Not quite accurate - I never heard the F-word dropped at Wheelock. Plenty of other words, but......Even against that backdrop, there is no question that the inclusion of a brief scene of full-frontal nudity at a family theater in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’’ was a jolting development for many — including at least two board members at Boston Children’s Theatre who were irate they had not been consulted beforehand by executive artistic director Burgess Clark. He lost his job, at least temporarily, because of the nude scene. (The theater did not allow anyone under 14 to see the show who was not accompanied by a parent or guardian, and issued copious warnings beforehand about the nudity. Clark acknowledged that some in the audience ranged from 10 to 12.)
In response to the “Cuckoo’s Nest’’ story, a reader wrote in the Globe’s online comments section: “This insistence on making every single thing ‘adult’ is killing theater. People like theater and become lifelong theatergoers if they are exposed to theater at a young age. If I was taking my children to a [Boston Children’s Theatre] production, I would be very angry if it included a nude scene. Parents should be able to have a few family friendly place(s) to see plays — besides musicals.’’
But even musicals can be tricky nowadays: Linda Chin, the producing artistic director of Boston’s Wheelock Family Theatre, acknowledged Monday that the theater received complaints about the multiple onstage utterances of the F-word in its recent production of “Billy Elliot,’’ which Wheelock recommended for audiences 8 and above. Audiences were warned about the show’s language and gritty themes during pre-show speeches.
Still, Chin said she would not allow a performance with a nude scene in her theater. “What we try to present is the opportunity for people to use their imagination, and we wouldn’t do something as controversial as put nudity onstage,’’ she said. “It’s too shocking. We have to make very strong judgments about creating environments for safety.’’
What I did sense at Wheelock (a theatre whose purpose is to provide shows for young people), unlike at any other performance of BETM, was the violence of the show, which Wheelock amped up exponentially. And when the audience was full of very young children (I am referring to 5-9 year olds), the violence seemed more palpable - and even for me, uncomfortable (as it should be) - than with an audience of primarily adults.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/theate ... story.html