Re: Shakespeare Ben Jonson: He was not of an age, but for all time.

Jane Austen: His thoughts and beauties are so spread abroad that one touches them everywhere, one is intimate with him by instinct.

My Supervisor: We are tentatively approving the play with the understanding that there will need to be some edits.

I have proposed A Midsummer Night's Dream for the school's fall play next year. Having had last year's production of The Laramie Project stonewalled by some extremist parents once it was already underway, I thought it best to pick something to which no one could possibly object. My hope was that the inherent naughtiness of Shakespeare would fly under the radar of Those with decision-making power.

Last year, when They got Their hands on The Laramie Project, and, later, the play that the cast and I wrote to replace it, some of the objectionable words and phrases that were crossed out included any mention of:

gay
gay men
homosexuality
heterosexual
bigots/bigotry
church
God
my God
oh my God
holy crap
rat droppings
urinal
HIV/AIDS
pregnant

In the interest of time, I have taken the liberty of finding some equally scandalous passages from Midsummer.

“Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, And therefore is wing’d Cupid painted blind.”

"No epilogue, I pray you, for your play needs no excuse. Never excuse, for when the players are all dead, there need none to be blamed."

“Lord, what fools these mortals be!”  ¶ 8:55 PM