A Letter to that One Parent Who Complained: “Bravo, You Killed the Show”

To That One Parent Who Complained,

Congratulations. You did it. You got the show canceled. One complaint. One meeting. One vague concern about “appropriateness,” and just like that, a group of students had their work erased. Their rehearsals, their designs, their voices, their time—all wiped clean because you were uncomfortable.

Are you proud of yourself?

Did you sleep better knowing that teenagers wouldn’t be saying words you didn’t like, or exploring themes you didn’t understand? Did it feel good to watch a curtain stay closed because it made your world feel safer, smaller, easier?

Because here’s what actually happened. You didn’t just cancel a play. You taught kids that silence is more important than self-expression. That someone’s fear of being challenged is more valuable than someone else’s growth. That art is only acceptable when it asks nothing of its audience. That censorship wins.

And let’s not pretend this was about protecting children. These are the same kids who scroll through newsfeeds full of violence, who live in a world of real heartbreak and chaos. Theatre is the one place they get to process it all safely, with nuance, with humanity, with guidance. And you took that away.

Was that the plan? Or were you just so used to getting your way that you didn’t stop to think who you were stepping on?

There is no ribbon for this. No certificate for Most Easily Offended. All you’ve earned is the knowledge that your discomfort mattered more to a school than its students' freedom to create, to explore, to speak.

Theatre is messy. It’s bold. It’s sometimes uncomfortable on purpose. That’s what makes it powerful. And you saw that power and chose to shut it down.

I hope when you tell the story—because I’m sure you will—you leave room for the truth. That your complaint wasn’t a victory. It was a loss. For every student who now wonders why their voice wasn’t worth hearing.

Sincerely,

Chris Peterson, OnStage blog Founder & Someone who still believes the show should have gone on