Teachers Pulled Students Out Of “Inappropriate” Musical And Parents Are Furious
Teachers Pulled Students Out Of “Inappropriate” Musical And Parents Are Furious
We’ve all been on a field trip where we had to get permission slips signed. It was one of the most exciting times in school when you got to leave and do something different and fun.
As a kid I can remember going to museums or other attractions for educational purposes.
I can also remember another class trip when I couldn’t have been more than 11 years old, where some boys in my class begged the teacher to bring us to Hooters for lunch. The unbelievable part of the story, we went!
There were even some parents chaperoning the trip. Looking back, was it that big of a deal? Probably not. But as a catholic school, it’s a little shocking to say the least.
The Ritz Theater Company was in the middle of their production of School Of Rock when several classes deemed it appropriate to interrupt the show and leave. About 70% of the audience got up and left mid-show.
The stories came out at first as teachers pulled students out of “inappropriate” musical. But was it justified?
The Ritz posted to their Facebook page about the incident saying “It is also our firm belief that the behavior and actions displayed yesterday were in direct contradiction with the values of the show and the values of our organization. To disrupt a live performance in that fashion is a disservice to the cast and crew who all took the time to perform the show yesterday morning, to the front-of-house staff who volunteered to help out at The Ritz yesterday morning, and to the other school groups who were present (and stayed throughout) to enjoy the show yesterday morning.”
Furthermore, they specifically called out the schools and two classes that left the show and doubled down on defending the integrity of the show.
According to the actual website for the show itself, School Of Rock claims to be “ recommended for ages eight and older. Please note that School of Rock contains occasional strong language and may not be suitable for very young children. “
However, apparently there is some foul language in the script that was not removed. Resulting in 5th grade classes from Hartford Upper Elementary School of Mount Laurel and a 3rd grade class from Kellman Brown Academy of Voorhees to leave mid-show.
According to several reviews, the mild language hit it’s peak in a lot of the musical score. The worst of it being “B—h”.
Lisa Palena, a faculty member of Maple Shade High School and theater enthusiast attended a performance last week and wrote a review for SJ Theatre Critics. She gave a rave review of the performance, lighting, set etc. Palena stated “The pure heart of this show, with some truly noteworthy performances, came from the amazing cast of children. The show hinges on the success of the students, and the twelve student actors didn’t disappoint.”
The buzz online though, has created quite a stir. Who’s right? Should the teachers have pulled the students out of the show? Weren’t permission slips signed and the outing fully vetted before deciding to take the kids there?