One Anonymous Complaint Was Enough to Cancel ‘Rocky Horror’ for an Idaho Community Theatre

by Chris Peterson

It apparently took one anonymous letter to kill The Rocky Horror Show at Lewiston Civic Theatre in Idaho.

Not protests. Not pressure from the city. Not objections from the school district that provides the venue.

One unsigned letter.

According to the Lewiston Tribune, the Lewiston Civic Theatre board unanimously voted to remove The Rocky Horror Show from its upcoming season after someone identifying themselves only as “an active member and supporter of the theatre” complained that the musical was “obscene.”

And the more I think about what happened here, the more complicated this becomes.

As I’ve come to find out, the Lewiston Civic Theatre is in a vulnerable position. Its previous building was condemned, and it now performs in an auditorium owned by the Lewiston School District. The theatre also receives support from the city.

So when this anonymous person didn't just send their complaint to the theatre, but also sent copies to the school district and city officials, I can understand why that got the board's attention.

In fact, I think that was probably the point.

If you wanted to scare a nonprofit theatre, going to the people who control its venue and help fund it would be a pretty effective way to do it.

And whoever wrote that letter did it without even having the courage to put their name on it. I think that's cowardly.

The problem is that the theatre seems to have reacted to what it feared might happen next rather than what was actually happening.

“We’re just trying to stay ahead of something that might be controversial,” Executive Director Nancy McIntosh told the Tribune. “We’re not really in a position to deal with a controversy, because we’re renting a space from the school district.”

I understand that fear to a point. If you're running a community theatre without a permanent home and you're dependent on relationships with local government, the possibility of losing either money or your venue is terrifying. I can also understand looking at the political climate and wondering whether one complaint could turn into twenty.

But before canceling the show, shouldn't someone have found out?

Lewiston School District Superintendent Tim Sperber said the production had already been canceled before he even knew what was happening.

“This all happened without our knowledge,” he said.

Lewiston Mayor Dan Johnson said he hadn't heard concerns from city council members either.

Nobody was threatening to take away the theatre's venue. Nobody was threatening to pull its funding.

At least based on everything publicly reported, nobody with the power to seriously hurt Lewiston Civic Theatre had actually asked them to cancel Rocky Horror.

The board was afraid they might.

That's an important distinction, and it's where I still have a problem with this decision. I wish the board had picked up the phone.

Talk to the school district. Talk to city officials. Find out whether this anonymous letter actually represented anyone other than the person who wrote it.

Because one of the letter's concerns already falls apart under scrutiny.

The writer reportedly raised “questions and legal ramifications” concerning “possible underage crew and actors.”

Except season-selection committee member Cindy Zeliff told the Tribune that nobody under 18 was going to participate in either Chicago or Rocky Horror.

So that wasn't an issue. And if something that alarming-sounding could be cleared up that easily, maybe the rest of the complaint deserved a little scrutiny before an entire production was canceled.

The community response makes this even more frustrating. When Lewiston Civic Theatre announced that Rocky Horror would replace Chicago, the Facebook post received 143 reactions and 23 comments, according to the Tribune. Most were enthusiastic. None condemned the production.

The opposition, as far as we currently know, was one person. And I wonder if the board underestimated its own community. Judging by the reaction to this cancellation, there are clearly people in Lewiston who wanted the theatre to stand its ground.

That's also why this decision probably hurts some members of the LGBTQ+ community more than the board anticipated.

Rocky Horror has been performed for more than 50 years and has long been especially meaningful to LGBTQ+ audiences.

If you find it offensive, don't buy a ticket. But your objection shouldn't determine what everyone else is allowed to see.

There's an uncomfortable contradiction when a community theatre wants to be a place where people can be themselves, where young artists are taught to embrace differences and where marginalized people are supposed to feel welcome, but then backs away the moment someone anonymously complains about a show associated with those very ideas.

Maybe someone complains about Rent. Maybe it's Cabaret. Maybe it's a play with a gay couple. Maybe somebody decides a transgender character is inappropriate.

Lewiston Civic Theatre has now shown that an anonymous complaint sent to the right people can work. That's the precedent I hate.