The problem then becomes Christian students participating in it.  The venue is only one of the problems.  The fact is, a supposedly Christian institution produced, rehersed and performed this play.

What arrogance in the full article.  If Trinity Prep want to disaffiliate from Bishop Howe and do this and be a secular school then let them go this route.  Otherwise they should be obedient to the Bishops wishes and not be trying an end run.

Janine Papin, the schools art director, who stated that she wanted to “push limits” with the production now states,

I do believe things will turn out well. I am an optimist, and I believe there is a learning lesson in all of this for us.”

And that learning lesson apparently does not include Christian schools ought to espouse Christian values, but does include the school’s spiritual head’s wishes can and should be circumvented by switching venues.

If one reads Trinity’s website, one must seriously question the “Christian school for Christian values” point.

An institution of Dio CFl, yes.  A Christian institution - highly questionable. Read the comments on the newspaper site.  Very sad that these kids have been abused and misled, but since it appears that many of the abusers/misleaders are their own parents, I think the only appropriate course of action is prayer.

That said, I have no qualms with their putting on this show in another venue, as long as they are not advertising it as coming from Trinity Prep.  If this is a completely secular effort, one can be saddened, but one can hardly claim foul.

However, if they wish to leave the auspices of Dio CFl, they need to leave their property & assets at the feet of the diocese, just like everyone else.

And these student actors probably think that they are being very avaunt garde.  Sigh.

Have any of you seen the play?! I wish Bishop Howe would see it as part of his contribution to the Listening Project. He might learn something from this comedy with a serious message.

The Larry Craig award for double speak for September 2007 goes to ......... Mrs. Papin:

Papin said previously that she was “pushing the limits” with La Cage.

Bob, I have seen it.  I have listened and the answer is NO.  It’s a disgusting play.  If they want to be a secular private school fine.

I have seen the original French film and thought it to be quite hilarious. Appropriate for an Episcopal high school in this time where the Episcopal church is being torn asunder? It is sad that Bob from Boone does not see that the kids are being used as pawns. No matter which side you are on, that practice should be condemned.

One might care to read the comment section to this story. It is found here.

In particular, I wrote this proposed letter. I hope that it seriously be considered, modified and sent to Bp Howe:

Dear Bishop Howe,

We the parents and staff of Trinity Preparatory School have done a disservice to you and to the children of the school. In this time of upheaval and turmoil in the Episcopal church, we should have foreseen that the production of the musical “La Cage aux Folles” was ill-timed, inconsiderate and insensitive to say the least. Our short sightedness caused us to not see the need to bring the matter to you directly for your consideration and input. We apologize for the disrespect shown to you and your office. You deserve better. We, the parents and teachers of TPS would like to extend an offer to come to our school to bring us all to a point of healing and reconciliation.

Reflecting on the hard work that the students have already put into the show, we offer our apologies to them as well. Parents and teachers do make mistakes. We are solely to blame and hope that they can learn from our mistakes.

Signed,

The parents and staff of Trinity Preparatory School.
—————
What if this letter is sent? This is exactly the message we want to send our kids. There are consequences of our actions, and, even if unintentional, we are still responsible. Forgiveness begins with humility and forgiving others. The list continues…

What if the “show goes on” as one parent put it? Rancor and hostility continue from all, towards all. Authority is taught to be something to be circumvented. Me and mine are more important than you and yours.

When I was in Central Florida, one of our deacons was invited to preach at Trinity Prep.  It was a pretty standard sermon, proclaiming Jesus.  Trinity has various religious traditions represented at the school.  Normally, I think this is good thing in a setting like this, but because many of these families also seem to hold undue sway because of their affluence, she was told that she could not preach the sermon she had prepared, which just astounded me.  She asked others of us on staff at our church what we thought and we suggested that she might want to bring it to Bishop Howe’s attention, which she did.  Not sure of the outcome, but it does make you wonder.  I couldn’t imagine being a Christian minister, going to what is supposed to be a Christian school in my own tradition, and being told that I couldn’t preach on the good news of our Lord and Savior.

Normally, Bob from Boone (#6) and I agree on virtually everything, and I’m not particularly offended by the content of the play (you should have seen the strip scene from my high school’s production Guys and Dolls, way back in the late ‘70s), but it is kind of hard to see how the timing of this play in this setting would be helpful.

Without question, if +Howe is the Chairman of the Board, he has the right to censor all publications and productions of the school, just as the parents have the right to disaffiliate and remove their students from the rolls if they feel that the school no longer promotes a “liberal” arts education. I, for one, think that LA CAGE is one of Jerry Herman’s best pieces, filled with love and reconciliation as well as a wonderful metaphor for understanding the consequences of a life lived in fear of being who God created one to be. Still, I would be very hesitant, without clear permissions from the school administration, to produce the piece. It is unfortunate that the musical must have been in rehearsal for quite some time, that the publicity and promotional material must have been out there for weeks, and that the students who have invested so much time and commitment to the project have had their efforts nipped in the bud on opening night. There are a lot of folks to blame here for the unfortunate circumstances - sadly, the students are the ones to suffer the most.

