Language in ragtime musical11/30/2023 ![]() ![]() The school board met on the evening of January 24th to discuss the decision. The school responded by announcing they will be “removing the offensive language from the enacted script” Last week, a local branch of the NAACP condemned the school’s decision to perform a musical that includes the use of racist language. Characters use racial slurs at several instances in the script. The language, NCAC argues, reflects a historical reality and its inclusion will help to educate students about the ugly reality of racism.įor the past several months, the Cherry Hill High School East in New Jersey has been working on a school production of the award-winning musical Ragtime, which depicts the lives of a wealthy white American family, a family of Jewish immigrants, and an African-American ragtime musician in Harlem at the turn of the 20 th century. The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC), the Dramatists Guild and the Arts Integrity Initiative at the New School have written to members of a New Jersey school board asking them to reverse a decision to remove racial epithets from a school performance of the musical Ragtime. ![]() We have been offered professional support in this endeavor from within the Cherry Hill Schools community and from professionals outside the community. We will make it abundantly clear that we loathe the N-word, that we despise this most vile of words in our language. We will present resources and conversation regarding the production at each performance. UPDATE : After a school board meeting and NCAC action, Cherry Hill High School East have announced they will perform the musical will racial epithets included.Ī letter from the school's superintendent said about the decision: " At a time where civil and respectful discourse can be difficult to find, we were particularly moved by the Cherry Hill community's in-depth consideration of the issues surrounding this production and ultimately by the decision to use the show as an instrument of education," MTI President Drew Cohen said. In our licensing of a wide variety of musicals to schools around the world, we see many instances where the performers and audiences learn about culture, history and the arts through their productions. "We at Music Theatre International were impressed with the maturity, dedication and courage of the Cherry Hill East community not just in persevering with their production of Ragtime but in engaging in thoughtful, often emotional, debate as to the merits of proceeding with the show. Musical Theatre International (MTI), which licenses musicals like Ragtime for school performances, has awarded Cherry Hill East its Courage in Theatre Award, an award given to an “organization that uses the power of the arts to affect positive change in their community in the face of adversity.” UPDATE : The Cherry Hill High School East has received an award for it's decision to perform the musical Ragtime with racial epithets included. for Teachers, Parents, and School Officials.Resources for Authors of Banned and Challenged Books. ![]()
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