I always thought all that death in Macbeth was rather too distressing for kids... couldn't Duncan have gone and lived on a farm in Dorset instead?

And I hear all the swordsplay in Hamlet must be done with Nerf Products. And all language must be changed for the modern era.


"Out, Out, silly spot!"

I thought stuff like this only happened in America.

"Then let lips do what hands do" does not imply a high five or a hand shake.

It's good to know that the US isn't the only place in the world with wacky laws regarding intimate contact.

I imagine that there will be a new version of "The Complete works of William Shakespeare: Abridged" focusing entirely on kissing, just as a nice little protest.

gaddamn kids, its all their fault being all vulnerable and shit. Why cant they just get some mutant powers already. God!

I suppose the next thing is to remove every smutty reference in Shakespeare. After all it is high art. One should remember to clap politely after each soliloquy and other than that to sit there quietly through out each scene...

idiots

i don't see a problem with limiting shakespearean plays to a peck on the cheek. if anything it would be returning to the original artistic integrity of the text. at that time, a peck on the cheek was a huge public display of affection, and anything more than that was unthinkable. also, originally, all acting was done by men, and considering the heavy christian influence at the time, i doubt men were kissing other men on the lips back then.

i think the idea makes sense. of course, some nutjob is bound to want to push it so far that there can't even be physical contact between genders...

Hmmm let me see so kids can see ppl including their parents kiss let alone anything else related to sex, romance and love just as long as its not in a drama class as it is the drama class that will corupt their inocent mines.

Plz come one who are these small minded fuckwits that dont have a clue. Can someone tell me whats wrong with the worlds leaders today. They say they are in touch with the ppl but how about pulling their heads out of their asses and coming out of those nice big flash offices and spending some time in the real world with the youth of today so that they get a feel for the way society has changed since they were kids.

As silly as this story is, this comment is just ridiculous. Nobody performs Shakespeare without cutting. Nobody cuts out the kiss in Romeo and Juliet, but things get cut on a regular basis. Especially when you look at some of his larger works, like Henry V and Hamlet. It's also important to remember that when reading Shakespeare, the editor's intentions are as important to remember as the author's.

Connie Willis has an excellent and funny short story on political correctness and Shakespeare. I think it's collected in "Impossible Things".

What I remember about theatre is a lot of flirting, wrestling with girls, walking in on the female lead changing (orange panties FTW), staying out at denny's til 2AM after rehersals and cast parties that were broken up by the police.

And they want to ban a stage kiss?

Seriously, it's a fucking stage kiss. It's artifice. Your lips don't even touch in a stage kiss!

I don't see the problem in limiting the contact. It IS the school's responsibility to "protect" children, and PDA so to speak has always been one of the behaviors limited by school systems to keep them in line. There could be diseases. Kids could take all the "kissing" the wrong way.

Now don't go calling me a party pooper. I'm not saying I think it's necessary . . Just within the rights of the government and a valid concern for a bunch of old british people in charge of millions of young kids.

As far as artistic integrity goes .. Just don't edit the play. Fake a kiss. Kiss on the cheek. The audience will know why you're not making out up there.


It's not a big deal for either side. If kids want to kiss each other at drama club, they're going to do it whether or not it's banned.

They're just not going to do it on stage.

And that will keep everyone who could possibly object quiet.

I played Juliet in a school play when I was 13 and even though I couldn't stand the lad who played Romeo, I still wouldn't have cut the kissing out; it's too important. The kisses aren't supposed to be full-on snogs anyway, so I really don't see the problem.

*punches Juliet in shoulder*
"take 'er easy eh?"
*slaps Romeo on the ass
"yeah good hustle out there"