|| News ||
Page 1 of 1

Judge Allows Teens to Play Gay


RENT THE MUSICAL GENERIC X390 (FAIR USE) | ADVOCATE.COM

A Nevada judge ruled on Tuesday that a high school theater class should not be blocked from performing The Laramie Project and the musical Rent.

A group known as Concerned Parents of Green Valley High in Henderson, Nev., filed a lawsuit in October to halt the productions. The parents objected to students playing characters dealing with gay issues and drug use.

Clark County district court judge David Wall ruled that participation and attendance at the plays was voluntary and therefore permissible, reports the Associated Press.

Green Valley High School principal Jeff Horn stood by the school’s theatrical decisions during the lawsuit. Horn told Advocate.com in October that the school decided to stage Moisés Kaufman’s The Laramie Project, a play chronicling the 1998 slaying of gay college student Matthew Shepard and its aftermath, in conjunction with the 10th anniversary observance of the play’s premiere.

As for the musical, Horn reviewed Rent: School Edition, an edited version of the musical omitting coarse language and one sexually explicit song, and deemed it appropriate for students.

Performances of The Laramie Project begin this weekend, while Rent will be staged early next year.

Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Twitter. Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Facebook. Page 1 of 1
Reader Comments
  • Name: James McGuire
    Date posted: 11/11/2009 8:30:25 AM
    Hometown: Wakefield, MA

    Comment:

    My spouse and I happened to be in Las Vegas when the Laramie Project 10 years later was being performed around the world. I didn't want to miss out and thought it would be a perfect place to cewlebrate our 19 year anniversary. So I searched and found the only performance in Nevada was at the Green Valley High in Henderson. We took two buses to get there from the 'strip' and saw the historic production/reading. The students and faculty did a great job. Life is much different from when I went to high school. I didn't expect such a good turn out in such a conservative place. The parents protesting need to see the plays. The one character in the original Laramie Project has the perfect response....'but mom, last year I played a murderer and you had no objections'.

  • Name: Debra
    Date posted: 11/11/2009 3:35:31 AM
    Hometown: Sacramento

    Comment:

    Bravo to the kids, the principal and the courts. Lets hope the closed minded parents get a wake up call.

  • Name: rationalthinker
    Date posted: 11/10/2009 11:54:16 PM
    Hometown: boston

    Comment:

    ftw

  • Name: Morgan
    Date posted: 11/10/2009 10:25:41 PM
    Hometown: Austin

    Comment:

    Yay! : ) Both of these shows are awesome. When my highschool did Rent a couple years ago, I rhink it opened a lot of minds.

  • Name: Phillip
    Date posted: 11/10/2009 8:48:21 PM
    Hometown: Reseda

    Comment:

    Why don't they combine both plays and have a musical called "Matt"?

  • Name: MarK
    Date posted: 11/10/2009 6:59:51 PM
    Hometown: Tesuque

    Comment:

    Fantastic! I always remember the adage, you've got to be taught to hate. Bravo for the principal and the kids standing up for what they believe in. Perhaps there is hope for the future after all.

  • Name: ArtNOLA
    Date posted: 11/10/2009 6:53:13 PM
    Hometown: New Orleans

    Comment:

    BRAVO!!!



Don't Miss
  • Best of Broadway Smash: Why You Will Love It

    Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, two of the producers of NBC’s new critically acclaimed musical series, explain why the backstage drama of creating a musical about Marilyn Monroe has mass appeal and why big stars like Anjelica Huston, Uma Thurman, Bernadette Peters, and Nick Jonas were eager to appear in it.

  • Best of Broadway How Broadway Does a Flea Market

    Find out why actress Kathleen Chalfant calls the annual Flea Market and Grand Auction in Times Square "the most glamorous flea market you've ever seen." It raised half a million dollars to fight HIV/AIDS.

  • Travel Slideshow Flag Gayest Cities in America, 2012

    It's no secret that megalopolises New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles have robust LGBT life — and we've even heard tell of little queer hoods like the Castro and P-Town. This isn't that list.

 
 
Advocate Subscribe Promo Banner 300x50
 
Follow Us Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on TwitterSubscribe to our RSS feedsDownload our app
Facebook Activity
 
COVER 1055 X135 | ADVOCATE.COM
Today's Headlines