Category: All About Newton

News, events, children’s activities in Newton, MA.

Loves Me Like a Rock Autism Benefit Concert

Daphne Romanoff is a singer with the Newton Family Singers. She writes a heart warming essay about what it means for her autistic son Ben to be a part of the Newton Family Singers in this essay.

The Newton Family Singers are supporting AANE and the Autism Alliance of MetroWest in this benefit concert, Loves Me Like a Rock.

PLEASE LIKE THIS VIDEO!! For every LIKE on YouTube of up to $4,000, our sponsors will give $1 to Asperger’s Association of New England and Autism Alliance of MetroWest. A good, worthy, local cause!

Please go here to LIKE the video.

In lieu of purchasing tickets for the Loves Me Like a Rock Benefit Concert (always available here), please consider a Family Package of 4 tickets and a mention in our Concert program for a $100 donation by becoming a Family Sponsor.

If you have a business or if you know a business owner who might be interested in becoming a corporate sponsor, please let us know. We are offering opportunities to sponsor from $100 to $2000. Visit our new Concert Web Site for details!

Thank you for your support!
The Newton Family Singers

March 15, 2014
Seeking Nominations for Newton Green Business Award

Chamber is looking to honor Newton’s and Needham’s green businesses

The Newton-Needham Chamber of Commerce is looking for nominees for its annual Green Business Awards.

To qualify, a business must be based in either Newton or Needham and have 1) made significant progress in reducing energy, or other environmental strategies toward sustainability 2) or supplies green products or services. Nominations are due Saturday March 15.

The awards will be presented at the Chamber’s Annual Green Business Awards Breakfast on June 19 at the Newton-Marriot Hotel.

The nomination form can be found here or at www.nnchamber.com under “chamber links”

For more information call 617-244-5300.

image from Blog do Edu Ambiental

March 14, 2014
My Take on Thoroughly Modern Millie
I just returned from Thoroughly Modern Millie and I want to start by saying that the cast is incredibly talented and deserves much accolades for a well done show. The leads, particularly Maddy Waters as Millie Dillmont, Aiden O’Neal as Miss Dorothy Brown, Peter Diamond as Jimmy Smith, Kelsey Fox as Mrs. Meers and Will Champion as Trevor, Graydon III, are particular standouts. They carry the show with their considerable musical talent, acting skills and comedic timing. I also thought the dance numbers were outstanding, the sets impressive and the costumes breathtaking. I can see the allure of this show from the costumes alone.

That being said, I have considerable issues with the Asian stereotypes in the show.

1) There Really is No Reason Why Mrs. Meers Needs to Pretend to be Chinese Except for Gratuitous Humor

[plot spoiler warning] Mrs. Meers is a criminal hiding out so she pretends to be Chinese as her “greatest acting role” and speaks with a strong Chinese accent. As someone in hiding, it is an easy change to make Mrs. Meers a different kind of character. For example, a Southern Blonde is she is supposed to be a brunette in real life.

In real life, no one I know takes a new identity to hide out in which a white person pretends to be Asian. It’s not realistic. It’s insulting to Asians. It’s certainly comedic because it’s easy to laugh at a Chinese accent where English is not your first language and therein the comedy lies. It’s easy to laugh at an Asian stereotype.

But it’s not necessarily to the storyline and could have been easily changed.

Yellowface: Asians have not always been accurately represented in Hollywood. Many times, Asian characters have been portrayed predominantly by white actors, often while artificially changing their looks with makeup in order to approximate East Asian facial characteristics, a practice known as yellowface. Media portrayals of East Asians in the American media’s history have predominantly reflected a dominant Americentric perception rather than realistic and authentic depictions of true cultures, customs and behaviors.

And by contrast:

Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used by white performers to represent a black person. It is often considered offensive, because it can imply stereotyped caricature of black people as in minstrel shows, and later vaudeville. The practice gained popularity during the 19th century and contributed to the proliferation of stereotypes such as the “happy-go-lucky darky on the plantation” or the “dandified coon”.

Blackface was an important performance tradition in the American theater for roughly 100 years beginning around 1830. It quickly became popular elsewhere, particularly so in Britain, where the tradition lasted longer than in the US, occurring on primetime TV as late as 1978 (The Black and White Minstrel Show) and 1981.

By the mid-20th century, changing attitudes about race and racism effectively ended the prominence of blackface makeup used in performance in the U.S. and elsewhere. It remains in relatively limited use as a theatrical device and is more commonly used today as social commentary or satire.

I think it’s an easy logical conclusion:

Blackface is offensive …

therefore

Yellowface is offensive.

