Baa, Baa, Baa

Apparently, someone with a tiny bit more wisdom stepped in at Yale and has lifted the ban on realistic prop weapons in stage productions at plays put on by the drama department. If you hadn't already heard about this, the Dean of Student Affairs, Betty Trachtenberg, took the "loco" part of "loco parentis" quite literally and decreed that prop weapons could no longer be used unless they were obvious fakes. This was her "enlightened" response to the tragedy at Virginia Tech. (We suggested substituting raw vegetables and calling the props "Trachtenberg Night Specials " in honor of the demented dean.) But someone in the authority chain at Yale has now stepped in and lifted the ban. Unfortunately, they substituted something nearly as silly. There will now be a disclaimer before every performance that informs people that prop weapons will be used in a production . 

Stage weapons will again be allowed in University theatrical productions, in a reversal of last week's ban, Yale spokeswoman Helaine Klasky said Tuesday morning.

Administrators decided Monday afternoon to require that audiences instead be informed of the use of stage weapons before the start of every performance, she said. In the wake of the Virginia Tech massacre, which left 33 students dead last Monday, Dean of Student Affairs Betty Trachtenberg had told students that they would be required to substitute obviously fake props for realistic stage weapons in theatrical productions.

Klasky said the University reversed the policy because of concerns about free speech.

Ah yes, let's call it a free speech issue. Then we don't have to actually admit it was a stupid, shallow, infantile and pointless response to real tragic events. Everybody's a winner! Except Trachtenberg:

"I think people should start thinking about other people rather than trying to feel sorry for themselves and thinking that the administration is trying to thwart their creativity," Trachtenberg said. "They're not using their own intelligence. … We have to think of the people who might be affected by seeing real-life weapons."

Apparently she believes that even seeing a prop weapon is enough to send a Yalie off on a rampage. She obviously has a high opinion of her charges at the school. Trachtenberg is leaving Yale at the end of the school year. There is no word whether she was leaving before this incident. One wonders if Yale will also mandate the disclaimers before the airing of any movies shown on the campus. Yalies appear to need to be told to separate theater from reality. Well, the administration does, anyway. 

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  By Lars Walker, Wednesday, 25 April , 2007 @ 7:04 am

  How I long for the good old days, when we used genuine weapons in dramas, and every performance of Hamlet had to be followed by an entire re-casting (except for Horatio & Fortinbras).

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  By Gaius, Wednesday, 25 April , 2007 @ 7:12 am

  “We’re gonna need another Timmy Hamlet!”

Other Links to this Post

1. Blue Crab Boulevard » The Magic Of The Theater Explained At Yale — Wednesday, 25 April , 2007 @ 8:19 am