 Seen a Rogue on the loose? Get in touch with our Roguemeister: JOHN SCHRAG jschrag@wweek.com (503) 243-2122 FAX: (503) 243-1115 What to make of the bizarre suburban contretemps that erupted last week between affluent Lake Oswego and small-town St. Helens? The spat began when Wayne Mayo, a St. Helens father, stood up and objected to a risqué scene from Rent performed by students from Lake Oswego at the state high-school thespian contest held in his Columbia County burg. Although we don't share his outrage, we can understand that Mayo was upset when he (and his elderly stepfather) were subjected to the prospect of a couple of high-school girls kissing on stage. We can even forgive the lumber broker shouting his displeasure in the auditorium when the performance ended. After all, Broadway's not for everyone. But we can't forgive the St. Helens school district, which stepped into the realm of roguedom when superintendent Cliff Tetrault joined the fray, registering his disapproval of Lake Oswego school officials and defending Mayo's action to the media. We have two problems with the district's response. First, Tetrault complains that St. Helens is being unfairly tarred as intolerant and provincial. But, in the next breath, he says, "This is the story of a small town coming to grips with its own standards." Well, when you impose your standards on others, you're not being terribly tolerant. It's worth noting that the Lake Oswego students were in St. Helens because a teacher there volunteered the venue for the contest. Second, there is more than a little irony in the fact that the St.
Helens students (including Mayo's daughter) performed a scene from West
Side Story. The play may seem tame by today's standards, but when
it was penned 40 years ago, the cross-cultural romance between Tony
and Maria was just as taboo as lesbian love is today. It's clear that
the play's message about the dangers of intolerance seems to have been
lost in St. Helens.
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