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Douglas Anderson school play canceled over controversial content

'Indecent' was canceled due to what Duval County Public Schools says was not age appropriate content.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A school play at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in Jacksonville has been canceled because of content concerns.

Duval County Public School District leaders believe the play isn’t age appropriate. The name of the play is called, ‘Indecent.’

The play deals with same-sex relationships, obscene language and much more. The production was produced on Broadway in the 1920s and the students at Douglas Anderson who were cast feel like their voices are being silenced.

“The controversy is they are silencing a story about censorship and they are censoring a play about censorship, and it’s just so ironic that this is the play being silenced,” said Madeline Scotti, student.

Indecent is a play about Sholem Asch’s God of Vengeance. The play’s plot involves a brothel keeper whose daughter and a neighboring prostitute fall in love. It’s content the Duval County School leadership says isn’t appropriate for students.

“The situations mentioned in ‘Indecent’ are things Jewish kids and queer kids and children of immigrants have been dealing with their entire lives so the fact that someone could strike something down as not being age appropriate when someone has been dealing with this their whole life is baffling, and it’s completely unfair,” said Scotti.

Scotti took to Instagram to express her concern about the play being canceled.

She’s received over 20,000 views in a day. She says original cast members from the Broadway play responded to the post, disappointed about the cancellation.

First Coast News reached out to DCPS and a spokesperson says ‘Indecent’ contains adult sexual dialog that is inappropriate for student cast members and student audiences. The district says, “the decision has no relevance to any legislation.”

Scotti says she and her cast mates will find a way to put on the show.

This play will be done whether it’s at Douglas Anderson or elsewhere.

The district’s response about the decision they made not having to do with legislation is in response to speculation that the show was canceled because of the so called “Don’t Say Gay” law. Leaders say it’s not true.

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