I'm in the midst of writing a really scathing letter. One of my daughter's friends

[Midlodemocrat]

the boy she went to the prom with, got the lead in the high school play. Yesterday, the morans in charge essentially fired him, but not before dyeing his hair.

His feelings were so hurt and this letter is sure to be an almost masterpiece it's so mean.

I'm really on my game today.

:bounce:

[Rabrrrrrr]

1. And do you have the full story?

[Midlodemocrat]

3. Yup. Here it is.

He was chosen for the lead. He's actually the only one I would have ever considered back in the day when I was doing drama because he's good looking, he can act and he can sing and dance.

They DYED his hair on Sunday from blackish/brown to blonde so that he would look like Zac Efron :eyes: then Monday they told him he was through.

Kid quit his job, stopped his martial arts training and let his grades slip to devote all his time to this play. It's a fucking high school play fer cryin' out loud. The play starts tomorrow and they gave him the boot yesterday.

You don't do that to a kid. If he were THAT bad, why dye his hair in anticipation and why not let him go much earlier in the play's rehearsal?

[Rabrrrrrr]

9. But do you have the whole story?

Why did they can him? Behavioral issue? Was it justified, or just a clueless administration run amok?

Two other questions: Who is "they" - you used that pronoun a lot, but have never defined what noun it refers to; and "fired" implies it was a job, or that there was some sort of contract or something: is that the case? Or are you using it to just mean that he was told he wasn't needed any more?

[Midlodemocrat]

11. Well, 'they' are the drama teacher and the music teacher.

and 'they' used the word fired, so I did.

They said 'we're going to have to fire you, J'. or words to that effect, but they did use the word fire.

[Rabrrrrrr]

15. Thanks - I was curious if "they" were the prinicpal, drama teacher,

or whomever.

Do you know why they fired him?

[MissB]

14. That is horrifying.

[Rabrrrrrr]

17. But how do we know yet if it's horrifying? We don't have a reason.

For all we know at this point, the kid could have been sexually harassing one of the other actors, smoking dope, or stealing from the till.

Until we get the story, we cannot pass judgment.

[Midlodemocrat]

18. LOL. You're too funny.

And, no, he wasn't doing any of those things.

[Rabrrrrrr]

19. But you still haven't told us why he was fired.

Do you know absolutely for sure that the firing was totally and utterly without merit?

Have you heard the story from anyone more than the teenager who was fired?

[Midlodemocrat]

21. I told Lex a couple of posts down.

They told him he wasn't 'getting' it.

And, yes, I've heard the story from almost the entire cast, as well as the kid's mom who met with these two.

Even if he were the worst person to ever grace a stage, dyeing his hair and then cutting him loose 24 hours later is utterly humiliating.

[crim son]

2. Yeah, we need more information

plus a copy of your letter. Please?

[ohiosmith]

4. I'm going to try that the next time I fire someone.

[Midlodemocrat]

5. I'd like to brand these two assholes with a scarlet L for looser.

[Lex]

6. What did they tell him they fired him for?

:shrug:

[Midlodemocrat]

12. That he wasn't 'getting' it.

Of course, they couldn't tell him BEFORE they colored his hair, now could they?

And, this kid is truly, truly talented, so I don't know who they think can do a better job.

[Kire]

22. If he's not getting it, he's not getting it.

Better late than never. If he choked onstage, he'd really be humiliated.

[Midlodemocrat]

23. That's the point. The kid is a performer. He WAS getting it.

And, frankly, after two months of rehearsal, they could have told him prior to dyeing his hair.

[Rabrrrrrr]

26. How do you know that he WAS getting it?

Though I will say that, if he felt he was on the edge of 'not getting it', they should have given him some warnings ahead of time. If they didn't do that, they truly are bastards.

But on the other hand, if the director doesn't think a performer is cutting it, the director has the right - and, more appropriately - the RESPONSIBILITY to let a performer go. Keeping a bad performer on does no favors for anyone, not the play, not the cast, and not the audience.

