Open Forum

Hello,

I am wondering if anyone has read/produced and knows the differences between the two versions of "Kiss Me Kate" - the original 1948 and the 1999 revision. Also, I am looking into "Heathers" the musical as an option and wondered how racy it is and if anyone has been able to present successfully for a high school-aged musical in their neck of the woods--edits?

Thanks.

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Jennifer Jordan
Drama and Dance Director
Miss Hall's School
Pittsfield MA
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I had an alumni (Cait Fairbanks) who was in the off-Broadway production of "Heathers" (she was 20 at the time) so I took a group of high school students to see her in the show, as they had done Beauty and the Beast with her in her senior year. Well, of course--They loved it!  We were well aware of the show contents and the music so we weren't unprepared.  There were some other high school groups there and some left at intermission as the chaperones felt it was not inappropriate for them. 

However, when we talked about if this was something we should do at our high school they thought the students would love it but the general public (ie- parents, teachers etc.) would not.  Although it does have a message about bullies in it--it does have a lot of violence, on stage sex-partially clothed, language, homosexual humor and some raunchy humor.  Now, we have done Laramie Project and Spring Awakening (the play version) this year so my community is not very conservative yet I would not produce Heathers at this time. 

Kiss Me Kate --one of the main differences is the song Too Darn Hot---the new version has a better orchestration and also has stronger supporting characters.  We had alot of fun doing the show however, the set is difficult as you flip back and forth between the stage and the backstage very quickly.  It took some inventive set design and a well rehearsed stage crew!   

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Kathy Cannarozzi-Harris
Chairperson Of Visual And Performing Arts
Laguna Hills CA
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I would be interested in hearing what shows you have done that were chosen for the purpose (in part) of stretching your audiences/administrators. 

Kathy Harris mentioned Spring Awakening (the play) in the discussion above. 

Any others? And if so, what was the process of preparing your audiences/administrators and the response to the production?

--Jerf
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John Friedenberg
Director Of Theatre
Wake Forest University Dept of Theatre & Dance
Winston-salem NC
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Good questions, John.  We've done The Laramie Project, RENT, Metamorphoses, Pippin, The House of Blue Leaves, Neverwhere. Before I met with any of the administrators, I made sure that I could articulate sound educational reasons for working on these productions, and that those reasons aligned with our school's mission and philosophy. These, I believe, were the most potent tools for getting the higher-ups to come on board. I assured everyone that our audiences would be aware of the content and that I would be happy to field phone calls or emails to answer any questions that might arise. I've spoken to parents of cast members as well as potential audience members to explain productions, content, and message. On some of the more audience-challenging pieces, I prepped the cast and arranged for post-show discussions with the audience. We have, on occasion, had push-back, mostly from parents. But I try to make sure that I've got the answers before the questions even arise, just in case.

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Michael Bergman
Teacher/Director
Alexandria VA
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A few years back we produced Nickel and Dimed, which is the play version of the book by the same name.  It has a wonderful lead for a strong young female actor and many, varied roles which may be doubled if you wish.  The story is about a journalist, Barbara Ehrenriech, who worked in a series of minimum wage jobs for a year and her experiences and struggles during that time.  It lead to some great discussions and the preparation for the cast was very meaningful.  It was a great experience for our students and community.

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Wendy Short-Hays
Director of Performing Arts
Visitation School and Saint Thomas Academy
Mendota Heights MN
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Nickel and Dimed sounds very much like something I'd like to do at some point.  Can you post the author and who holds the rights?

Thanks.

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Allan Dodson
Roswell GA
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Barbara Ehrenreich wrote the book.  Dramatist holds the license.  If you choose to do this you will enjoy the process.  There are so many ways to enrich the students' awareness around minimum wage, homelessness, corporate greed etc.

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Wendy Short-Hays
Director of Performing Arts
Visitation School and Saint Thomas Academy
Mendota Heights MN
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I love "Heathers", and I tend to push the boundaries when it comes to producing the high school shows in our conservative community.  That being said, I cannot imagine doing a good version of "Heathers" with high school students.  Not only because of the items already mentioned, but because of the violence, "suicides" and the idea of blowing up the school.  

The movie was pre-Columbine, Newtown, etc... I feel these events are a little too recent for this generation to understand where Heathers is coming from.  I discussed the show with my students after I saw it in NYC, and several of them watched the movie on Netflix.  The most common response to the movie was along the lines of "This is a comedy?!"

I have recently thought of proposing to do it at our community college, because I do love it.  I just don't think a high school audience would appreciate it.

All the best!

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Megan Kern
Somerville NJ
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Hi Jennifer,

I'm just jumping in here to say that Samuel French has received an enormous amount of interest in connection with HEATHERS which has been thrilling.  However, knowing the content of the show, we are committed to working with the authors to create an alternate version appropriate for high schools and yet keeping the spirit of the musical the kids have come to love.

In the meantime, consider these as options - Kyle Jarrow's GORILLA MAN, or SIDE SHOW, SCREAM QUEENS or RETURN OT THE FORBIDDEN PLANET. 

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Abbie Van Nostrand
Director of Corporate Communications
Samuel French, Inc.
New York NY
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Thank you ALL for your informed responses. I watched the movie of "Heathers" the other evening, and honestly, it was not the way my high school self remembered it. I agree that themes are just a little to timely to touch at this particular time. I am leaning toward "Kiss Me Kate" at this point, but open to other ideas...Thanks again.

Jen

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Jennifer Jordan
Drama and Dance Director
Miss Hall's School
Pittsfield MA
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