Almost, Maine
Artist: John Cariani, theater students
Year: 2014
Date of Action: October 14, 2014
Region: North America
Location: Maiden Highschool, NC
Subject: Sexual/Gender Orientation
Medium: Theatre and Performance
Confronting Bodies: School principal, Rob Bliss
Description of Artwork: Almost, Maine is a play, comprising nine short plays that explore love and loss in a remote, mythical almost-town called Almost, Maine.
The Incident: Local churches and parents of students were complaining that the scene 'They Fell' is containing explicit sexuality between two men which fell in love with each other, although the scene is not containing any swearing or physical contact. After that, Rob Bliss the School principal cancelled the play with the cause, that it has sexually-explicit overtones and multiple sexual innuendos that are not aligned with our mission and educational objectives.
Results of Incident: Playwright John Cariani tried to contact the school to find a solution, but he didn't heard back.
Rob Bliss statement: 'As principal of Maiden High School, I have an obligation to ensure that all material, including drama performances, are appropriate and educationally sound for students of all ages.
'Our faculty and staff are still in review of potential performances to be conducted by our students this fall. At this time no final decision has been made regarding whether and what drama performances are to be presented this fall.'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2799828/north-carolina-high-school-bans-student-play-sexually-explicit-gay-scene.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almost,_Maine http://ncac.org/incident/why-the-curtain-almost-went-up-on-almost-maine/
