I have become known for my interest in musical theatre that carries some weight. It has to be fun but also very meaningful in its storytelling. The Prom fits that category so well. I first heard of this show in June 2022. When I discovered the rights were available I jumped at the chance, because even though we are in 2023 and should be well past infringement of the rights and freedoms of others, we are most certainly not. Imagine a group of people, many of them parents, claiming to uphold kindness, and yet maliciously planning to exclude a student, a child, from a celebration event that all students are entitiled to attend. It is appalling. Stituations like this are still occuring in our society. Every year we try to affect change that needs to happen and there are always individuals working hard to control the freedoms of others.
LGBTQ2IA+ is a community of human beings still fighting for their right to exist to be seen as equals and to be respected as members of the human race. I have worked with so many wonderful amazing people in this community. The story of Constance McMillan is one of countless stories that shows humans behaving at their worst.
When I chose this musical there were challenges and dissenters claiming it is harmful to religious groups, particularity Christians. I have to disagree. Trent says in the show that as far as he knows, Jesus never hated people who were homosexuals. Yet there are many who claim to follow Jesus' teachings but forget his most important one, "Love thy Neighbor". I have been a member of many different Christian denominations and have studied the Bible at great length. I know there are many contridictions in those pages that many Christians have now set aside and looked at what our world needs to be, and it should not be about dividing and isolating and discrimination. This story wakes up the concept of not harming or judging others but accepting them and welcoming them into the larger community of all of us.
Mark 12:28-31 - (NIV) Jesus says
" And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these."
There are many who act with kindness and acceptance towards members of our LGBTQ2IA+ community and we aknowledge their commitment to acceptance, but there is still resistance to this community, even locally. Last fall many protested against Drag Queens reading books to children. Currently in the U.S. there has been a constant political attack on drag shows and governments are legislating control over trans-children and their families' access to medical care and support. This is wrong.
Society is improving but we as a people still have a long way to go. We are not born with hate and discrimination in our hearts it is taught to us.
So I hope we will all embrace what this show is really about, beyond acceptance. Even the misguided Broadway stars discover that they discriminate as well and their behavior only moves the sides further apart. They too need to learn about those that they judge. It's time to help our society move forward and really support those around us regardless of their race, gender, sexual orientation or religion. We are all the same. There's one rule that trumps them all "LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR"! Please join me in expressing my appreciation for the wonderful students that I get to work with. They are truly amazing and represent the best of us in our society as they embraced this story and reached down and found its heart and soul. I am also eternally grateful to my Assistant Director and Choreographer Candice Kerr, who has made this show visually incredible. I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to work with you.
Now it's time to celebrate HOPE, DREAMS, KINDNESS, FRIENDSHIP, COURAGE, CHANGE, ACCEPTANCE and LOVE.
IT'S TIME............. TO DANCE!
