Editor's note: This story was published Nov. 11, 2008. Due to a correction it has been bumped to the top.
Sudbury Secondary School students were upset their Tuesday matinee performance of Rent didn't go on as planned after three area elementary schools didn't show up.
The principals of Pinecrest Public School, Northeastern
Elementary School and Nesbitt Elementary School thought the
content of Rent would be too mature for their students.
Rent follows eight friends who live in the slums of New York City's Greenwich Village over the course of a year. They struggle with drug addictions, AIDS and troubled relationships, as their landlord threatens to evict them.
"When I went through the material, when I initially got it and studied it, I gave it what I called my PG-13 rating," said Alison Witty, theatre teacher. "When we made the decision to offer it to Grade 7 and Grade 8, that's along the lines that I was thinking. PG meaning parental guidance, so anyone under the age of 13, I'm thinking parents should have some input whether or not they see it."
The play was approved earlier this spring and elementary schools were provided with a study guide, noting their was mature content. The school thought Rent would offer a number of teachable items that are relevant to today, and the study guide was meant to allow discussions of issues like drug addictions, aids, homosexuality and poverty.
However, a number of parents voiced concerns over their children learning about these issues and that prompted the principals to cancel.
"We asked the principals to take a look at the maturity level of their students to ensure that students, younger students, would really capture the deeper meaning of Rent," said Jean Hanson, director of education, Rainbow District School Board.
"That was very important in terms of ensuring that it was an instructional opportunity from which they would learn. And so the principals did that. They assessed the maturity levels of their students and although they appreciated that many students would capture the deeper meaning, there were some who would not, and so at the end of the day some chose not to send their students along."
Sudbury Secondary added another matinee to Saturday's schedule so that students who did want to see the play could attend with their parents. It's scheduled for 2 p.m.
