Waterbury Board of Education Rules Wilson Play to Run as Written

As BroadwayWorld has previously reported, the superintendent of schools in Waterbury, Connecticut had making a plea to shut down a school production of August Wilson's JOE TURNER'S COME AND GONE. Mr. Snead claims that educators should not be encouraging people to use the word 'nigger' which appears several times in the script.

The Waterbury Board of Education, with assistance from the Dean of the Yale School of Drama, met to discuss the issue and have ruled that the show will go on as written, denying the language change by the superintendent.

The New York Times reports today: "On Wednesday night Board of Education officials heard from more than 30 audience members out of crowd of 150; among the speakers were students in the cast and crew of the production. According to Nina A. Smith, the director of the play and a theater arts teacher at the school, as well as newspaper accounts, the discussion included both support and opposition to the production; those favoring it appeared to be in the majority."

For the full story, visit the New York Times.