The stage is set, and the curtains are about to rise at the International Thespian Festival (ITF), where high school theater’s brightest stars converge to share their talents. Joining the fun this summer is Thespian Troupe 88800 from Episcopal School of Baton Rouge, with their performance of Indecent.
Embark on an extraordinary theatrical experience with this profound and deeply moving play that explores the boundaries of art, love, and censorship. Indecent explores the true story of the controversial 1923 Broadway debut of Sholem Asch’s play God of Vengeance, a work that broke ground and taboos with its bold depiction of Jewish life and a scandalous lesbian romance. It’s a tale of a daring troupe of actors who risked their careers and lives to perform a work deemed indecent.
Vogel’s play is a tribute to the power of art to reflect the complexities of human nature and the resilience of the human spirit. The result is a heart-wrenching and inspiring exploration of the cultural impact of a groundbreaking work. This is not just a play, but a celebration of art that dares to speak the unspeakable and a testament to the enduring power of stories. EdTA chatted with troupe director Lily McGill to get a peek behind the curtain.
1. Why this show? What was the spark or idea behind choosing it?
The biggest factor was the story, searching for something that would be impactful and important. I had Indecent on my list, but was skeptical about accomplishing the dialects, foreign languages, music, choreography, etc. in a six-week rehearsal period.
I told some of the students about the plot of Indecent, and I remember one, Maddie Guidry, looking me in the eyes and saying, “I would love to tell that story.” As skeptical as I was, I couldn’t stop thinking about how affected Maddie and other students were by these characters. The rest is history.
2. How did you involve your students in the creative process and decision-making for the show?
Because this is a small cast, it was naturally a more collaborative effort. One of our actors, Joey Roth, is Jewish. He and the rabbi from our local Jewish congregation were very helpful, and research and conversations with them helped shape the representation of many things.
The students also wanted to pay homage to some key moments in the Broadway production. They really wanted to keep one moment in particular—the verdict—consistent with the Broadway production, so I let them have that.
3. Has your vision for the show evolved at all as you’ve gone through the process of preparing it for the ITF stage?
Definitely. Knowing that the show may have to travel and adapt to new spaces really forces creativity. It made me think, “Do I need that set piece? Does that have to be a completely separate costume?” It forced me to keep stripping the storytelling to its basics, and that simplicity was beneficial in our case.
4. Got a fun rehearsal moment, practice, or activity that’s helping you prep?
We’ve had so many fun moments in rehearsal when we’ve just burst out laughing. Most of the actors had to create multiple characters, and some of the speech patterns created were hysterical. One night, J.P. Saurage came on as Rudolph Schildkraut and tried something new. I just about lost control of my body laughing, and it’s a story we hold dear now. Respecting the characters but leaving time and space for laughter is important with a heavy piece.
5. How do you balance the educational aspects with the artistic demands of directing a high school production?
I’m thrilled with how many opportunities for education there were for this piece. Beyond the technical learning with the acting and staging, a show like this presents opportunities for the students to learn about religion, culture, immigration, persecution … all kinds of things. With the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict happening while we were in rehearsal, it also made the students more curious to engage with current events than they might be normally.
6. What is one piece of advice you'd share with troupes hoping to make the main stage next year?
Focus on the work and the story, not the flash. I think our show was chosen because of the story and the work of the actors. I’m proud and thankful that we didn’t have to produce a huge budget musical to have this opportunity.
7. What do you hope the audience takes away from your show, and why is this important to you?
I hope this piece leaves the audience thinking about the huge impact of art and the censorship of art. In this case, a play (and censorship of that play) changed the course of many real lives. It’s an incredible, real-life example of how far the ripples can reach from a “little” play.
