Spotlight shines on teacher two years after controversial play pulled

By Barbara Sherman

The Sherwood Gazette, Jun 27, 2010

Barbara Sherman / Sherwood Gazette

IN THE SPOTLIGHT – Jennie Brown left Sherwood Middle School more than two years ago after her play, “Higher Ground,” was not allowed to be presented, and now she has an offer to make it into a movie and also is working on bringing drama programs into Portland schools.

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What a difference a couple of years make.

Former Sherwood Middle School drama teacher Jennie Brown went from having her play about bullying, “Higher Ground,” banned from being performed at the school in the spring of 2008 to seeing it presented with pride at a Connecticut middle school in May of this year.

And that’s not all – Brown flew back to Connecticut in mid-June for discussions about turning the play into a movie and also to be interviewed by NBC-Universal.

In addition, the Connecticut middle school will perform Brown’s play again in the fall and bus in students from other areas to see it.

In 2008, a conflict worthy of a Shakespearean drama erupted at SMS when, days before “Higher Ground” was to open, then-Principal Anna Pittioni postponed and later cancelled the production.

Brown wrote the play, and parents of three students originally cast in the SMS production decided the subject matter was too mature for their children and respectfully pulled them from the play, according to Brown.

Pittioni, who argued that Brown had not vetted the play through proper channels or followed district protocols, then said that the play could still be performed at SMS but only after editing by administrators.

Brown gave the students in the cast the choice of performing the play intact elsewhere or using an edited version at the school, and the kids emphatically voted to do the play only as written.

The media-savvy kids spread the word about the banned play, and offers of alternative venues poured in. The play ultimately was performed at three sold-out performances at the Portland Center for the Performing Arts’ Bruning Center to critical acclaim.

Brown ended up resigning later that spring after teaching in Sherwood schools for eight years and is now setting the stage for a new venture that would bring drama programs back into Portland schools that cancelled them due to budget constraints.

Like Brown, “Higher Ground” enjoyed a resurgence when it was performed to enthusiastic audiences May 27, 28 and 29 at Bedford Middle School in Westport, Conn., and Brown was the guest of honor at the performances.

Karen McCormick, the drama teacher at Bedford Middle School, found the script online and instantly connected with the material, which features a main character mistakenly thought to be gay and mercilessly bullied along other characters bullied for their ethnicity, weight, learning disabilities and other issues.

Unlike Sherwood administrators, the Westport school officials were supportive of the play and lauded Brown for the unique perspectives in her script.

With that triumph behind her and two years to heal, Brown now feels comfortable talking about what transpired at the time her play was banned in Sherwood.

Brown said that she resigned from the teaching job she loved “because I could see the hand-writing on the wall.”

According to Brown, administrators put her through a vigorous vetting process to determine if she had done anything wrong.

“They couldn’t find anything to ding me for,” she said. “I felt overwhelmed and exhausted. I could see where it was going. It was my first and only teaching job, and I loved it, but this was devastating to me. It was a painful experience.”

Brown resigned and used her sick leave time to finish the end of the school year.

She said that she was so burned by the experience that “I didn’t have anything to do with the play until now.”

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