding it very hard to get around Audrey and Orin's relationship and what I see as the presentation of abuse in a humorous manner.

Things have changed a lot since this show was written, and in the era of #MeToo it seems to me that a series of jokes about a relationship that is clearly domestic abuse is basically untenable.   Particularly in a high school setting.  That is not a message that I want to present on my stage.

So my question is whether any of you have found a good way to direct around that issue or if anyone has successfully petitioned MTI to alter any of those lines.  ​

Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

I hope you are all hanging in there with show cancellations and suspension of classes,
Chris

------------------------------
Christopher Sheldon
Performing Arts Teacher
Bancroft School
Worcester MA
------------------------------