Hi everyone! My name is Hannah Natanson and I'm a national K-12 Education reporter for The Washington Post. I am working on a story about how thorny it can be right now to choose and put on middle- and high-school student theater productions at this fraught moment, when educational debates over what and how to teach about race, history, gender and sexuality are taking over communities, school boards and state legislatures nationwide – not to mention the 2024 presidential campaign.
I have read about a handful of recent cases – in Pennsylvania, Indiana and Florida – in which school districts canceled high school musicals and plays dubbed controversial, in most cases after parents or other adults complained that the productions featured LGBTQ storylines and characters. I have also heard that subtler forms of censorship are taking place: Educators who administer middle- and high-school theater programs are facing quiet pressure to choose plays and musicals without LGBTQ content, for example, while others are choosing to self-censor in anticipation of pushback. I have additionally heard that state-level bills and laws prohibiting drag shows are making it difficult for some school theater directors to put on plays that require or involve students cross-dressing.
I am looking to speak with theater school directors and staffers facing any of these issues. I am reachable at (202) 580-5477 and via email at hannah.natanson@washpost.com. Depending on folks' personal and professional circumstances, I can certainly consider anonymity, although I would prefer to use names. I am looking to conduct interviews in the next week or two, via phone or Zoom.
In case it helps to know, I have a lot of experience covering similar issues. Here are a few of my previous stories:
Thanks in advance for your consideration. Best, Hannah
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Hannah Natanson
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