Cal State Arts Center Director Resigns After School Cancels Controversial Play

The Executive Director of the Carpenter Performing Arts Center at Cal State Long Beach, Michele Roberge, has resigned following the university's cancellation of a controversially titled play regarding race. Roberge told the LA Times that she believed the decision constituted an act of censorship, while the university's president, Jane Close Conoley, maintains the cancellation was based on academic considerations.

The comedy, titled "N*gger Wetb*ck Ch*nk", was scheduled to be performed on Thursday, September 29th. According to the show's official description, "the compelling and comedic play-written by three men who were tired of being typecast and discriminated against because of the color of their skin-returns once more to directly confront racial slurs and stereotypes while stimulating cultural awareness and acceptance"

Originating as a student theater project at UCLA, the play has been performed throughout the country over the past 10 years as well as at over 150 colleges and universities. It was performed at the Carpenter Arts Center last year.

In early August, after unsuccessful attempts to come to a compromise on the fate of the show, Roberge submitted her resignation."It took me about 15 nanoseconds to decide that I could no longer work for an organization that not only condones but practices censorship," she tells the LA Times. "I told [the university] president that I wanted to present the show each year. She laughed, and I don't know if she thought I was joking, but I wasn't. The show is hugely popular because it's fun. It's not a controversial show, but it's a provocative title."

In a statement, Conoley stood by her decision, commenting "this was a decision that was not made lightly and came after much deliberation and feedback." She added that after last year's performance, "faculty members shared feedback that the performance lacked educational value."

Read the article in full HERE.

Image: carpenterarts.org