School Production Of 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE Canceled: 'Not Family-Friendly'
Staff and students had already begun rehearsals and building sets for the spring musical.
By: Team BWW Feb. 01, 2023
The Cardinal Schools Board of Education has canceled a spring production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee after deeming the musical "not family-freindly."
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is the winner of the Tony and the Drama Desk Awards for Best Book by Rachel Sheinkin and features a vibrant score by William Finn.
According to the Geauga County Maple Leaf, the board "received a complaint from a resident on Jan. 11" and several other families registered concerns about the production.
The Drama Department announced its choice for the spring musical in October and began rehearsals in early January.
The Leaf reports the board took issue with the song "My Unfortunate Erection" but the production had always intended to use an alternate version of the song "My Unfortunate Distraction" that is made available to schools.
The Teachers' union has advised them not to speak at a board meeting regarding the situation due to the risk of losing their job and pushback from the board.
The musical's director, Vanessa Allen, was scheduled to meet with the board to look at alternative musicals this week, and the new production would be pushed to later in the spring.
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