Proposed Alabama drag ban could impact high school theater productions
House Minority Leader Scott Stadthagen, R-Hartselle, speaks with staff on the floor of the Alabama Senate on Feb. 4, 2025 in Montgomery, Alabama. The Alabama Legislature began its 2025 session on Tuesday. His bill to ban drag performances in schools and libraries may also effect theater production, but he says he is working with an unnamed senator on an amendment to protect theater productions. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector)
The Alabama House of Representatives passed a bill last week that would ban drag performances in schools and public libraries.
But it could also impact theater productions statewide.
HB 67, sponsored by Rep. Scott Stadthagen, R-Hartselle, defines drag performances as 'a performance in which a performer exhibits a sex identity that is different from the sex assigned to the performer at birth using clothing, makeup, or other physical markers.'
According to the Alabama Educational Theatre Association (ALEdTA), with fewer boys participating in theater in high school, girls often play boys' roles to fill the cast. The association said the legislation could impact school theater productions.
'We all know that in the current environment where boys are not participating as much in theatre; this will have a negative impact on educational theatre,' ALEdTA wrote in a Facebook post Monday.
Historically, the opposite was true. In Ancient Greece, women were considered inferior to men and unfit for the stage, so female roles were played by men. The same was true in the Elizabethan era for plays by William Shakespeare. Premature boys often played female roles because of women's limited social status.
The association is calling on its members to advocate for an amendment to the legislation in the Alabama Senate that would exempt theater productions from the restriction on drag performances. The association provided a letter template on the post for its members to send to their senator.
'This bill without needed amendments will force teachers to provide less performance opportunities for students. It will also heavily reduce the plays and musicals that we can perform in Alabama,' the letter said.
Stadthagen said in an interview Wednesday the legislation was not meant to impact theater and that he is working on an amendment for the Senate to make that explicit.
'It does not pertain to that at all,' he said. 'The intent is not to harm theater or anything like that. The intent, of course, is to eliminate drag.'
Huntsville High School this fall planned to stage 'Peter and the Starcatcher,' a Tony-award winning play based on the backstory of Peter Pan but switched productions due to the possible implications of the legislation.
'This change was made thoughtfully and early in the planning process before casting occurred to ensure the production aligns with any legal and logistical considerations that may arise,' Craig Williams, a spokesperson for the school system, wrote in an email Wednesday.
Stadthagen said in an interview Wednesday that he had not heard of any theater productions being cancelled and said that was not necessary.
'They don't need to be cancelling anything at all,' he said. 'They have nothing to worry about, I promise you.'
The bill awaits consideration from the Senate Education Policy Committee, which did not have its regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday.
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