Alabama Drag Ban Could Threaten Student Theater Programs

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. ( WAFF A recently proposed bill aimed at stopping drag performances in Alabama’s educational institutions could inadvertently jeopardize students' theatrical productions as well.

Last week, the Alabama House of Representatives approved Bill HB 67, which seeks to prohibit drag performances at all public schools from kindergarten through high school level. However, due to how the legislation is worded, this could potentially encompass student theatrical productions and musicals as well.

HB 67 — written by Rep. Scott Stadthagen— defines drag shows as performances where “a performer exhibits a sex identity that is different from the sex assigned to the performer at birth using clothing, makeup, or other physical markers.”

Former Huntsville High School Theater Director Mike Chappell says the wording is just too vague. He says it could include a female student who wants to be a male character in a play, and vice versa.

This limitation would pose an issue for the majority of theater productions in public schools since there are significantly more female theater students than male ones.

Educational institutions might be deterred from selecting traditional plays that often employ cross-gender casting, like "Peter Pan," "Newsies," "West Side Story," and much of Shakespeare's repertoire.

The implication, as stated, is that schools might have restrictions on the plays they can perform, potentially reducing the number of students able to participate," Chappell explained. "If this occurs, enthusiasm for the program and community backing may decline.

The theater department at Huntsville High School has already anticipated this change and adjusted their plans accordingly. They have decided against staging "Peter and the Starcatcher" as their autumn production due to the frequent requirement of casting multiple female actors in male roles.

Craig Williams from Huntsville City Schools stated in an official comment that it’s crucial for their office to steer clear of "devoting effort, time, and funds towards a project which could potentially be impacted by upcoming laws."

Several organizations, such as Alabama Thespians, have contacted legislators and voiced their worries, aiming to include an amendment in the legislation prior to its approval.

We must inform the legislators: your wording was unclear," Chappell stated. "Perhaps you didn't notice this when drafting it. Pay attention to those working on the ground and heed their advice; then return with amendments that will not impact high school students putting on performances.

The Alabama Conference of Theatre's President, Allison Upshaw, has similarly stressed the significance of this amendment. According to her, these casting decisions aren’t related to sexual orientation; instead, they focus on dedicated students demonstrating their acting abilities and creative talents.

Instead of hastening the passage of this legislation, Upshaw suggests that these lawmakers should pause and reach a compromise with the theater groups involved.

“Really great communication would be, ‘Let me fix it. Let me have a conversation with the people who this is inadvertently hurting, or has the potential to hurt, and let me hear them out,” she said. “And can we work on this together?”

WAFF 48’s attempts to contact Representative Stadthagen so far have been unsuccessful.

If passed, this bill will go into effect on October 1.

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