Fairhaven High School theatre students discuss LGBTQ+ topics for upcoming musical

FAIRHAVEN -- This year Fairhaven High School will have another prom, with their theater department's production of "The Prom" set for April 4.

The musical centers around a girl trying to take another girl to prom and openly discussing the impact of homophobia in the community and shares a positive message about acceptance.

"I think it's really nice to be represented by a high school theatre.  Not a lot of other people have done this show because maybe they are scared to present the ideas and message," said Emma Bettencourt, 16, a junior who also plays the character Emma in the show.

Bettencourt, who also identifies as LGBTQ+, plays the teenager who wants to bring their girlfriend to prom but gets pushed back by the school's PTA. Thus, Broadway stars looking for a way to become popular again, head to the small Indiana town to rally behind Emma.

“It's strange. I see a lot of myself in her," Bettencourt said, adding that the people that they surround themselves with are pretty inclusive and accepting.

"But I know a lot of the people here are not."

More: 3GenLove opens a second location in the SouthCoast for all things body, mind and soul.

Although Bettencourt said they are not directly targeted or violently bullied, there is a stigma in the student body when it comes to connecting with the LGBTQ+ identifying students.

"No one's getting their lunch money stolen or shoved in a locker, but it will forever exist around us," Bettencourt said.

Students shared excitement for show after watching Netflix movie

Junior Carly Bradshaw, 17, who plays the washed up Broadway actress Angie Dickinson said she was considering not returning this year to participate in the musical after first hearing it was a "gay show."

“I was kind of iffy. I had never heard of the show before,” she said. “Upon watching it I realized it's more than a show it is equality, inclusivity and community.”

Bradshaw said she didn't know if her family would be accepting, but now thinks they will have a good time when they see it.

“It is a jump for our high school to be doing such a show," she added.

Senior Alexandra Cousineau, 18, plays Dee Dee Allen, the narcissistic two-time Tony Award winner looking for a way to climb back to the top after starring in several Broadway flops and Googles what "LGBTQ" means minutes before arriving in Indiana to fight for Emma.

More: Moby Dick Brewing Co opens its event space. Here's its future plans for the venue.

"I've been here for four years. And to do this show, I was like, oh my gosh, not a lot of people are gonna see it just because I feel like the LGBT community is very, like close, like tight knit community here and then that's it, no one else will support it," she said.

Colin D’acquido, who plays the school's principal who is fighting for Emma to bring her girlfriend to The Prom, thinks they will attract a bigger audience because there aren't just theatre kids in the show.

"Some of the football kids are in the show as well in there. And They're also part of this really inclusive community," he said. "And all of the other football kids and their friends will come and experience something like this and maybe see it more than just a laugh."

'The Prom' becomes top performed high school musical since 2021

Since closing on Broadway on August 11, 2019, "The Prom" quickly became available for schools to access from a direct adaptation, a student edition and a junior version. Middle schools, high schools, colleges and regional theatres all jumped on the chance to produce it.

According to NPR, "The Prom" became the top musical in the last two years to be performed at high schools.

Maria Rebelo, Fairhaven High School's theatre mentor said she is excited to present the musical. This year, she wanted to switch things up and do something more contemporary with a modern message and pop music instead of an old-traditional show such as "Into the Woods" or "Annie," as they performed years prior.

"It is important to expose students to different forms of theater as part of their education," she said. "I have a few transgender students in the school community, and I wanted to choose a story that was the best of both worlds."

When considering the musical, Rebelo met with school officials last spring to get approval. She gave them a copy of the script and talked openly about it.

FHS drama teacher happy with administration support

"This was the first production that had LGBTQ as the main plot in a musical that I think the school has ever done," she said. "Andy [Kulak, FHS principal] was really into it and supportive from the beginning, I was really happy about that."

More: New Bedford Film Festival shared its official selections. Here's how to watch.

She said the main concern was the language in the original script, which included some profanity. However, they were able to get permission to use the school edition script, which still keeps the original plot line.

She then encouraged students to watch the Netflix-produced movie starring Meryl Streep and James Corden. "Once they understood the story, they were thrilled to be part of the production," she said. "And we've had a lot of open discussions about the plot with everyone since."

Many other schools share the same feeling about offering "The Prom" to the student body citing it as a way to have an open discussion with their cast and community about the inclusivity of LGBTQ+ students.

“As their teacher I have seen an immense amount of growth. Through all of them, I've seen them all come out of their shells and take on roles that two years ago they might have absolutely not have done," Rebelo added.

Other schools have censored musical as LGBTQ bullying stats increase

However, not all schools have been as accepting. Last year, Hampshire High School's district administrators blindsided the theatre department by canceling their production of "The Prom" citing "safety concerns because they were not prepared to fully support this performance without risking potential harassment, bullying, and violence targeting our LGBTQ+ students, performers, staff or community members."

In 2022, Cedar Grove High School administrators in Essex County, New Jersey also tried to cancel a planned production of "The Prom," but was overturned by students and parents.

In Lynchburg, Virginia a City Council member, called for the show set to be performed at Heritage High School to be canceled over what he said were anti-Christian sentiments depicted -- but it soon became the school's highest attended musical to date.

Across the country, according to a 2023 report by HopSkipDrive, data from the CDC indicate that LGBTQ youth are significantly more likely to experience bullying than their peers. In fact, the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance indicates that LGBTQ youth experience more violence and victimization and have higher health and suicide risks.

According to the report, 43% have experienced bullying on campus, with 21% of gay and lesbian youth, 22% of bisexual youth, and 29% of transgender youth have attempted suicide at some point.

More: Artist at Cake Smith Gallery creates spectacular wedding cakes with a twist

Nearly 30% of transgender youth have been threatened or hurt by somebody with a weapon on campus. (Compared to 7% for cisgender youth.)

Meanwhile, in schools, a survey of 2,531 U.S. public K-12 teachers conducted Oct. 17-Nov. 14, 2023, using the RAND American Teacher Panel. 38% of teens say they feel comfortable when topics related to racism or racial inequality come up in class, with a smaller share (29%) say they feel comfortable when topics related to sexual orientation or gender identity come up.

Among the American public, 54% said parents should be able to opt their children out of learning about LGBTQ issues than say the same about topics related to race.

"I think we are luckier in Fairhaven than other places across America," said Bettencourt.

"You see headlines... that'll report on just the horrible things that are happening with legislature in other states. It just feels like pixels on a screen to read those headlines, but then, and when you're actually playing it [in the show] you can feel it."

Bettencourt said they hope the audience will walk-away with some sort of message from seeing the show.

“I think it's nice that we're not afraid to do this," they added.

Standard-Times staff writer Seth Chitwood can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on twitter:@ChitwoodReports. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Fairhaven High School students ready 'The Prom' on April 4