Central Bucks High School Students Speak Out About Cancelled Production of RENT

Students in Central Bucks School District in Pennsylvania are speaking out after the district allegedly cancelled the high school's planned production of Rent, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Two students at Central Bucks West attended a school board meeting last week to ask why the administration denied their proposal to perform Rent this fall. However, the school says it hasn't made a decision yet.

Addisan Arbogast, co-president of the school's drama club, said that the students were told that their fall show would be Rent School Edition, but on March 23, the administration denied the club's request. Arbogast said that the reason they were given was that the show was "too controversial", despite the school putting on shows with mature themes in the past, including Chicago and Les Miserables.

The administration is currently reviewing the script for Rent, and no final decision has been made, according to Angela Linch, a spokesperson for the district. Arbogast said that she and other student spoke with the school's principal, Lyndell Davis, who said that the administration was "worried about how the community would perceive Rent", but would not answer what specifically was controversial.

This comes after a recent controversy surrounding books in the school's library, when some were removed due to "sexually explicit content", many with LGBTQ themes. However, it is unclear if that is the reason Rent is being contested.

Music Theatre International, the licensing company for the school edition of Rent, did not comment. Dramatists Legal Defense Fund said that while the musical is popular, it does occasionally face objections, citing at least three of the performances cancelled in schools in the past.

No further information has been released at this time.

Read the original story on The Philadelphia Inquirer.