Kentucky Students Were Told Ragtime Was Canceled. The District Says It Never Was. So What Happened?
by Chris Peterson
Yesterday, students at the Youth Performing Arts School(YPAS) at duPont Manual High School in Louisville took to social media with a pretty alarming message: their production of Ragtime had been canceled.
According to the students, they had been told that Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) was stopping production because the material could offend community members.
They created a “SaveRagtime502” account, posted a video explaining what was happening, and the whole thing took off pretty quickly. The video received more than 231,000 likes and 11,000 shares, and attracted support from notable celebrities , including Kristin Chenoweth, Sarah Jessica Parker, and cast members of the recent Broadway revival of Ragtime.
Well, according to JCPS, Ragtime was never actually canceled.
On Thursday, the district apologized and said there had been a “miscommunication” while officials were reviewing the production. JCPS says it had been talking with community organizations, other school districts, and arts programs about how to responsibly present some of the more difficult material in the show.
And first, I’m glad the show is happening.
The production is currently scheduled to open on November 20.
I’ve actually been to duPont Manual High School and YPAS, and I don’t think people outside of Kentucky necessarily understand what kind of program this is. It is one of the best, if not the best, performing arts high school programs in the state.
I’ve walked through the facilities, seen the spaces these students get to work in, and spent time talking with some of the students in the program. I remember leaving incredibly impressed by both the resources and the seriousness of the training.
So, I have a hard time believing the educators there approached Ragtime without understanding what Ragtime contains.
The musical follows a white family, a Black musician and his family, and Jewish immigrants in early 20th-century New York. The show includes racial slurs, violence, and some very uncomfortable subjects, like infanticide and hate crimes.
And to be clear, I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with a school district having conversations about how that material is presented to high school students and audiences.
JCPS says that was what it was doing.
The problem is that somehow the students involved walked away believing their show had been canceled.
That’s a pretty big miscommunication.
I’m glad JCPS responded quickly and clarified that the production will continue. But I’d still like to know exactly what was communicated to these students that made them believe the production was dead.
Because somewhere in that chain, something clearly went very wrong.
Hopefully, the attention now shifts back where it belongs, toward the students making this incredibly difficult show.
Give them the context they need. Give them the support they need. Trust the educators at one of the strongest performing arts programs in the state to guide them through the material.
And maybe everybody involved can communicate a little better next time.
Because judging by what happened over the past 24 hours, these kids are definitely paying attention.