If they gave him warnings, though, I can't find any fault in what they did.

[Midlodemocrat]

29. Like I said further down.

Why dye his hair at his house in full view of his family (seriously, the drama teacher came over and did it) on Sunday night and then call him in Monday morning to can him?

If he wasn't getting it, you're right, they have an obligation to the other kids in the program, but c'mon, the show starts tomorrow. 48 hours. Do YOU think the kid they picked to replace him will be better? I sure don't.

And, frankly, this kid is very, very talented. He won showmanship awards at virtually every competition last year because of his stage presence.

I think they're being assholes.

[Orangepeel]

38. it doesn't make sense. did something weird happen at his house?

Did his parents piss the drama teacher off? Do they have anything that might offend her in the house? Not that any of that would excuse what looks to be stupidly and unprofessionalism, but even maliciousness usually has some sort of nefarious motive.

Very strange behavior.

[Sequoia]

43. He can always dye his hair back again.

So he gets it done in front of the family? That seems rather strange. I dye my hair alone. Guess blondes don't have more fun after all.

All in all however, it would've been more professional on their part to have told him a least a week beforehand.

[matcom]

7. Blonde Betty?

[wildhorses]

8. poor kid--that is awful and just downright MEAN

please keep us posted

sending love and light to him and you:hug::hug:

[LaraMN]

10. Ohhh...I want to read it! I want to read it!

Are you going to draw stick pictures of yourself pooping on the director ? DO IT!

Drama in my high school was nasty and cutthroat, too. It was ridiculous, really. People that got leads literally had GROUPIES. I did theater because I loved it above all else, and I got some good parts, but when I was about to graduate, a bunch of Sophomore theater girls accosted me- hugging me and CRYING about how awful it was that I was going to be gone the next year, and how much they'd miss me.:crazy: I barely even knew them, and it was sick. But kind of funny, in retrospect.

[cwydro]

13. What a bunch of inconsiderate jerks,

poor kid. Hey, you going to show us the letter?:popcorn:

[jobycom]

16. Hm, not the way I'd do it.

I'd find out from the teachers why exactly they fired him, first. I've never gotten a story from a teenager that matched the real one in a case like that. I'd want to make sure before writing such a letter that the kid hadn't been caught breaking a school rule or completely defying the teachers or not taking the part seriously or something else that would justify their actions.

I was in a high school drama program where the teacher went insane, literally, and made all sorts of irrational decisions, including sleeping with one of her students and starting nasty rumors about another. She was eventually forced to leave, and wound up in a mental institution. But she wasn't made to leave by a nasty letter, she was made to leave when the facts were presented to the Headmistress, who then made a rational decision to change the situation.

I dunno, though, a nasty letter sounds more fun. :)

[Midlodemocrat]

20. I don't think there is any rational explanation for dyeing the kid's

hair 24 hours prior to cutting him loose.

And, like I said, this letter is a frickin' masterpiece so far. I even managed to squeeze in a Nazi reference.

:bounce:

[jobycom]

24. Do you know for sure, or are you just assuming?

For instance, what if they caught him doing something flagrantly wrong between the hair dying and the firing? What if they had told him repeatedly that if he didn't do a certain thing they were going to cut him, and he got his hair dyed knowing this?

Nazi references are always good. You've made sure none of the students or teachers are Jewish, I hope.

[Midlodemocrat]

28. Kidding about the Nazi references, dude.

Was a slap at StopTheMorans.


Okay, here's the scenario. They dye his hair at 7PM Sunday at his house.

When he goes into school at 7:25 AM on Monday, they call him in and can him.


The time frame doesn't allow for him to make any screwups, don't ya think?

[skygazer]

30. Well, that does seem pretty screwed up

I've been watching this thread trying to get a feel for exactly what went on. Sometimes it's hard to tell.