But because I had multiple conversations with parents who tried to explain that Mrs. Meers is a very wicked villain and she gets her just deserts in the end so her doing yellowface is acceptable and plus she’s so funny that I think it bears repeating:

Blackface is not ok …

therefore

Yellowface IS NOT OK!

It seems that Yellowface is still acceptable in the year 2014!

2) The plot does not have to revolve around Asian Males Who Assist in Selling White Females Into Slavery

[plot spoiler alert] It actually makes more sense to have a kidnapping theme, particularly since Miss Dorothy Brown could easily be held for ransom.

3) Ching Ho and Bun Foo Don’t Have to be Poor Chinese Immigrants Either

I don’t understand why they have to speak in Cantonese while singing in Mandarin either. Is this supposed to show how the playwrights have such insight into Asian culture?

This is a sub plot line and could have easily been removed. If you need henchman or henchwomen, it is an easy fix not to cast them as Asian stereotypes.

And I feel that it has already been covered in considerable detail my issues with the historical inaccuracies of the plot line.

And there was no discussion to educate the audience on busting stereotypes beyond this page in the program and a gratuitous meeting on Monday night where any peeved parties (e.g. Asian Americans) can air their grievances.

This is the page in the program:

Asian Stereotypes in Thoroughly Modern Millie

I know we had a problem when I wanted to preface this production with: “The opinions expressed in this musical do not necessarily reflect the views of Newton North High School.” We’ve all seen the classic television disclaimer alerting the audience that controversial, and even offensive attitudes remain present within the program. Without question, Thoroughly Modern Millie contains extreme negative stereotypes and offensive attitudes when depicting Asian men and women in the 1920s. However, instead of simply flashing a disclaimer along the stage before the opening number, Mr. Brown, Ms. Leong, Ms. Beh, and I worked together with the Office of Human Rights to figure out a way in which to maintain the integrity of the production, while addressing these negative images head on with the community and our students. Over the past few months we have participated in discussions regarding stereotypical images of Asian men and women in the media. We participated in panels that spoke out against stereotypes and damaging images of cultural experiences within the media. We learned about the Geisha image, and the overtly sexualized Dragon Lady. We learned about the submissive Asian male stereotype, and the Kung-Foo warrior image. Consequently, some of these images will appear within our production this evening, such as Mrs. Meers’ portrayal of the Geisha Girl, as well as Bun Foo and Ching Ho’s sometimes submissive male natures. Our hope is that awareness around these caricatures would allow us to dig deeper in rehearsals and find the true, human complexities of these previously flattened characters.

While we set out to find the authentic human complexity behind the Cantonese speaking Bun Foo and Ching Ho, we also addressed the wildly offensive Mrs. Meers and discussed the potential reasons for her racism. Mrs. Meers must be understood as the villain of the production. She is a racist and covers her own insecurities and life failures with hateful attitudes and behaviors. As director, I am extremely proud of the socially conscious work that our cast and community have carried out over these past few months. I believe that doing this production, the cast, crew and school community have become aware of the dangerous images within Thoroughly Modern Millie, and the lack of truthful portrayals of Asian and Asian-American men and women within the media today. I encourage you to continue this necessary dialogue at home with your families, using our musical as an effective conversation starter.

So please be advised, “The opinions expressed in this musical do not necessarily reflect the views of Newton North High School … in fact they strongly oppose the beliefs and attitudes found within our school culture. Furthermore, we have worked hard to analyze and revise these images in order to align them with our socially conscious mission of acceptance and open-mindedness.”

My Response

First I would like to post an excerpt from an email and hope to get permission to post it in its entirety:

“Asian American faculty members at Newton and the AACC have been trying to tell the director of Theater Ink, the chair of the department of Performing Arts and the principal how offensive the play is since it was first announced. They’ve made some slight changes but they still don’t get why it’s offensive and there’s no telling what the actual performances will be like.

…

THanks so much again for speaking up against this. [Asian American faculty members and students] have been feeling shut out and dismissed so voices from the community really help a lot. (The school officials still may not get why it’s bad, but they’ll understand bad PR and bad press, so please keep it up. I look forward to reading a review of the performance if you are able to go.)”

The Anti-Asian stereotypes by which you speak of do not exist in modern media: Geisha Image, Dragon Lady, Submissive Asian Male, and Kung-Foo warrior image to the extend that they offend Asian Americans. The issues of Asian Americans in media is much more subtle that.

If I may direct you to my post titled: Asian American Actors in Recurring TV Roles you will note that Asian Americans get parts that are in a very specific box: The Doctor, With a Martial Art Slant, The Beautiful Ones, Playing Regular People, Intergalactic, Comedians, Heroes on Heroes, Reality TV, and the Pioneers.

