So I don't know that you need to ask permission to much as to make him/ her aware of the potential risk and what you've done to mitigate that risk. I find that more than anything, Principals just really hate surprises. However, in this case a proactive approach may be best. Our school does not have a precedent requiring the director to get approval of her plays and I don't want to establish one. Sometimes I follow the adage, "It's better to ask forgiveness than permission". I can build a case with administration but I am pondering the best way to approach them before I pay royalties and build a fishing lodge and Klan costumes. My second thoughts include "Is this the best time to present this play?" I can argue that question either way! The connection to the current political climate regarding "foreigners" is not lost on me. They will be funny but only if they first make us recoil." I see this aspect of the play as an opportunity for conversation about bigotry and hatred. Our malefactors must be, within the style of the play, the real thing - obsessive, cunning, and dangerous. let there be no such thing as 'comedy villains' here. Larry Shue wrote in the production notes ". right now, having the KKK on stage makes me extremely uncomfortable no matter how you play it." My question: Has anyone else had difficulty in their community regarding The Foreigner or is this an isolated incident? What advance preparations did you make with students, parents, and / or administration? Searching this forum, I found a recent post by John Perry: ". The principal explained that students and adults "are uncomfortable with that part of history." It was acknowledged that the social media posting of students in Klan regalia was the primary issue. " Students and community members were offended and canceling the show seemed to be the only acceptable option. The school was forced to cancel their presentation of The Foreigner the week before the show opened after a student posted a photo of their actors in KKK costumes on social media with the caption "I think you're gonna want to come to the spring play. Then I happened upon some articles about New Prague High School in Minnesota. I was not overly concerned about the Ku Klux Klan in the plot, viewing them as historical antagonists similar to the Nazis in Cabaret and The Sound of Music. “Shue’s comedy is positively antic, yet pleasantly seasoned with a few dashes of sentimentality…He has raided comedy’s storehouse…” -Bergen Record.I planned to direct The Foreigner next year. “…a constant invitation to relax and laugh at the foolishness of life…” -Village Voice. “I laughed start to finish at one comic surprise after another.” -The New Yorker. “Something funny is going on in Milwaukee-to the delight of audiences at the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre.” -Variety. Based on what the NY Post describes as a “devilishly clever idea,” the play demonstrates what can happen when a group of devious characters must deal with a stranger who (they think) knows no English. An inspired comic romp, equal in inventive hilarity to the author’s classic comedy The Nerd, the present play enjoyed a sold-out premiere in Milwaukee before moving on to a long run Off-Broadway. Winner of two Obie Awards and two Outer Critics Circle Awards as Best New American Play and Best Off-Broadway Production. When others begin to speak freely around him, he not only becomes privy to secrets both dangerous and frivolous, he also discovers an adventurous extrovert within himself. What does a shy Englishman in search of rest do when he visits a fishing lodge in Georgia? In Larry Shue’s hilarious farce, Charlie Baker, a proofreader by day and boring husband by night, adopts the persona of a foreigner who doesn’t understand English.
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