Phoenix Union High School District leaders are meeting today, Nov. 18, to discuss a controversial postponement of a school play within hours of its opening.
"The Laramie Project" is a play based on the fatal torture and beating of Matthew Shepard, a gay 21-year-old, in 1998.
Cesar Chavez High School was set to perform the play last Friday before the one-day performance was abruptly shut down by the district.
Richard Franco, a spokesperson with the district, says new dates are being planned.
“The decision to postpone the performance was made after the sneak peek rehearsal was viewed by students and campus leaders. The themes and language in the play need additional acknowledgements and disclaimers for families and students who plan to attend," Franco said.
The school’s theatre director, Jonathan Hart, called it censorship, referring to the play as “canceled” on social media.
He says he had previously agreed to take out bad language, and that every student in the cast had a signed parental permission slip.
Franco says the district and Chavez "recognize and support our LGBTQ students, staff and community members.”
This comes months after a Texas high school’s decision to cancel and then reinstate their production of the Laramie Project after an outcry.
In response to the Texas school cancellation, the author of the play told Playbill.com that the “'The Laramie Project' has been performed in thousands of universities and high schools around the world.”
