A local school board may decide to reverse its position after pulling funding from a musical about a gay teenager, following immense public support for the high school play.
Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) trustees will discuss a motion during a meeting on Tuesday that, if passed, would return $15,000 in funding to the high school production of Prom Queen at the Grand Theatre in London. The musical is based on the true story of Marc Hall, an Oshawa teenager who fought the Durham Catholic School Board in a bid to bring his boyfriend to prom in 2002.
The decision to pull the funding was met with widespread criticism, despite reassurances that the decision was based on issues with the script. School board officials said there was fear the play damages the trust schools are trying to build between students and faculty, due to its portrayal of adults and authority figures.
In a tweet sent out Friday afternoon, TVDSB Chair Matthew Reid said the decision to re-visit the previous decision was made after hearing the outcry of students, staff, and other community members.
"Thank you for all those that have reached out and expressed their opinions," he said.
An online fundraiser entitled “The Show Must Go On” was created this week in response to the removal of funding by both the TVDSB and the London District Catholic School Board. Posted on CanadaHelps.org, the fundraiser had already exceeded its $30,000 goal by more than $26,000 by Friday evening. Over 640 people and organizations have made donations.
The Thames Valley District School Board and the London District Catholic School Board traditionally donate $15,000 each to the Grand Theatre’s annual high school project, which has an operating budget of $250,000. All production, actor and stage management roles are held by students.
As of Friday evening, the Catholic board had not indicated if it will also consider reversing its decision.
The Grand Theatre announced on Friday that it will be offering two student matinees completely free of charge for students, in response to the community support for the production.
-With files from Miranda Chant