Canceled High School
Production of
Rent

Back On

A Southern California high school production of Rent that was canceled earlier this month for concerns over the musical's gay content is back on, according to the Los Angeles Times .

Students at Newport Beach's Corona del Mar High School rallied behind drama teacher Ron Martin, taking to social-networking sites like Facebook and seeking help from gay supporters to get the decision reversed.

"I never had a problem with the play selected," school principal Fal Asrani said in a statement released Wednesday. "The selection of our drama productions is [Martin's] call. I just requested the opportunity to review the script before it was final. [The school] administration received parent concerns from a previous play and I wanted to be able to ensure my commitment to the concerned parents as well as show my support of the student production without any reservation."

When the play was canceled earlier this month, Martin alleged it was because Asrani had a problem with the play's gay content. Asrani says she asked for a copy of the script to review but that Martin told her there wasn't time to do that and obtain clearance from the licensing committee.

Martin says Asrani and the school board then opted to cancel the play. Asrani says the decision was Martin's.

When students were told the production had been canceled, their outreach quickly led to mass media attention. Gay activists and alumni of the high school charged that the play's cancellation was a form of intolerance and homophobia.

Martin in turn requested a rush copy of a toned-down version of the script, which he submitted to Asrani for approval.

"I am so excited -- this means so much to a lot of people," Corona del Mar junior Jasmynn Collins told the Times. "It's a great show; I don't know why it would be shut down," Collins added. "Obviously there's stuff in there that's a little racy, but they're real issues, they shouldn't be ignored."

The production is scheduled to mount in late April.