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High cost of RENT in Monrovia –MHS Drama Teacher Segal Resigns
Featured Feb 09, 2012
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High cost of RENT in Monrovia –MHS Drama Teacher Segal Resigns
Monrovia High School’s long time drama director/teacher Marc Segal is resigning from his post at the end of the school year.
While it comes as no surprise to many in the community, Segal’s announcement was due in no small part over differences with district administrators.
Marc Segal shared his personal thoughts with Beacon Media in a statement on Monday:
“After 60 productions at MHS, I am not ready to have to have my hand held when it comes to choosing shows and deciding what’s appropriate for my students and the community at large. I have seen over and over again that when I do “family oriented shows”, the attendance is never at the same level as say a “Sweeney Todd”, “Little Shop of Horrors”, or “Grease”.
Segal went on to say “Most of the ROP funding has been cut or swept into the general fund, so there is no money for compensation. (My extracurricular pay was cut 75-80%.) I have two children who just finished college and another starting in the fall and may need to find part time work elsewhere outside of my regular English assignment.”
Segal added that he felt he was “ getting a little old to run this whole thing myself. I’m not a young man anymore and the job requires a lot of time.”
“I get the distinct feeling that the district agrees with my decision and wants me to step down. Why? I’m not sure. Maybe because of the controversy, but I just don’t know.” Segal said.
In closing the popular drama teacher said “I hate leaving my students and I hope they hire the young man I’ve been training for the past few years. It would make the transition much smoother since the drama program needs to continue at MHS.”
Segal and his students caused the administration to step in when “Rent” was not allowed to be performed by district officials. The administration in Monrovia wanted a kinder, gentler approach to drama and ultimately it may have backfired.
With some in the community calling it censorship, MUSD denied permission for Segal’s revised version of “Rent” to be performed. The story is about a group of young poor artists, some of them gay and lesbian, struggling in the shadow of HIV/AIDS.
Students have defended Segal for trying to protect their artistic integrity and lambasted the district for being overly cautious.
Students weren’t the only people to pipe in on the controversy last year: Arcadia Drama teacher Steven Volpe was amazed by the district’s decision:
Arcadia High School Drama Teacher, Steven Volpe, said the decision by Monrovia’s Superintendent of education Linda Wagner to prohibit production of RENT was “ Ridiculous”!
Monrovia High school principal issued the following statement after the initial decision was made.
“As Principal of Monrovia High School, and in response to the controversy that has arisen over the production of the play “Rent”, drama teacher Marc Segal and I have agreed to release this joint statement with regard to the future of plays and musicals that will be produced at our school – Monrovia High School
We plan to develop a strategy to assist us in making decisions based on a common philosophy for high school drama productions that fosters student interest in the arts commencing in the middle school years and continuing into high school. In the coming days, we will be crafting an agreed upon process that focuses on family-friendly content that would enhance learning and stimulate the intellectual growth of our students. The Monrovia Unified School District and Monrovia High School strive to provide an environment in which all students thrive, and to that end we will collaboratively work together to ensure we achieve our goals.
The Board, District, community and administration have supported the arts at Monrovia High School for many years. Most recently, the auditorium has received over one million dollars in renovations. These renovations were in an effort to allow for phenomenal plays and musicals for years to come. Marc Segal is a passionate, talented director and our students are fine actors. The combination of these factors will allow students to grow in their acting abilities.”
Darvin Jackson, Principal
Steven Volpe says the school district’s decision to ban the play was “ absolutely and utterly ridiculous”. The play is about “understanding each other and how we can live with one another with our differences.”
“Rent is a wonderful play. Yes, it has some ‘dark scenes’ but so do Shakespeare and countless other plays.” Volpe added that he truly believes that homophobia is playing a significant role in the executive decision to ban RENT.
Steven Volpe, Arcadia High School’s Advanced Drama teacher said ” Theatre is Life”. He went on to say that the rock opera (RENT) is a complex play modeled on Puccini’s “La Boheme,” Jonathan Larson’s “Rent” which depicts the lives of struggling artists – some of the characters are gay and lesbian – in lower-east-side Manhattan at the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 1980′s.
Steven Volpe belives that he would have put the play on at Arcadia High School without the surrounding controversy and prohibitions. “I took my students to a production last year in Fullerton : The play was RENT! It was incredible and the students learned a great deal of the human emotion inv
olved in this difficult and complex issue Volpe asserted.
“Do they ( Monrovia Schools ) want their High School drama students to produce only things like Peter Pan?” “Family Friendly is not serving the kids or the community…” he added.
In place of “Rent,” Segal ended up directing, albeit reluctanly, a musical called “Once Upon a Mattress” based on “The Princess and the Pea.” Attendance for the production was extremely low.
It is interesting to point out that Arcadia’s productions often sell out long before the production even finishes rehearsals.
Linda Wagner, Superintendent Monrovia Unified School District was asked by Beacon Media for a statement on Segal’s resignation as Drama teacher for MUSD. The superintendent said
“We appreciate Mr. Segal’s many years of service to Monrovia students.”
The Spring Musical at Monrovia High School is entitled “The Robber Bridegroom” which will be Segal’s Swan Song. It opens May 2 and plays through May 5. Segal says “ It should be a great show and our closing performance will be filled with alumni, parents and supporters coming to say, “So long.”
Marc Segal will continue to teach English at MHS next year.
