The Prom: A High School Musical That Heals
Yesterday, I asked Michael if he would go to the prom with me, mostly in jest when I explained that we would be heading to see the Glens Falls High School musical titled “The Prom”. But that simple question has haunted me for almost twenty years because I never got the courage to go to prom, like Barry, one of the characters in the musical.
I knew I was different in high school. When my classmates talked about dating each other, I felt my painful and anxious thoughts pull my inner world in all directions. Granted, the teenage hormones could have been the culprit, but so could the relentless, “unruly heart of mine,” as the character, Emma, sings on stage.
The musical begins with a cast of characters in NYC after their new theatre show, Eleanor: The Eleanor Roosevelt Story, does poorly, causing them to feel dejected. The reviews bash the lead actors, Dee Dee Allen and Barry Glickman, for being self-absorbed narcissists. To regain their self-image, they decided to take up a “cause” to appear selfless without much effort. Scrolling Twitter, they find a story about Emma, an Indiana teenager whose prom was cancelled due to homophobia from some of the parents.
The Prom musical was first performed in Atlanta, Georgia in 2016, but it was based on a true story in Fulton, Mississippi. A student, Constance McMillen, was a senior at Itawamba Agricultural High School who wanted to bring her girlfriend to prom. After being banned from the prom initially and subsequently challenging the order, the prom was entirely cancelled. However, the ACLU sued the school district to force the school to reinstate prom; but they did not realize the cruelty that the parents would inflict on Constance and her girlfriend.
Back on the stage, we meet Emma, who is dealing with unrelenting bullying but has an incredibly uplifting message: just breathe. It is a technique that I wish I knew back in high school. Instead, I let bullies and anxious thoughts destroy my sense of self-worth, causing me to spiral into unhelpful coping skills and avoidance behaviors. That is one of many reasons why I never got the courage to go to prom; I honestly, at the time, did not think I was worthy. Really glad that this musical gives kids the tools to deal with the cruelty of high school and keep their self-worth intact.
We are shown the debate between the PTA and the students, moderated by the principal, Tom Hawkins. As Emma and the principal make progress with dissuading the parents, the theatre ensemble from NYC burst into the room, brandishing protest signs in support of Emma. It was a perfect reflection of the peril of celebrity activism; thinking that an action helps but just makes it worse by pulling the conversation away between sides.
Conversations on heated topics can be tough, but through empathy, compassion, and honest compromise, it can be done. Dee Dee Allen and Barry have become too self-absorbed to fully comprehend the full story, too focused on themselves. It was made even more evident when the ensemble performs “The Acceptance Song” during the halftime show of a monster truck rally to an unkind crowd. We live in a world full of distractions and entertainment, but bulldozing your way into the conversation, without careful consideration, never truly works in the long run.
When the prom planning resumes with Emma allowed to attend, the backlash begins to take shape in secret. Ultimately resulting in the cruelest form of bullying, almost like a Stephen King thriller. The parents and the teenagers, in secret, started an alternative prom in a country club, which resulted in Emma standing alone in the school’s auditorium. Feeling dejected and forgotten, she succumbs to a depression, in a motel room after her own mother kicked her to the curb at 16.
But through a series of musical interludes from the cast, the ensemble from New York learns how to have a true conversation about acceptance, rebuilding from trauma, and learning to be selfless without reward. Thanks to the generous outpouring of money from Dee Dee Allen, Barry, and the other ensemble actors from New York, they put on an inclusive prom with everyone in attendance. All of the kids were able to have fun, dance, and learn to be kind to one other.
Angie Dickinson, one of the performers from New York, talks to Emma about persevering through setbacks with a story from backstage of the musical Chicago. She even provides a helpful reframing of anxious hands, saying, “When your hands are shaking, pretend you have jazz hands.” As someone recovering from high anxiety, that simple phrase to change your mindset when you feel yourself spiraling is powerful.
Trent Oliver, a stage actor down on his luck in New York, has an inspiring conversation with the teenagers about the true message from the Bible that transcends all the hate in the Old Testament, “Love thy neighbor trumps them all.” The inclusion of the word “trump” was timely, as America reels under the backlash of celebrity activism for inclusion with the return of President Trump. We can still learn to accept one other, to have difficult conversations, as the systems that most have come to rely on tremble. It is not too late to love your neighbor.
Dee Dee Allen has a conversation, at an Applebee’s, with Principal Hawkins about how to be truly kind and selfless. She also learns that theater can be enjoyed by straight, white, cis men as well as gay men. Mr. Hawkins shares an incredible thought about the power of theater after being questioned that it was merely a distraction, saying, “A distraction is momentary; theatre helps you heal.” Creating art, whether in the theater, on paper, or a canvass, is transformational. Every person that reads, watches, or views art takes away some different.
Barry Glickman, while helping Emma find a suitable outfit for her prom, has a conversation about his own insecurities and regrets earlier in life, noting that he has not talked to his mom in thirty years. As well as not having the courage to attend his own high school prom, just like me. But just like Barry helping to put on an incredible inclusive prom for Emma and the school in Indiana, I finally got to “go to prom” with my now-husband, Michael. In the end, we both got revel in the excitement of dance and music with those that we care about.
Emma’s story goes viral by the simple act of recording herself playing on the guitar, saying “We all have a story to tell, here’s mine.” And the outpouring of support from everyone telling their own story spurred a true feeling of acceptance from everyone in the community, just like Constance McMillen from Fulton, Mississippi in 2010. The Glens Falls High School cast performed this musical incredibly well, from the awe-inspiring musical numbers to the amazing stagecraft. The messages gleamed from this high school play will, hopefully, resonate with all of us. Don’t be afraid to tell your story and be kind to all.
