CINDERELLA RESCUED FROM PC POLICE—BLACK MAN PAYS PRICE
A HIGH SCHOOL'S PRODUCTION OF THE CLASSIC WALT DISNEY PLAY WENT OFF THE RAILS WHEN A STUDENT TAPED HER MOUTH SHUT AS A JOKE, TRIGGERING SUSPENSIONS, FIRING
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Two high school educators were suspended and a third was fired when their school's production of Cinderella went off the rails after a student taped her own mouth shut during rehearsal.
"How a simple joke could be taken so far out of proportion is crazy to me," Elizabeth Hill, an eighth grade student at Catskill High School in upstate New York, told Albany's ABC News 10 on Sunday.
The controversy exploded into public view Mar. 1. That's when students staged a mass walk-out—a "jailbreak"—to protest the suspensions of the school's principal, Junait Shah, and its music director, Michelle Storrs-Ryan. Two days later, on a balmy Sunday afternoon, several hundred Catskill students, parents and alumni marched through the town to the school in support of the suspended educators, the Albany Times Union reported.
The problem started back in February. During a rehearsal, cast members did more talking than rehearsing. Storrs-Ryan, who was directing the school's Cinderella production, jokingly warned: “Be quiet, I’m going to get the tape!”
One of the student actors, Madison Mudge, responded “Me! Me! I want the tape!”
Storrs-Ryan walked over and handed Mudge a piece of tape. Mudge put it over her mouth and continued talking. To her, it was a joke. She took it off a few minutes later.
“It was such an insignificant moment,” Mudge explained to the Times Union. “Everyone was laughing.
Not everyone. Another student falsely alleged the teacher forcibly taped the student's mouth shut.
Mudge's mother said she tried to talk to school administrators about it but they wouldn't listen.
“The administration refuses to speak to me and my husband in regards to this, which is ludicrous considering my child is the center of the entire so-called incident,” she told the Times Union. “My child is being used as a pawn in their disgusting, deceitful ploy to get rid of two of the most admired members of our school community.”
Protesters were back the next day when school opened Monday morning. This time they demanded the resignation of Catskill Schools Superintendent Dan Wilson. Wilson came out of his office and tried to read a statement but was shouted down by the protesters.
“We shut him out because we know he’s only going to tell lies,” a student explained to journalists.
The days of rage continued with another protest Mar. 7. The Board of Education responded with a statement urging patience because of its "ongoing" investigation.
"While we recognize the public’s interest and concern, it is paramount to safeguard the integrity of the investigation and the rights of those involved," the Board's statement said.
Shah and Storrs-Ryan both declined to comment.
Superintendent Wilson tried to replace Storrs with John Sowle, the director of Catskill’s Bridge Street Theatre.
“I didn’t know what was going on so I was trying to be helpful,” Sowle said. “And then I found out what was going on, and I got very upset and angry.”
He even telephoned Wilson back and left what he called a "very angry" voicemail when the superintendent did not answer.
He said Storrs-Ryan “does everything" for the production. She "runs the sound board for the show usually, she’s there finishing up the set, she works on the orchestra, she coordinates everyone—it’s just like a nightmare without her."
"Frankly," Sowle added, "I don’t even see how it can go on, but we’ll see.”
The curtain was supposed to go up Mar. 15. It didn't.
Shah was allowed to return to his job on Mar. 12.
The next night, hundreds attended a raucous public meeting of the Catskill school board. The board closed off the public comment period before a group of students could speak. Among them was Cinderella herself, at least the student actor playing Cinderella, Alexandra Hallam.
“Let her speak!,” the crowd chanted, forcing the board to vote whether or not to extend the comment period. It did.
Seizing the microphone, Cinderella said protesters were “promoting what we believe is good and fair.” She was proud of her school but had “never been more disgusted at a collection of actions in my life.”
During the meeting, the show's choreographer, Marcus McGregor, revealed to journalists that the student who filed the false complaint had filed other false complaints.
"This is not the first complaint that she's made against us," he told Albany's News Channel 13, the local NBC News affiliate station. "It's a number of them."
He also named them. Two days later, the school fired him for "breach of confidentiality."
Kayleigh Timberger, a senior at the high school and Cinderella actor, defended McGregor.
“He just wanted to get the truth out and get us heard,” Timberger said.
Storrs-Ryan was cleared and allowed back to work on Monday, Mar. 17. The curtain is now scheduled to go up April 12, 13, and 14.
Scott Hallam, Cinderella's real-life father, said he was “thrilled” Storrs-Ryan was back. He had “no doubt” she and the students would meet the deadline.
“Michelle’s perfectly capable of putting this together.”
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