Washington college cancels the foreigner
On Nov. 8, 2019 Kurt Langraf and the Washington College staff announced that they have cancelled two public performances of The Foreigner.
This 1980’s based play is often performed in educational settings across the country. When announcing this play was going to be performed, it created a controversial conversation between the greater population of Washington College.
The Foreigner, “...centers on a group of people who feel “othered” by society in various ways, including premarital pregnancy, neurological differences, and age,” President Kurt Langraf stated in the email sent out to the Washington College community.
“In the climax of the play, the community of disenfranchised protagonists rises up to easily defeat the bigoted antagonists (who reveal themselves as members of the KKK). It is through the portrayal and defeat of these villainous characters that the play conveys its message about the evils of xenophobia, the dangers of “othering,” and the importance of empathy,” says Langraf in his email.
The play has been canceled by the Washington college staff because many students took offense and complained. Some have taken offense to the cancelation of the play because it exhibits censorship.
People have made comments to this email with different points of view;
“… the decision to cancel the play has been interpreted by some as a form of censorship on the part of the College. Censorship is anathema to the core values of Washington College, and this was never our intent.” George Orwell would be aghast (but, regrettably, probably not surprised) at your application of doublespeak. Easy solution: allow the production as planned (albeit delayed). The “liberal arts” does not guarantee intellectual comfort. In fact, the “liberal arts” — if effective — guarantee some level of discomfort.”
“The original sin in all of this was giving greater weight to a small group of protesters who refused to acknowledge or understand the context and meaning of the play. Further, attendance at this play was not compulsory. Not buying it – this was a bad decision at the outset.”
Although there are different reactions towards this outcome, the play is still officially canceled.
Source: https://talbotspy.org/wc-president-landgraf-responds-to-cancellation-of-the-foreigner/?fbclid=IwAR1zzj_tXKdFErHKbSXDU4oG_cGuM_LeoDVhpkiXavZLzqyvgJ52VJX0PNU
Comments