Turlock Unified says ‘multiple concerns’ about ‘Be More Chill’ musical led to cancellation
A lack of communication about the musical’s content, not complaints from students and community members, prompted Turlock High School to cancel its student production of “Be More Chill,” district spokeswoman Marie Russell said Monday.
The show opened Thursday and was scheduled to run through Sunday. Turlock Unified School District officials “received multiple concerns” Friday from parents and community members, Russell told The Bee by email. The school then announced the show was over.
“Upon looking into the concerns, we learned there had been no discussion about the content between the director and site administration as was the agreed upon practice,” Russell said.
The show’s director did not respond to interview requests by email and phone Friday night and Monday.
School board member Daniel Benedict said by email Monday evening that he was not involved in the decision to cancel the show. “When I heard the news, I reached out to administration with my opinion that the show should go on as planned,” he said. “I am not a fan of this type of censorship.”
School board President Lori Carlson said by email Monday evening that she had nothing further to add to Russell and the district’s comments. Other board members did not respond to an email request for comment by The Bee’s deadline.
District to review approval process
Asked about Turlock Unified’s process for approving a play or musical and whether that process was followed for “Be More Chill,” Russell said the district “provides performing arts instructors a great deal of autonomy to select plays/musicals to perform.”
“However,” Russell continued, “there is an understanding that a discussion must occur with site administration with any selection that contains mature content so we can ensure all cast members, parents, and community members have the opportunity to make an informed decision about participation and/or viewing.”
District officials plan to review protocols for approving all performances moving forward, according to a message posted to Turlock High School’s Instagram and website Friday.
Other high schools have performed “Be More Chill,” which is currently running in London and ran on Broadway in 2019.
Just this weekend, a high school in Iowa performed the show.
Russell said she couldn’t speak to the musical’s appropriateness for other venues.
“The decision to cancel the play at Turlock High was made in concert with the director and site administration due to the nature of the concerns raised and inability to make modifications on such short notice,” she said.
Schools must seek permission from the artists or rights holders of a licensed production before making any kind of alteration to it, said Howard Sherman, an arts administrator and theater advocate based in New York. Requests to alter a licensed show cannot be done in a hurry, he said.
For “Be More Chill,” any changes would be at the discretion of composer and lyricist Joe Iconis and book writer Joe Tracz.
“No one has the right, other than the creative artist, to determine how their work gets heard,” Sherman said.
“Be More Chill” is an adaptation of a young-adult novel of the same name. The sci-fi musical follows a high school student who takes a pill, nicknamed a “Squip,” in hopes it will help him become popular. The Squip acts like a supercomputer inside his head, telling him how to act if he wants to seem cool. But it comes with risks — he must choose between the Squip and his true self.
The show is set in a high school. The teen characters mention sex, masturbation, drinking and smoking marijuana. They also curse. Posters for Turlock High’s production advised “mature themes – parental guidance suggested.”
The district’s other high school, Pitman High, put on Disney’s “High School Musical” in March.
This story was originally published April 12, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
