It's a fact of life that educators and parents don't always see eye-to-eye, but involving the law isn't exactly standard procedure.



That, however, is exactly what happened in Henderson, Nevada, when a Green Valley High School theatre class decided to perform THE LARAMIE PROJECT and RENT: SCHOOL EDITION. Objecting to the issues of homosexuality in both shows and references to drug use in RENT, four parents sued to stop the productions.  A  judge recently ruled that since participation was strictly voluntary, the shows would go on as planned.  The Green Valley students were relieved, feeling that they were "doing something important" by putting on shows with relevant social messages.

While the school opted to indeed put on RENT: SCHOOL EDITION, a version edited to eliminate foul language and a sexually explicit song, the nature of the material still proved distressing for some parents. In a Las Vegas Weekly article, Principal Jeff Horn admits, “We’ve had about half-a-dozen parents voice concerns about Rent and The Laramie Project, feeling that the mature subject matter is not appropriate for high-school students. They’ve done that respectfully. And I respect their opinions."  Despite the protests, Horn and performing arts teacher Jennifer Hemme felt the shows contained stories that needed to be told.

Check out these articles for more information about the Green Valley High School productions of RENT: SCHOOL EDITION and THE LARAMIE PROJECT:
Judge Refuses to Block School Theater Productions--San Jose Mercury News
Judge Says Green Valley High School Plays Can Go On--Las Vegas Review-Journal
Green Valley High's Laramie Raises Eyebrows

Here is a New York Times article about RENT: SCHOOL EDITION and the challenges some schools have faced in intending to perform it.

For more information about RENT: SCHOOL EDITION, visit our MTI show page. Post your thoughts about this article and on RENT: SCHOOL EDITION in general on its MTI ShowSpace page.