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  • 1.  Has anyone seen this?

    Posted 03-06-2019 07:05

    Saw this on Facebook and went on a bit of a rant about it. So many people freaking out about the fact that students wore klan robes for this show. Many of you, I assume, have read or seen this hilarious play in which the klan guys get their asses kicked. I pointed out that one never hears complaints about students dressing as nazis for Sound of Music or Diary of Anne Frank. 

    The Foreigner is a great play, one I would love to direct some time. The idea of getting hysterical about the presence of klansman – who are clearly portrayed as the villains – ...I just don't understand. 

    But maybe I am out of touch. Is this a phenomenon some of you are dealing with? Are there great shows that you are shying away from, that are not being done anymore due to this PC nonsense?

    Students in Trouble for Playing Klansman in "The Foreigner"



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    Steven Slaughter
    English/Theatre
    Rosslyn Academy
    Nairobi, Kenya

    "Be joyful, though you have considered all the facts." - W Berry
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  • 2.  RE: Has anyone seen this?

    Posted 03-06-2019 12:19
    I do find it a bit odd, though I wouldn't call it PC Nonsense. Maybe the reason we don't hear complaints about portrayals of Nazis is that in the US we can tell ourselves that the atrocities didn't take place here and happened a long time ago (subjectively).  With the klan, the atrocities did take place here and they continue to exist.

    I also wonder if part of the problem is that the show is a comedy. My guess is that a serious play that dealt with the crimes of the klan might not receive as many objections.

    I think this is a case where the community and audience need to be aware of what is happening. Expecting a comedy and suddenly seeing men in klan robes could be very jarring (to say the least). And this isn't like Sound of Music in which the majority of the audience will know the show and know that it has Nazi characters. I don't think the use of klan robes (and boy do I hate even typing the name, and not capitalizing it is my passive-aggressive way of trying to diminish them) is an automatic no-go, but I get why people would be very upset, especially if there was no advanced warning or discussion.

    I'm looking forward to seeing other people's perspectives on this. If anyone has put the show on recently, did you address the issue at all, and were there any complaints?

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    Ken Buswell
    Drama Teacher
    Peachtree City, GA
    http://mcintoshtheater.org/

    Theater kills ignorance
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Has anyone seen this?

    Posted 03-06-2019 12:41
    I'm in a community where it is generally assumed that the KKK exists, though I've not heard anyone talk about it openly. I won't choose that show to do here, not because I don't like it but because there would be a backlash - from the people who are sympathetically sensitive to the issue AND the people (if they exist) who feel mocked and embarrassed by the villainy of those characters. There are other ways to promote tolerance and inclusion, that don't involve doing a play that might get my school's name (and my own) dragged through the mud.  

    And there are plenty of other shows to do. If you like Foreigner, you can do The Nerd, also by Shue, with a similar story arc and less potentially-triggering content.

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    Josh Kauffman
    Teacher
    Winfield AL
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Has anyone seen this?

    Posted 03-06-2019 14:13
    I agree with much of what Kenneth Buswell said. Also, I suspect that it's more of an issue right now than it might have been even just five years ago because of the rise of hate crimes and racist rhetoric in recent years. Everything from the prevalence of viral videos revealing appalling klan-level hatred (I just saw one yesterday of students joking about how black people belong in concentration camps) to the white supremacist march on Charlottesville, sensitivities are high.

    I feel like there was a time when many of us would have taken for granted that students in klan robes for a play were obviously making fun of the KKK - nowadays maybe some people aren't going to feel so sure.

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    Brooke Pierce
    Co-author of the "spy musical" Sympathy Jones
    www.sympathyjones.com
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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Has anyone seen this?

    Posted 03-06-2019 14:32
    I think you're right that audiences would definitely need to be talked through some of this. I would anticipate writing something up in the program and including it in my welcoming comments. I might even try to find an opportunity (in the weekly all school email blast) to write a little essay on the roll of art to tackle ideas and issues. In that context, I would stress that the klan is an element of culture that is not being celebrated in any way. I'd probably also include this in my note to parents for the audition permission form to ensure that parents were okay (or not) with their kid being cast to wear the robe. 

    In my experience, communicating a lot goes a long way toward alleviating issues before they come up. A vacuum of information brings all sorts of false assumptions, judgements, and over-reactions.

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    Steven Slaughter
    English/Theatre
    Rosslyn Academy
    Nairobi, Kenya

    "Be joyful, though you have considered all the facts." - W Berry
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Has anyone seen this?

    Posted 03-07-2019 08:56
    I was concerned when I thought the students were the ones getting in trouble. As the story actually plays out, I think it is a reasonable reaction and has nothing to do with being "PC."

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    William Addis
    Chair of Visual and Performing Arts
    Westtown School
    West Chester PA
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    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Has anyone seen this?

    Posted 03-07-2019 09:16
    The Foreigner is fun, but in this day and age, some education might be in order.

    I would love to direct Lend Me a Tenor, but have always stayed away from it because the main joke in the show is blackface.

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    Robert Smith
    VA Co-Chapter Director
    Retired
    Centreville VA
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    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Has anyone seen this?

    Posted 03-08-2019 13:25
    Actually, playwright Ken Ludwig has himself expressed his blessing to do Lend Me a Tenor without the use of blackface.   Very recently I read a statement from the author to that effect on the Samuel French website, though when I just looked now to link to it, I couldn't find it.

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    Ryan Moore
    Theatre Teacher and Forensics Coach
    Royal Oak MI
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    Original Message


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