Dead Man Walking School Theatre Project
July 27, 2012
MADP Board Report
Upcoming Performances:
George Washington High School- San Francisco, CA
Brighton High School- Rochester, NY
Crespi Carmelite and Louisville High School- Encino, CA
Mayfield Senior School- Pasadena, CA (all female version)
St. Michael’s College- Colchester, VT
St. Joseph’s Academy- St. Louis, MO
CMN is handling all church requests for the One Act play. I am handling all school
requests for the One Act play.
lam in talks with Katherine Joseph with the SAFE CA campaign to hold a “high
school all star” reading of the play in San Francisco—as a benefit and education
piece for SAFE CA. We will reach out to local high schools for actors; I will likely
direct the reading. This is in the very early planning stages, but sounds like it will be
an exciting opportunity.
New Materials:
Lindsay Styler, a recent graduate of Santa Clara University is coordinating and
normalizing curriculum materials from Mercy High School and Mater Dei High
School. These will be available on our website and I will send to CMN when they
are finalized.
Discourse:
Bingham High School in South Jordan, UT performed the play in March of 2012.
In June, the Utah Eagle Forum (who has been “Leading the Pro-Family Movement
since 1972”) sent out a press release condemning the school board for allowing the
play to be performed at the school. I have included some quotes from the initial
release:
The mission of the play is to convince the audience that capital punishment is not only
wrong in the eyes of the world but is against Christ's teachings. The Old Testament
taught an eye for an eye is capital punishment, but Christ taught us to love everyone,
therefore capital punishment is against Christ's teachings. According to the South
Valley Journal, this play is part of the "Dead Man Walking School Theater Project" and
as part of the project the school was required to do two cross-curricular activities
along with the play. The Bingham High School English department read the book
"Dead Man Walking" and the history department did a unit on capital punishment.
Not only does this very biased play affect the students who perform in the play and
those in attendance, but all of the students in the school who are required to read and
study the biased opinions, and they are only her opinions, of Sister Prejean and the
agenda of those promoting the “Dead Man Walking Project."
Profanity is used throughout the play as well as explicit descriptions of rape and
conversations of sexual activity. Racial language along with demeaning
conversations about minorities is a common occurrence during the play. Actors
(Bingham High students) were smoking on the stage using fake cigarettes that looked
like the real thing. Attorney General Shurtleff is asking filmmakers not to expose the
youth to smoking in movies and yet Bingham students attended a play at their own
school where their friends were on stage smoking fake cigarettes.
The most offensive portrayal was the comparison of Poncelet's execution to the
crucifixion of Jesus Christ. They strapped the criminal to a raised table made to look
like a cross with his arms stretched out to portray him as a crucified martyr. With this
being a school wide project the administration would have to be aware of what was
happening in their school. Who gave permission for the school to participate in this
project? Is "Dead Man Walking" on the district's approved list of plays that can be
produced in Jordan School District?
This press release was sent, along with 5 letters signed “Concerned Parents.” Over
the last 2 months, we have learned that only 1 of the 5 letters was written by a
patron of the performance; the other 4 were anonymous “hearsay” complaints.
Isent a copy of the information packet, which includes our academic requirements
and our focus on discourse to the school board, per their request. The school board
met to review the concerns, but to my knowledge, they have not issued an apology.
I was interviewed for the Salt Lake City Tribune, Utah’s largest newspaper, for an
article than ran on July 15, titled “Controversial Play at Bingham High Aimed at
Critical Thinking”
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/utes/54484426-78/district-bingham-jordan-
drama.htmlcsp#disqus thread
2 days later, I was interviewed for the RadioWest show, which is broadcast on the
local NPR affiliate station in Utah as well as nationally on Sirius/XM satellite radio.
The audio is available below:
http: //radiowest.kuer.org/post/dead-man-walking-too-much-high-school
The comments on the articles have been most-supportive, particularly from
students and teachers at the school:
“Absolutely both sides were given a voice. I never felt lied to or like there was a hidden
agenda or that I was being pushed to form an opinion one way or another. The
teacher has been available from when the audition sign ups were posted (in
December). No one came forward then, or when the scripts were sent home, or during
rehearsals, or during the show itself. To my knowledge no one came forward when the
book came home from English class and it was far more graphic. No one came
forward until the night before graduation. Is there an agenda there? Sure seems like
it. Ido know that they still don't want to hear from the teacher herself or anyone else
who disagrees with them. Students were being challenged to critically think about
many (because this issue is more complicated than “both") sides of a complex issue
and form an opinion for themselves. I wish you could have seen this show in person.
You would have seen the maturity with which each member of the cast approached
their roles. Through their performances you would have had a glimpse into the
complexity of the subject through the characters themselves and you would have
learned something from each one as they dealt with the life changing effects one man's
decision had on all their lives. Would you have come away pro-life or pro-death? I
don't know. We each see life through the lense of our own experiences. But you would
have left thinking and that was the point. I can tell you I am still thinking and
pondering what I learned and that right there is the highest compliment I can give the
cast and teacher.”
“Thad 224 students last year, all of whom read Dead Man Walking. None of my
students ever complained to me, none of their parents ever complained to me, and my
students were better people for reading it--more tolerant, more informed, and
stronger in their own beliefs. I encouraged my students to talk to their parents and
friends about what they believed in regards to the death penalty, and to have those
people explain why. I didn't care which side my students took--I just wanted them to
know WHY they felt the way they did. Yes, the book and play are one-sided--most
pieces of art are--but these students can and do think for themselves. The Eagle Forum
does not understand these students’ strength and intelligence. Many of the Eagle
Forum claim "religion" as their reason against this book and play--I am very religious,
yet never once did I feel that teaching this book was against my morals. I want my
students to think for themselves. This book and play helped them to do just that.”
“Students got to see first hand what goes on in the death penalty, and then they could
develop their own opinion on the matter. Isn't that what school is all about? Teaching
students about what goes on in the world and having them develop their own opinions
on the matter? I personally wish my teachers would have taught me this before I had
to go out into the "real" world.”
Tim Robbins would like to set up a forum with students, faculty, and parents directly
involved in the production to talk about the experience and create a “great evening
of dialogue.” Iam working on this. The discourse is happening!
Random House:
Random House has agreed to market the play for us through the Vintage/Anchor
Books Academic Marketing Department. They will have our materials at various
academic conferences that they attend (NCTE, MLA, ATHE, Freshman Year
Experience)
The Play Project will also be featured on their High School and University websites.
It will be mentioned in e-newsletters, twitter, etc.
Random House will devote a page to promoting the play in their which goes out to
approximately 20,000 high school teachers and administrators.
Funding:
Fetzer Institute in Kalamazoo, MI
$50,000 requested, Pending Approval
We are in the final approval stages and hope to hear an answer any day now. We
have been invited to submit photo/video materials for Fetzer to showcase at a
conference that the institute is hosting in Assisi, Italy this September for their
network of advisors and other strategic guests.
Looking forward:
-I will be a panelist at the Mercy Secondary Education network’s conference on
Compassion and Service in Cincinnati, OH October 5-6. I will also have a table to
distribute materials about the female version of DMW.
-Helen will be a keynote speaker at the California Association of Teachers of English
(CATE) conference in February 2013. I will attend and distribute materials about
DMW and present a few workshops.
-In mid-August, I am meeting with professors and advisors at Santa Clara University
to develop a strategic plan moving forward.
-Iam working with a volunteer who is researching and compiling a list for
marketing to schools, directors, and religion departments.
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