Loudoun Connection
February 10, 2005
By Suzannah Evans
A student-written, student-directed play that was part of Stone Bridge High School’s “Postcards from Paradise” collection of one-act plays that premiered last weekend has got some people steamed.
The play, “Offsides” by Sabrina Jess, featured a scene where two male students appear to kiss. One male student reaches for the other “” a football player discovering that he may be gay “” just as the lights go out. Before the play began, an announcement was made that the one-act contained material regarding sexuality, and advised audience members to leave the room if they would take offense.
Drama advisor Glen Hochkeppel said the play was about “tolerance,” but declined to comment further until an investigation by school principal Jim Person is completed.
In a statement before the School Board Tuesday night, Person took responsibility for the content of the play, saying he had read the script and requested certain changes, which were made.
“I believe this was a sincere reflection of concerns the author had and that the play represented an effort to express those concerns in a mature fashion,” Person said. “Maturity is something our students are not often credited with having, but it was my impression that our students handled this topic in a reasonable fashion.”