Sondheim safety

Chad Orzel points to an Inside Higher Ed article on the fallout from the recent tragedy at Northern Illinois University: Arkansas Tech banned a production of Stephen Sondheim's Assassins and insisted that the one dress rehearsal allowed "so the cast could experience the play" had to be done without the prop guns (which had to be cut in half).

As one of Chad's commenter's says: "When musical theater is outlawed only outlaws will have musical theater." Methinks the college president was more concerned about presidential assassinations than the welfare of his students. Also, it is an easy "look I'm doing something" stunt that will only offend the theater crowd, a much smaller percentage of alumni than football fans. "Further frustrating faculty members, there have been reports of gun shots — and a recent shooting injury — at parties organized by Arkansas Tech students, but the students organizing those parties were reportedly football players, not thespians."

Hopefully DePauw won't cancel The Abduction of Figaro this coming week, even though the opera is invaded by a pirate who may or may not have a sword. But then, DePauw had a much more productive response to the NIU tragedy, so no pointless gestures are necessary.