Should High Schools Be Doing “Rock of Ages”?

by Chris Peterson

Every few years, high school theatre finds a new show to argue about. Not because it’s bad. Not because it’s lazy. But because it makes adults uncomfortable in that familiar, circular way where concern pretends to be principle. Right now, that show is Rock of Ages.

And the question keeps getting asked(I just saw this on TikTok), sometimes loudly, sometimes with a sigh. Should high schools really be doing this show?

If we’re talking about the Broadway version, the answer is pretty straightforward. No. That version is intentionally messy, overly sexual, profane, and fueled by late-night, post-bar energy. It’s a show that thrives on excess. It’s supposed to feel a little irresponsible. That’s the joke. That’s the point.

But that’s also not what most high schools are actually producing.

They’re doing Rock of Ages: Youth Edition, and pretending those two things are interchangeable is where this conversation keeps going off the rails.

The Youth Edition isn’t some sneaky workaround. It’s not a director crossing their fingers and hoping no one notices. It’s a version that was intentionally reworked with schools in mind. Language cleaned up. Sexual humor rewritten or removed. Substance use softened into implication rather than spectacle. Characters reshaped so they still have edge, but not exploitation. It keeps the spirit without keeping the mess.

And honestly, the spirit is the part that matters.

There’s a weird assumption baked into a lot of these arguments that teenagers don’t already understand the world this show is playing in. As if they don’t know 80s rock culture. As if they haven’t heard these songs in movies, commercials, sporting events, and their parents’ cars. As if they don’t already understand rebellion, identity, swagger, and performance.

What the Youth Edition asks students to do isn’t reenact adult behavior. It asks them to play characters. Loud ones. Stylized ones. Ones that live firmly inside a theatrical frame. That distinction matters, especially in an art form where pretending is literally the job.

There’s also the practical side we rarely talk about. This is an ensemble show. A big one. It gives a lot of students something meaningful to do. Not just leads, but singers, dancers, comedians, technicians, designers. It’s high energy. It demands commitment. It rewards confidence. And for a lot of students, especially the ones who don’t see themselves in the same handful of “acceptable” titles that get recycled every year, that kind of show can be a lifeline.

I sometimes wonder if the real discomfort isn’t about content at all, but about tone. About joy that’s a little loud. About confidence that isn’t apologetic. About theatre that doesn’t feel polite.

We say we want students to take creative risks, but only as long as those risks look familiar to us. We talk about preparing them for the real world, then panic when a show reflects a version of that world we’d rather smooth over. That tension shows up every time a program steps slightly outside the safest lane.

The better question isn’t whether Rock of Ages belongs in high schools. It’s whether the adults running the program are doing their jobs. Did they choose the right version? Did they communicate clearly with families? Did they direct it with intention and taste? Did they understand what they were putting onstage and why?

When those answers are yes, there’s nothing reckless about it. There’s something honest about it.

High school theatre doesn’t have to be bland to be responsible. It doesn’t have to be squeaky clean to be meaningful. It just has to be thoughtful.

So yes, I do think this is a show that belongs in high schools.

Not recklessly. Not casually. Not without thought. But responsibly. Intentionally. With adults in the room who understand the material, choose the right version, and are willing to explain why they chose it in the first place.

The Youth Edition of Rock of Ages doesn’t ask students to cross lines. It asks programs to do their jobs. To communicate with families. To direct with taste. To remember that theatre is about context as much as content.

If we trust our students to handle Shakespeare’s violence, Sondheim’s emotional cruelty, and classic musicals built on outdated gender politics, we can trust them with a stylized, edited, clearly framed celebration of rock and roll fantasy. The work isn’t pretending those themes don’t exist. The work is teaching students how to engage with them thoughtfully.

High school theatre shouldn’t be about eliminating risk entirely. It should be about modeling how to manage it well. And when Rock of Ages: Youth Edition is done with care, that’s exactly what it does.

That’s why I land here: yes, this is a show high schools should do. Responsibly. Thoughtfully. On purpose.