ENFIELD – A famous musician took to the social media site Instagram on Monday with a message to the Enfield School Board after word spread over the Internet that officials at Enfield High School had decided to cancel a student production of the Green Day rock opera “American Idiot.”
Billie Joe Armstrong, Green Day’s frontman, posted on his Instagram account the following with a picture of the “American Idiot” logo:
“dear Enfield high school board,
It has come to my attention that you cancelled your high school theater production of American Idiot. I realize the content of the Broadway production of AI is not quite ‘suitable’ for a younger audience. However there is a high school rendition of the production and I believe that’s the one Enfield was planning to perform which is suitable for most people.
it would be a shame if these high schoolers were shut down over some of the content that may be challenging for some of the audience. but the bigger issue is censorship. this production tackles issues in a post 9/11 world and I believe the kids should be heard. and most of all be creative in telling a story about our history. I hope you reconsider and allow them to create an amazing night of theater!
as they say on Broadway ..
‘the show must go on!’
rage and love
Billie Joe Armstrong
P.S. I love that your school is called ‘Raiders’ ”
Enfield High School’s drama club, the Lamplighters, had posted fliers at the school announcing auditions for the production, set for early May, but drama club advisor and director Nate Ferreira on Jan. 17 sent an email to the school community saying he and Enfield High School Principal Andrew Longey determined a change was needed, as the Broadway production of “American Idiot” contains swearing, drug use and sex. The group will instead perform “Little Shop of Horrors.”
“Unfortunately, a very small number of extremely vocal people have complained about our choice of production,” Ferreira wrote in his email. “This led to Mr. Longey and I meeting on Friday to discuss a change in our choice of production. To be clear, Mr. Longey did not force us to change – he and I took a long and careful look at all aspects of the show, and all arguments on either side. At this late stage it is very difficult to switch to a different play, but I do feel that it is best for us to set aside “American Idiot” for the time being. I want ALL of our club members to be able to be a part of our musical, and I want to be absolutely certain that the play happens at all.”
Howard Sherman, director of the Arts and Integrity Initiative at the New School College of Performing Arts in New York, originally broke the news of the show cancellation and posted it on his website, www.hesherman.com under the title “Something Unpredictable With ‘American Idiot’ In High School Theatre.”
Sherman said the National Coalition Against Censorship made him aware of the issue after that group saw posts about it on the social media site Twitter.
In an email to Sherman, Ferreira went into further detail about the decision to cancel the show.
“Due to the fact that some of our club families were not comfortable with their kids being involved in the show, it was my decision to perform a different show,” Ferreira wrote in his email to Sherman. “This was not a decision forced on me by the school administration, it was simply what I felt was best for our club membership. Many of the kids were disappointed by this decision, but others were happy because this would allow them to be involved again. I had also begun to feel that the material itself would be better served if I were to stage American Idiot _unedited_ with another local organization, and encourage the families who still wanted to do the show to become involved with it there.
“My decision to change the show came prior to finalizing the contract and payment, prior to any rehearsal, and prior to casting or auditions,” Ferreira continued. “As with any show that would require edits for a high school group, I had a full list of changes that I felt were necessary to the dialogue, and they would have had to meet approval by the publisher. I made several phone calls to MTI during the past year, and their staff were extremely helpful in explaining the procedures for requesting edits. I stand by my decision to change our choice of production, and I have always felt that the school administration has been supportive of our efforts.
“That being said, I am elated that people like yourself are fighting for the freedom of thought and expression that is so vital to the arts. Your coverage of our situation has helped to shed light on the issue, and to spark serious discussion in our community. Mr. Armstrong’s support has likewise invigorated our students. Although we will not be performing American Idiot for our end of year production, you can be sure that the Lamplighters will continue to push boundaries and explore serious issues.”
Tuesday morning, school officials were quick to dismiss the idea that the school board or central office had any hand in forcing a change to the production.
Enfield Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jeffrey Schumann said: “Our goal with extracurricular activities is to ensure a learning opportunity is provided for as many students as possible, whether that be athletics or performing arts. My understanding is, the principal and the club advisor for the Lamplighters decided that ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ would provide a better opportunity for maximum participation.”
Schumann added this was a “building decision” and that the Central Office and Board of Education do not get involved with those types of decisions.
“If consulted, I’d offer my opinion,” Schumann said. “But I think the folks at the school are more than capable, so we let them do that.”
School Board Chairman Tom Sirard echoed those sentiments, saying he only caught wind of the cancelled production late Monday.
“The Board of Education and the Enfield Public Schools Central Office had no role whatsoever in the decision making process to switch the play,” Sirard said. “The decision was an administrative decision by the Enfield High School principal and director.”
Sherman, who spoke over the phone with the Enfield Press Tuesday morning, said that he “remains bothered by the idea that a teacher intended to do a piece of work that would be meaningful to the students” and was apparently “shut down” by the administration.
“I acknowledge that schools have a right to determine what’s done on school grounds, but I hope schools won’t look backwards to the safest and most popular work,” he said. “I’d like to see them do work that challenges the students and something the students will connect with.”