I’ve seen the original Le Cage in French (and maybe the dreadful sequel), the American version (Robin Williams and Gene Hackman), and the musical, on screen and on stage. It’s funny, well-written homosexualist propaganda. The musical is particularly enjoyable.

That said, to run it in that place at this time seems deliberately provocative and destructive. It’s a slap in the face to the orthodox Christianiantiy represented by Bishop Howe, not unlike the productions, ad nauseam, of The V***** Monologues at Catholic schools.

The American version was called “the Birdcage” and starred Robin Williams and Nathan Lane.  I don’t remember who else was in it, maybe because I’ve never sat through the entire movie.

The last time I was in Panama City, a friend reported that there was a battle brewing between the head-mistress of the local Episcopal grade school and the newly called rector of the church which sponsors the school. 

It seems the rector wants the school to strengthen and maintain its Chrisitan identity.  The head-mistress, on the other hand, wants to weaken it (make weekly chapel optional, elimate Bible classes, take down the crosses, etc.) to broaden the appeal of the school to the non-Christians attending it as well as to attract more people to the school (there was a waiting list when we lived there).

I have not heard the outcome of the battle, so can’t report on that aspect.

What a shame that those working in TEc schools are ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, and want to water down the message that makes the schools successful in the first place.  Oh, well, a mirror of TEc as a whole, I guess.

Jim Elliott

Not quite, Jim (#14).  Holy Trinity in Melbourne is a superb pariochial school (preschool through high school), the headmistress a member of the church.  She is very clear about two things.  It is a Christian school in the Episcopal tradition, but serves all students who attend.  Somehow or another (it was a Holy Spirit thing) we were able, without incident or complaint, to be respectful of the other faith traditions that were represented without compromising or apologizing for who we are as Christians.  Chapel at both upper and lower schools consists of readings only from our scritpures, appropriate music (praise oriented), and homilies that are distinctly Christian.  It was a pretty cool environment to be in when I was there.

“One of our deacons was invited to preach at Trinity Prep. It was a pretty standard sermon, proclaiming Jesus. ...[S]he was told that she could not preach the sermon she had prepared.”

Makersmarc [#10]: Did the school staff ask to review (i.e., censor) the sermon in advance? Or did the preacher volunteer her intended message?

I don’t recall exactly how it went; it’s been maybe three years and I’m in a different diocese now.  I think it was something like she had already spoken to one group and got nixed after that or just in general conversation, indicated the content of her sermon.  Any other time I’d heard her preach, she was pretty mild-mannered in her delivery, though certainly no less convicted of the Truth.  I read it after she came back upset and it wasn’t some finger-pointing, Jesus-or-hell kind of thing; nothing anyone from another faith tradition would have gotten offended about.  Basically just “here’s some good news for you to hear” and so no reason to have kept a Christian minister from preaching a Christian sermon in an ostensibly Christian setting.

To Jim #14 - We are friends of an Episcopal priest who runs a church-affiliated school in London with an excellent academic reputation.  The last time we spoke to him, he said that attendance at worship services and all religion classes is mandatory; otherwise find another school to go to.  And many of his students are Muslim.  He doesn’t give a whit about being politically correct.  Very cool.

I had written that at Stand Firm that at least, they weren’t putting on the play “The Laramie Project” about the unfortunate young Matthew Shephard (which leaves out his crystal meth addiction and libertine sexuality). In the ongoing blog at the local paper, a reader pointed out that that play is scheduled for November. This adds to the charge of pre-meditation if you will, i.e., a deliberateness to “push the limits.”

I said that that the kids were being used as pawns in the culture wars. A reader objected that they were there volitionally. Hmmm, a 16 year old mind can’t be manipulated?

Cage is well-done propaganda.  Sort of like a cheerful Three Penny Opera, only for gays instead of Communism.

RR-THE LARAMIE PROJECT does deal with Matthew Shepherd’s (R.I.P.) drug use and sexuality - and the message of the piece as a whole is in the forgiveness of those who killed him by Shepherd’s own father. The language is not appropriate for high school students, but the central theme of the play is worth pondering. Roman-Ed-THREE PENNY is a Socialist piece, not a Communist piece. It, too, has embedded in its rough locales and plotlines a strong message about being able to break out of societal roles and economic circumstances to rise above drech. Looks like minds of any age can be manipulated, not just those of 16 year-olds…