The Playgoer: "Shakespeare Abridged" Abridged Permanently by School

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Tuesday, October 02, 2007

"Shakespeare Abridged" Abridged Permanently by School

''The only thing I can think of that she might have found objectionable is that there is the use of the word penis, twice.''

-Paul Bartz whose Windwood Theatricals touring group was canceled mid-performance at a Mesa, AZ middle school. Apparently "The Complete Works of Shakespeare Abridged" was too racy. The AP has the funny and disturbing datails.

1 comment:

Aaron Riccio said...

Schools have been canceling shows for years. I went to Stuyvesant High School, which is a pretty liberal public school, and we once put together a production of Israel Horovitz's "Line." We were fine all the way up to the night before we opened, four weeks into rehearsal, when our faculty "adviser" decided to read the script. The school refused to let us issue disclaimers to students coming to see the show, to petition parents to allow the production, or to even let us abridge the questionable material. Granted, "Line" is racier than "Complete Works," but at what point can we just grow up?