News and Events => Education news => Topic started by: Jessica_Rose on October 14, 2026, 06:04:00 PM Return to Full Version
Title: School cancels “Little Shop of Horrors” because a girl was cast as Seymour
Post by: Jessica_Rose on October 14, 2026, 06:04:00 PM
Post by: Jessica_Rose on October 14, 2026, 06:04:00 PM
School cancels "Little Shop of Horrors" because a girl was cast as Seymour
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/10/school-cancels-little-shop-of-horrors-because-a-girl-was-cast-as-seymour/
John Russell (14 Oct 2026)
A Texas school district canceled a high school's fall musical after a female student was cast as the male lead. The decision, it said, was an effort to comply with the state's anti-drag law — which was struck down in August.
Ana Mota, a senior at South Grand Prairie High School, was initially cast as Seymour in her school's student production of Little Shop of Horrors following days of what she described as tough auditions, The Dallas Morning News reports. The starring role, Mota told local ABC affiliate WFAA, was supposed to be one of her final performances before graduating next spring.
But a week into rehearsals, Mota says officials with Grand Prairie Independent School District told her the role would have to be recast. According to The Dallas Morning News, officials said a female student could not play a male part. Mota was instead given the option of sharing the role of Audrey, the show's female lead, with another female student.
After Mota declined to take a different role, the district canceled the production.
In a statement defending its decision, Grand Prairie ISD cited its own policies as well as federal and state law. Specifically, the district cited Texas' S.B. 12, a 2023 law that criminalized "sexually explicit" performances in the presence of minors, broadly defining such performances as those featuring "a male performer exhibiting as a female, or a female performer exhibiting as a male, who uses clothing, makeup, or other similar physical markers and who sings, lip syncs, dances, or otherwise performs before an audience."
A federal judge has ruled the law unconstitutional twice... sending the case back to the lower court and allowing the law to take effect while it played out.
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@Sarah B
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/10/school-cancels-little-shop-of-horrors-because-a-girl-was-cast-as-seymour/
John Russell (14 Oct 2026)
A Texas school district canceled a high school's fall musical after a female student was cast as the male lead. The decision, it said, was an effort to comply with the state's anti-drag law — which was struck down in August.
Ana Mota, a senior at South Grand Prairie High School, was initially cast as Seymour in her school's student production of Little Shop of Horrors following days of what she described as tough auditions, The Dallas Morning News reports. The starring role, Mota told local ABC affiliate WFAA, was supposed to be one of her final performances before graduating next spring.
But a week into rehearsals, Mota says officials with Grand Prairie Independent School District told her the role would have to be recast. According to The Dallas Morning News, officials said a female student could not play a male part. Mota was instead given the option of sharing the role of Audrey, the show's female lead, with another female student.
After Mota declined to take a different role, the district canceled the production.
In a statement defending its decision, Grand Prairie ISD cited its own policies as well as federal and state law. Specifically, the district cited Texas' S.B. 12, a 2023 law that criminalized "sexually explicit" performances in the presence of minors, broadly defining such performances as those featuring "a male performer exhibiting as a female, or a female performer exhibiting as a male, who uses clothing, makeup, or other similar physical markers and who sings, lip syncs, dances, or otherwise performs before an audience."
A federal judge has ruled the law unconstitutional twice... sending the case back to the lower court and allowing the law to take effect while it played out.
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@Sarah B
Title: Re: School cancels “Little Shop of Horrors” because a girl was cast as Seymour
Post by: Devlyn on October 15, 2026, 06:41:54 AM
Post by: Devlyn on October 15, 2026, 06:41:54 AM
Who's going to tell them about Peter Pan? 🤣
Title: Re: School cancels “Little Shop of Horrors” because a girl was cast as Seymour
Post by: tammy753 on October 15, 2026, 08:29:20 AM
Post by: tammy753 on October 15, 2026, 08:29:20 AM
They may not want to learn about the history of theatre in general. Men played women's parts all the time. Texas may implode if they read history books. History books are probably banned there is they are safe from reality.