Author Topic: Student Stage Manager Challenge #18: Rated R for Adult Content  (Read 7376 times)

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PSMKay

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Student SM Challenges are for our younger members. Pros, please give the students a chance to comment before jumping in.

Here's the latest:

Your very prim and proper high school has selected "Grease" as their spring musical, but they're doing the school edition. The one with all references to sex, drugs, pregnancy and swearing removed. Auditions go great, but the grumbling starts when the kids get hold of the script and realize how much has been cut compared to the movie version. The kids complain about censorship and grumble through the whole rehearsal process.

For the final performance, they reveal to you that they've got a surprise and they want your cooperation. They've been rehearsing the "real" adult version of the show on the side, and want to do it on stage, just like the movie. This is their last chance to pull it off, but they'd need to rearrange the order of some scenes to cram back in the songs that were cut from the version that you have the rights to perform.

What do you do?
« Last Edit: Apr 30, 2013, 04:20 pm by PSMKay »

Eric Toler

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Re: Student Stage Manager Challenge #18: Rated R for Adult Content
« Reply #1 on: Apr 01, 2013, 08:10 am »
As much as I agree about censorship and that we try to shelter young people WAY too much from all these things, I couldn't allow them to perform this version of the show without the director's approval, as well as the school. It could get them AND me in trouble with not only the director, but also school officials and possibly members of the local board of education. I would probably suggest everyone comes to the theater early or something to do that version of the show for themselves, but there is no way I would be a part of the group going against the director's wishes, as well as the school's.
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Mac Calder

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Re: Student Stage Manager Challenge #18: Rated R for Adult Content
« Reply #2 on: Apr 01, 2013, 08:38 am »
but also school officials and possibly members of the local board of education.

It actually goes a lot further than that. The school editions rights are often a lot cheaper than "full" versions. Performing a different version without the rights to it could cause some very serious issues for the school.

Kaleigh.Knights

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Re: Student Stage Manager Challenge #18: Rated R for Adult Content
« Reply #3 on: Apr 01, 2013, 07:06 pm »
I would tell them that it was absolutely unacceptable to do that; and even illegal.
If they insisted on doing it, I would bring it to the attention of the director. I would use the director's judgement on what to do if they decide to still perform the "adult" version. Stopping the show comes to mind. Which would mortify the actors.
I would make sure to let the entire cast know my plan of action if they performed the adult version. And explain all the consequences of doing so.
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ChandlerJJ

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Re: Student Stage Manager Challenge #18: Rated R for Adult Content
« Reply #4 on: Apr 08, 2013, 08:14 pm »
1. Go to Producer (No, then No. Yes, then go to Director)
2. Director (No, then No. Yes, then go to stage management team)
3. Asking ourselves is it possible with what we have would we need anything different? If we have everything and could then yes, if we needed a whole lot and needed more stuff then no.

IF the producer and director were out and it was just me, I would have to say " I was left in control of the show and my job is to uphold the show that the Producer and Director left for us, so We cannot do that version we must stick to what we have been doing" I will get things back like you suck, live a little, then I will have to be strict and crack down on that, but if they start doing things they aren't ASM would take care of it if they could and then I would have a chat during intermission with the cast/individuals about how that is unacceptable and for them will have to say, "This will effect your next audition"

MandalynM

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Re: Student Stage Manager Challenge #18: Rated R for Adult Content
« Reply #5 on: Apr 08, 2013, 09:24 pm »
This is a pretty touchy subject. I have done numerous "kid" versions in my run in community theatre. I would have to agree that is unacceptable to rehearse the alternate version. It is very illegal. I have had this issue with some of my more experienced kids that have either done the adult version, or know it very well. Unfortunately, there are rules that everyone have to follow. I would say to stick to the script that you have the rights for.

Censorship is a bit ridiculous at times. Mostly, its for the parents and not the students. Society openly lets sex and violence into big budget movies and TV shows. Our kids are not stupid to that fact, and when we censor these big shows, it make them feel like they are children.

While picking a season, I would suggest having a meeting with the parents and asking them which version they would be more comfortable with. In our community, we get the same kids every time we audition a show. (We do get new kids alot, but primarily the same families).

I feel for you in this situation!

Mandi

Logan Duhaime

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Re: Student Stage Manager Challenge #18: Rated R for Adult Content
« Reply #6 on: Apr 27, 2013, 09:20 pm »
I'm the type of person who likes to take risk. But the risk has to come from me and do only me damage not others. For actors to go behind backs causes alot of problems. I would say no. Then find the person who brought the idea up and have him/her apologize to the cast for false hope and never hire or place them in a part for being untrustworthily.

nick_tochelli

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Re: Student Stage Manager Challenge #18: Rated R for Adult Content
« Reply #7 on: Apr 28, 2013, 08:34 am »
Since everyone seems to be in agreement I wonder what the student SMs would do if the cast basically says screw you, we're doing it anyway. Just to add another wrinkle to this issue. Maybe even after the show starts, they just hijack it and do their own thing.

Don't mean to change the terms of the question, but I'm curious how people would react.

Risa Comical

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Re: Student Stage Manager Challenge #18: Rated R for Adult Content
« Reply #8 on: May 09, 2013, 02:41 am »
Since everyone seems to be in agreement I wonder what the student SMs would do if the cast basically says screw you, we're doing it anyway. Just to add another wrinkle to this issue. Maybe even after the show starts, they just hijack it and do their own thing.

Don't mean to change the terms of the question, but I'm curious how people would react.

I would stop the show. Immediately. Once I learned the cast planned on doing this, I would inform the director, along with the backstage team that there is the possibility we will be stopping the show if they go through with it.
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Mackie

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Re: Student Stage Manager Challenge #18: Rated R for Adult Content
« Reply #9 on: Jul 11, 2013, 10:02 pm »
That would be beyond unacceptable, and I hope my actors would never do such a thing. At my school we did To Kill A Mocking Bird and my directors sat the entire cast down and had a discussion about what they felt comfortable saying and not saying, I am sure you know what I am referring to, and to my surprise most everybody was completely for censoring the offensive language. I know this is not exactly the same situation, but if someone were to go behind everyone's back and use the N word it would be over for them. I would put his double in for the rest of the night and all shows to follow, and if the show happened to not be double cast (which we do most of the time) the show would be over unless someone could step up and learn the lines in one night which may seem completely impossible but in emergency situations we have pulled it off. I'm sure my directors would agree with me as well, and that person would most likely be under severe punishment from the administration as well.