Ok, now I have here what I would consider the first big parenting dilemma I have faced. Archer's part is not only unworthy of him, it is crass and has bad language. I told Archer if he uses the exact question "Don't you think having children use foul language for comedic purposes is in bad taste?" I will give him ten bucks. He could probably pull it off if anyone could.
I am probably overreacting. Slade just thinks I should play innocent like it is the most natural thing in the world that a community theater director wouldn't want a child to use crass language in public.
In my opinion this problem signaled the very death knell of the whole industry of community theater. No one that thinks the word A%& is funny is going to pay fifteen bucks to go watch some goofy musical about a bullfrog and a duck. They could stay home and watch something much more satisfyingly trashy for free.
Here is some random community theater version. It is totally sad, because here is some poor girl being forced to use profanity in public, and she isn't even getting any laughs for it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuDFcLOwYvA&feature=related
So what would you do, yank your kids or insist on a change that probably violates the copywright infringement because these authors of this trash are particularly proud of their ability to be potty mouths?
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When I owned my studio in England I had a student that filmed a movie in which he was supposed to use bad language - he refused and the director respected that. I thought that was a valiant effort by my teen student (who was not LDS) but I'm sure it all depends on the director too.
That’s a tough one.
The “mean and vindictive” side of me would keep him involved through rehearsals, then pull him out the day of the performance. Any director worth her/his weight in creative salt otta love a challenge like that. :-)
But, seriously, and this is going to sound crazy, but of all the things I worry about with my kids looking forward, foul language is pretty low on the list. Of course, to me, there is a huge difference between that which is religiously or behaviorally profane vs. just run-of-the-mill crassness, anatomical references, etc. (like a simple A word for eg.)
From the youtube clip you referenced, seems like the overall message of the play is as positive as the Ugly Duckling story can be (‘someone’s gunna love ya warts and all’). So, unless the other profanities in the rest of play are at an increased level of offensiveness, I personally wouldn’t stress it too much. But that’s just my $.02.
Whatever the decision, communicating to our kids the good principles that are important to us is always the most important thing IMHO.
Hmm. Very tough. I remember being in plays in high school, and we simply changed curse words. We didn't even worry about the copywright, but maybe that is because it was hood river, and our director did prettymuch whatever he wanted 24/7. In Les Miserables (at hrvhs) they changed damn to dang frequently..so I would say just have him change it until he gets in trouble for infringing on copywrights :)
I would probably approach her and express your corncerns, and Archer;s concerns. Sometimes, the amazing happens and she might say something like "Oh, I see what you mean, and yes, I agree!"
You could discuss options, such as 1) leaving that word out altogether; 2)If the line doesn't make sense without the word, leaving the line out altogether; 3) Changing the line.
People sometimes do the right thing when things like this are called to their attention, especially if you approach them in a positive, friendly light, so I say, give it a try.
Funny now that I read your comments here, I end up feeling like a moderate on this issue, and I suppose that's good...
Still, I guess really part of what bothers me is not that A&$ is THAT BAD of a word. Because I have probably used worse myself.
But somehow, all of this work to deiberately make up a kids' theater production with such elements does more than simply look past this kind of thing as being part of the inevitable scale of human crassness, it institutionalizes the very fact that substitution of crassness for wit worthy of dramatic literature is currently seen as an acceptable option for purveyors of entertainment.
Accepting things like this makes it ery hard to take a stand on the alternative hypothesis, which is that the very reason that things like The Sound of Music will end up being classic timeless family is the fact that they till have some content left when they leave such things out.
I also think that I wouldn't really be that embarrassed by somoene ELSE'S kid doing something like this as much as I would by own. Probably much of it is my own pride as a parent and not in any detree of absulutism or Victorian prudery.
I have had many parents tell me that my children stand out from their peers by their avoidance of such things, even though addmittedly not "THAT BAD" or whatever, and I prefer that kind of attention for them, I suppose.
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