Turlock High School canceled performances of a student musical this weekend because of “concerns that the content was too mature for a general audience that includes all age levels,” according to Turlock Unified School District spokeswoman Marie Russell.
The musical, a high school adaptation of the Broadway show “Be More Chill,” was scheduled to run Thursday through Sunday, according to signs posted at the school. The signs advise “mature themes - parental guidance suggested.”
After the show opened Thursday, the director and site administration decided to cancel, Russell said in an email Friday night.
District officials believe communication between the director and site administration to secure approval for the spring musical did not occur, Russell said. A message posted to Turlock High’s website Friday said the district will review protocols for approval of all performances moving forward.
“We share in the disappointment of the cancellation of our Spring Musical and recognize the time and effort that students and staff have put into the production,” the message said.
The school offered to issue refunds if people bring their tickets to the Turlock High School activities office. Students will present a private showing of the musical Saturday night for immediate family members, Russell said.
An Instagram story posted Friday to the Turlock High School drama page said, “Hi everyone so the show is canceled due to rave reviews from the audience on opening night.”
A parent of a student involved in the show said she saw the high school’s Instagram post announcing the cancellation, called the school’s office and was told only the information shared in the post, the same language on the district’s website. She said she asked to talk to the district office and was placed in a queue. Friday evening, she still hadn’t heard exactly why the musical was canceled.
“I don’t understand,” the parent, who asked that her name not be used, told The Bee.
Her daughter was “crushed,” she said. After missing out on so many activities due to the pandemic, this show was one of the first things she was involved in at school, the parent said.
The students deserve to know why their show was canceled, the parent said. “These kids have been working crazy hard,” she said.
“Be More Chill” is an adaptation of a young adult novel of the same name. It premiered in 2015 in New Jersey and ran on Broadway in 2019.
The sci-fi musical follows a high school student who takes a pill, nicknamed a “Squip,” in hopes it will help him become popular. The Squip acts like a supercomputer inside his head, telling him how to act if he wants to seem cool. But it comes with risks — he must choose between the Squip and his true self.
The show is set in high school and the teen characters mention sex, masturbation, drinking and smoking marijuana. They also curse.
The district’s other high school, Pitman High, put on Disney’s “High School Musical” in March.
Missing the memo
Not everyone heard that the curtain had been drawn on Friday night’s performance.
Letika Montanez and her two daughters showed up around 6:45 p.m. hoping to attend.
“The poor students — all that hard work and practicing and now they don’t get to perform for an audience,” Letika Montanez said.
Alana Montanez, a sophomore homeschool student, is interested in theater and wants to take acting classes through Modesto Junior College, so the family will sometimes go see local productions.
“I am disappointed,” Alana Montanez said.
Because she and her family are Christian and conservative, Letika Montanez said they tried to do research about the show beforehand since it had a mature content warning. She said she thought it was sad if the supervising adults ultimately did not pick appropriate content for the students.
Turlock resident Sariah Chavez, who showed up with two friends right before 7 p.m., said “Be More Chill” feels appropriate because it’s a musical set in a high school addressing issues high school students face.
“It’s all stuff we had to deal with and get used to,” Chavez, 20, said.
All three are familiar with the “Be More Chill” plot and soundtrack and were hoping to see the musical live for the first time. Kyra Bouchereau, 20, and Vanessa Findlay, 21, had even traveled from the San Jose area to see the show with Chavez.
A former theater kid herself, Bouchereau noted that high school shows can take three or four months before they’re ready.
“I feel like some people don’t understand all the work that goes into it,” Bouchereau said.
She’s also recently seen high school shows with graphic content, which “Be More Chill” doesn’t have, that went unquestioned. Other shows, meanwhile, will be adjusted to take out lines or songs high school students might not be able to perform.
For all three, punishing students for participating in art made no sense.
“It’s not real life, these aren’t real people doing these things,” Findlay said. “They’re portraying a story.”
This story was originally published April 09, 2022 6:00 AM.
