High School Theatre is for Experiences
When I had the idea of producing The Wiz, I decided to call up my friend, a professor of African Art history, to get their perspective. Their response was unequivocal: "Don't do it. Maybe you could have done it a decade ago or more, but in this day and age, I wouldn't recommend it." Their advice left me disappointed but understanding. Later, I brought this idea up to my MFA theatre education classmates, who were curious if I had followed through and, if so, how. Ultimately, I did not pursue the production.
A while later, I saw a post on an acting/theatre subreddit from a student in Vietnam. They expressed their love for Hairspray and shared that their classmates were eager to stage a legal production. The responses they received were cautious and discouraging.
But this exchange made me question: Why couldn’t that student in Vietnam or our school stage a production like Hairspray or The Wiz? If the students were educated in the sociocultural context of the work, couldn’t it be done? Couldn’t such a production help students understand American society and culture more deeply, while also highlighting universal struggles and shared human experiences? This idea aligns with the contact hypothesis, which suggests that interaction between groups, particularly majority and minority groups, can reduce prejudice and foster understanding and empathy. Isn’t theatre one of the greatest vehicles for the contact hypothesis? Theatre allows individuals to become someone else—to step into their shoes and understand the world through their eyes.
Living overseas, I’ve witnessed practices that would be considered outrageous in the U.S., whether socioculturally or legally. These instances are products of cultural differences: using copyrighted music in paid performances, Third Reich stickers on scooters, unlicensed productions, commercials with cringey racist or sexist themes, or reproducing movie scenes for stage mashups. These occurrences, while commonplace abroad due to physical distance and lack of legal ramifications, are not justifiable. As educators, we should set a higher standard. Every year, I’ve had to explain to a parent or two why we can’t simply buy one script and copy it: "If your child becomes an author, would you want them to be paid for their work?"
A recent video I came across offered an unexpected yet insightful perspective on this issue. The video features Lin-Manuel Miranda, addressing the question, “I wish we could do In The Heights, but our school’s too white!” His response? Do it! As Miranda argues, school theatre is about experimenting, experiencing, and learning. It’s a space to make mistakes and grow from them. For many students, school theatre might be the only chance they have to play characters like Tevye, Motormouth Maybelle, Winthrop Paroo, or Annie. Miranda emphasizes the importance of prioritizing the best person for the part, saying, “It’s about getting the best person for the part first, and then the other factors.”
So, when will our school stage a production of The Wiz or Hairspray? Only time will tell. What I do know is that I now feel more confident in allowing our students to explore diverse lives and experiences through theatre, as long as it’s done respectfully and with a thorough understanding of the sociocultural context.