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Trumbull High School Moves To Ban “Rent” As Spring Musical

The Trumbull school district is dealing with a rift over “Rent” the musical. At a Board of Education meeting Tuesday, board members supported a decision by Trum...

The Trumbull school district is dealing with a rift over “Rent” the musical.

At a Board of Education meeting Tuesday, board members supported a decision by Trumbull High School’s principal to cancel a production of “Rent” for the school’s spring musical. That decision did not rule out running “Rent” in the future with more planning, the board said.

“Without proper planning, Rent, the school edition, has the potential to become a speech rather than a meaningful dialogue,” board chairman Deborah Herbst said.

The production was initially cancelled for what the principal called controversial issues. “Rent” features plot lines that discuss sexuality, homosexuality, HIV, AIDs, and drug use. But, supporters of the show argue those issues are not sensitive.

“Homosexual living is legal and protected in the State of Connecticut. Gay marriage is a right here. And so, I cannot accept the premise that homosexuality is a sensitive, or controversial issue,” Parent Jonathan Tropp said at the meeting.

A campaign to continue “Rent” in the Spring of 2014 was spearheaded by the president of Trumbull High School’s Thespian Society, Larissa Mark.

“These issues aren’t a fantasy to us. It’s not a story. They are our reality. They’re prevalent in today’s society and it’s something that we wanted to make a Statement of,” Mark said.

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