Fannin County school play canceled over copyright violation, principal says
A play being put on by students at Fannin County High School was canceled after one performance, frustrating parents.
The production of Arthur Miller's 'The Crucible,' an examination of both the Salem Witch Trials and an allegory for the dangers of McCarthyism during the Red Scare of the 1950s, premiered Friday.
Its Saturday night performance, however, was canceled by Fannin County High School, leaving parents perplexed and, according to some posts responding to the announcement, frustrated with the school.
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In a statement posted Saturday afternoon, the high school did not provide details about why the show would no longer be staged.
'I'm extremely disappointed in this decision. For whoever had a problem with the play, they should have been more proactive about learning that information way before our kids put hours and effort into their show. They should not be penalized for doing a play that was approved months ago,' one commenter said.
After an outpouring of support by the community, the show went on at a local theater and on Monday, the school explained why the show was canceled.
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'When this news became available on Facebook earlier today, a number of people stepped into action to make the play happen and as a result, THE SHOW WILL GO ON!!!!!' a parent told Channel 2 Action News on Saturday night.
In a statement released by the high school, Principal Dr. Scott Ramsey and other school leaders said they'd 'received several complaints as to an unauthorized change in the script of the play.'
While the changes themselves were not detailed, and Channel 2 Action News has reached out for more information, school officials said the copyright violation from their license of the play made their decision for them.
'Upon investigation, we learned that the performance did not reflect the original script. These alterations were not approved by the licensing company or administration. The performance contract for The Crucible does not allow modifications without prior written approval. Failing to follow the proper licensing approval process for additions led to a breach in our contract with the play's publisher,' school officials said. 'The infraction resulted in an automatic termination of the licensing agreement. The second performance of The Crucible could not occur because we were no longer covered by a copyright agreement.'
The school also confirmed in their statement that the script is taught in English classes at the institution, though it is not a required text.
'It is regretted that there was a copyright violation that resulted in our inability to perform the play,' officials said.
Channel 2 Action News asked the school for more information about the script changes, and how they were found and investigated and are waiting for a response from the school.
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