Fannin County High School has faced scrutiny in the past few weeks after its treatment of Arthur Miller's The Crucible, which is a dramatic and fictional retelling of the Salem Witch Trials, as well as a commentary on McCarthyism.
The opening scene, which features witches dancing in a "possessed" manner, was included in the Fannin County adaptation, and has historically been included or cut at the discretion of the director.
After opening night, however, someone complained about the opening scene, arguing that it had not been approved by the school board, which could get the district into trouble. This story led to the play being canceled for the rest of its schedule.
You can see the official statement issued by the school board here:
Since it's not the most widely read play, many parents were unable to verify the school board's supposed concerns, but they agreed that something didn't feel right.
Fannin County High School/Facebook
Fannin County High School/Facebook
Fannin County High School/Facebook
Fannin County High School/Facebook
Fannin County High School/Facebook
One concerned mom, Amber Cather Herendon, reached out to the Dramatis Play Service (DPS), hoping for some clarity on the subject. The person she spoke to was aware of the case at Fannin High and was apologetic to her about the treatment of the play and those involved, especially the students who worked so hard.
The conversation made it clear that the issue was not related to copyright.
"I called DPS directly, who is the company that gave our high school the copyright to perform 'The Crucible.' You can listen to our full conversation here."
"But as I suspected, they themselves were surprised the production was shut down, and they are investigating it on their end. He also said, generally and historically speaking, there would have been NO problem continuing the play on Saturday."
"So anyone saying, 'Now we have the full story, not everything is a conspiracy theory, etc.,' THIS is the full story."
"It was shut down because a parent or two complained, and it’s just plain WRONG. Just be honest at the very least."
You can see the Facebook post here:
Fellow parents wished everyone would be transparent about their beliefs.
Amber Cather Herendon/Facebook
Amber Cather Herendon/Facebook
Amber Cather Herendon/Facebook
Amber Cather Herendon/Facebook
Amber Cather Herendon/Facebook
Amber Cather Herendon/Facebook
Students involved in the production began to speak out, including Aiden McBee, who said:
"Originally, we were told that somebody made a complaint about the show that it was demonic and disgusting."
Then the president of the drama club, student Abigail Ridings, said:
"I walked into my mom's bedroom Saturday morning, the morning after our first show, and she told me that the show had been canceled, and that she just got off the phone with my principal."
"He said that certain people had to 'repent after watching the show,' as a joke, and that it was canceled due to parent complaints."
The complaints included words like "too evil and disgusting and things like that."
Journalist Howard Sherman pointed out the irony that The Crucible warns against mass hysteria.
"And so it seems that the play about witch hunts, about the persecution of people out of hysteria, despite being an [acknowledged] American classic widely taught in high school classrooms and performed frequently on high school stages, had provoked the same moral persecution it portrayed as unjust."
As the news spread on social media, people couldn't help but note the irony.
While book banning is more frequently covered, various media that address complex and often divisive ideas are being contested more than ever before, especially in the U.S. In many cases, bogus concerns like copyright issues are cited.
We hope the students who put so much hard work into this production will be able to funnel their creative energies elsewhere. And we hope that kids being raised to see stories like The Crucible silenced will grow beyond their parents' ways of thinking.
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