Lee Hall, the writer behind the popular film and musical hit “Billy Elliott,” has responded with frustration and disappointment to the cancellation of his new opera after school officials pulled 300 primary school students from the production due to gay references in the libretto.
The opera, entitled “Beached” and scheduled to open on June 15 in East Yorkshire, tells the story of a single father spending the day at the beach and bears an overall message of social tolerance and inclusiveness. However, administrators at the Bay Primary School in Bridlington objected to exposing young students to the opera’s adult content (including homophobic language and allusions to sexual conduct), and forbid pupil participation despite edits designed to make the libretto more appropriate for young audiences.
According to the BBC News, Hall accused Opera North of “censorship” after the company canceled the opera in light of the school’s decision.
“I really thought this was from another era,” Hall explained, “and that a school and an opera company can make this kind of mistake, I’m baffled by it.” The writer added that he is “hugely disappointed” and “annoyed;” but more than anything, he claims to be “upset that this type of discrimination could be acceptable to people.”
Meanwhile, Opera North officials said that, while they respect Hall’s authorial rights and consider “Beached” to be “a wonderful piece about bringing all different sections of the community together,” they also appreciate the Bay Primary School’s perspective and their objections to the opera’s content.
As a result of the show’s cancellation, Opera North will lose around £15,000 in production and preparation costs, as well as the commissioning fee for the opera and the months of rehearsal time dedicated to the project.
Update: After homophobia debate, “Beached” opera to premier as scheduled
After intense negotiations, Lee Hall and the administrators at the Bay Primary School have reached an agreement that will allow “Beached” to premier as planned.
The school originally voiced objections to the use of the word “queer” in the opera’s libretto, citing the lines “Of course I’m queer/That’s why I left here/So if you infer/That I prefer/A lad to a lass/And I’m working class/I’d have to concur” as an example of language inappropriate for primary school students.
In response, Hall ultimately agreed to change the line from “queer” to “gay,” a term the school found more acceptable. The new phrase reads, “Of course I’m gay/That’s why I went away” — a change that Hall insists he would happily have made at the outset had he been asked.
The BBC News reports that “Beached” will now open on July 15 as originally scheduled.