One question, though. Why are you writing a letter? Seems like something between he and his family and the people in charge.

[Midlodemocrat]

31. He asked me to.

His mom is too upset and he knows I will do it for him because he and my daughter are really good friends.

He's a really great kid and you know, even if he were the suckiest person to ever grace the stage, he doesn't deserve this. I don't think any kid deserves to be treated like this.

[skygazer]

35. Well, that makes perfect sense then

I'm the designated letter writer among my friends - I wish I could find a way to market it - "Scathing Letters For Every Occasion"

[Midlodemocrat]

37. LOL. Me, too.

And not all of them are scathing. Unlike posting here, I can actually get my point across when writing letters to the powers that be.

[Rabrrrrrr]

32. Ah, you see, had you told us the full story to begin with

we might have avoided much of the debate in here.

When communicating, it helps to offer ALL the important information to begin with, not piecemeal it out over the span of many posts.

Yes, if they dyed his hair late one night then fired him the next morning, with no rehearsal in between, then yes, that's ludicrous. Totally ludicrous. They should have had the integrity to fire him before the dying.

Whether the firing was legitimate I still don't know, but I do agree that letting him dye his hair and then firing him is just bastardish.

[Midlodemocrat]

34. You are just too nitpicky for me.

:rofl:

Don't you know by now that you should just agree with me from the start?


:hug:

and, I'm busy writing the nasty letter. I can't do two things at once.

[Rabrrrrrr]

41. Not nitpicky - I'm just good at helping people tell their whole story

and tell it coherently.

And, I guess one could say, somewhat obsessed with getting people to tell their stories as well.

Communication is one of my high priorities and passions.

[likesmountains 52]

40. well,it might have allowed time for them to find out about an earlier

screw up...I had kids in theater..and one was kicked out of a production for breaking a rule..I don't know of any drama team that would just "fire" the lead that close to opening for no good reason. Hope it works out.

[Haole Girl]

25. That sounds terrible.

I wonder if the people responsible for this last minute "firing" have any earthly idea what it does to a young person's self-esteem to be treated like this.

[Pithlet]

27. Poor kid. That's outragious.

I don't blame you one bit.

[hedgehog]

33. Too often , people involved with amateur productions start

having delusions of grandeur. I remember a teacher at my brothers' high school who would start rehearsing a cast in something ambitious like Richard the Third only to cancel the production two weeks before the performance because the kids weren't good enough. He did this several years running. What went on at rehearsals was more dramatic than anything that could have happened on stage.

[Midlodemocrat]

36. A frickin Men.

The damage wrought by such behavior isn't worth it. At all.

[tigereye]

39. was he fooling around with other cast members on the set

and smoking cheroots? ;)

that's what we used to do....when I was a drama rat in high school.


seriously, that sounds awful and pretty unrealistic. How many understudies would be ready to take over, after all.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

42. So why did they can him?

I see you said it's because he wasn't "getting it." That would be a good reason to can somebody, but apparently you don't think it's the real reason. What do you think the real reason is?

[Susang]

44. Hmm, you said he was fired hours after his hair was dyed

By the drama teacher who did the firing? After reading everything you wrote, I think it just might be possible that the director/drama teacher just didn't like the way he looked after his hair was bleached. I believe you mentioned that they wanted him to look like a certain person/celebrity? Could it be that they were so set on having that particular look for the production that when they saw him with his bleached hair and he didn't look exactly the way they wanted, they decided to replace him?

No matter what the reason, if he was performing well in rehearsals and didn't do anything against school rules, then they were completely out of line replacing him at that late date. Their production will suffer for it; I don't see how they could get a non-professional teen to learn the blocking and off book in time for opening and still give a passable performance. This is high school, it's supposed to be a learning experience. Drama teachers often forget this.

[xchrom]

45. somebody needs to get the message -- it's HIGH SCHOOL.

it's not professional theatre -- if it had been professional they'd have let him go before.