Going back several decades in TV, your concerns about Geisha Image, Dragon Lady, Submissive Asian Male, and Kung-Foo warrior image that you worry plague us Asian Americans simply are not a reality. They are not our reality.

But this is what our reality is. Asian Americans NEVER GET THE LEAD.

And you furthermore underscore this message — e.g. Asian Americans Never Get the Lead — by producing a show in which the roles for Asians are, again, in a very specific box and in a supporting role. And include outdated negative stereotypes that we thought we were through with to boot. So, in doing this show, instead of creating a meaningful and helpful racial conversation that is relevant to Asian Americans today, you simply dredge up old stereotypes and reintroduce them to the community.

Yes, it’s funny to laugh as a Chinese accent. And yes, you will hear Chinese accents in our community both in the student population and otherwise. It’s your choice to bring this comedic relief to light and it is offensive and unnecessary. It does not, as you suggest, start up meaningful dialogue that enlightens non Asians and helps Asian Americans. We don’t need that kind of help, thank you very much! In the same vein, we don’t need your “help” via Affirmative Action for college admissions either. And the broader conversation is why Asian Americans are denied a seat in the boardroom, assigned a cap on admission to top colleges and never get the lead. A more robust conversation would be around why this is so and I believe the root cause is this: Asian Americans are too successful and it’s resented.

Your misguided perceptions of where the issues lie demonstrates the deafness in which you hear the Asian Community speak to you. This concerns me deeply.

Hiroki Shibuya is an immensely talented actor and I’m sure you would agree. But you would have never cast him as the lead, Jimmy Smith. That was meant for a white man. Or Trevor Graydon III which was frankly the best, most complex character in the script for a male. Shibuya’s choices were very limited as an actor in this musical. He had to stay in his box. Ching Ho and Bun Foo. Isn’t that right?’

For example, instead of rewriting the part of Bun Foo from that of an Asian into the part of a Caucasian, you could have done the same for the part of Miss Dorothy Brown and made her a person of color or in hajib to the same comedic effect. In fact, it would have made for a more interesting and thought-provoking musical to cast Miss Dorothy Brown in hajib.

While there were a few people of color in the musical, they were relegated to the chorus. There was, for example, no role for an Asian American female speaking part in this show. So for all the rhetoric of busting the Geisha Image and the Dragon Lady, these roles were meant for non-Asians. How ironic that your stereotype busting includes casting these stereotypes with non Asians.

That is exactly the issue that Asian American actors face today in the real world outside of Newton North but we do appreciate you demonstrating this box to us by putting on this production. And this is where the meat of the discussion that WE as Asian Americans want to talk about. Why the box? Why the limitations? Why never the lead?

In conclusion, your promises for a deep and rich conversation to “bust stereotypes” is empty rhetoric. We recognize this game too. This attempt to placate Asian Americans. This expectation for us to be invisible, voiceless and non-confrontational.

I fully realize that by posting on the racism and issues I have with Thoroughly Modern Millie that there will be payback to me and my family as we enter Newton North High School next year. It will be subtle. That much I know well. It will come in many forms. My children will pay for my speaking out. I realize this and I am willing to pay that price because by not speaking out, nothing ever changes. I have spoken to many Asian American friends in this community and while they also are unhappy with the racism in this production, they are afraid to speak up for fear of reprisal. I hope the NNHS community hears that. You have not created a safe forum to express dissent it seems.

This play will continue to be performed in high schools across the country with empty disclaimers such as the one you have written. And maybe there will continue to be invitations to discuss: Geisha Image, Dragon Lady, Submissive Asian Male, and Kung-Foo warrior image. Discussions that are outdated, irrelevant and demonstrate how little our issues as Asian Americans are understood, addressed or taken seriously.

Thank you for revealing your hand. It’s been quite eye-opening.

I won’t be attending your Monday evening meeting. My response is here and you are all welcome to respond. In this way, our conversation is captured and indexed onto Google and not hidden behind a door in Newton North High School’s Little Theatre. I am frankly a little tired talking about The Geisha Image, The Overtly Sexualized Dragon Lady, The Submissive Asian Male Stereotype and the Kung-Foo Warrior Image.

I need to get back to the real world, not this 1920s world that is irrelevant to me and my issues as an Asian American. I assure you that these negative stereotypes do not plague me in my daily life. It’s only when you bring it up. I think the real question is why NNHS powers that be didn’t listen when objections — the same as mine — were addressed earlier. We brought up the same issues and the problems could have been resolved in a much stronger and less controversial show.

I apologize for the timing of my posts close to the show’s opening. I only learned about this show and the Anti-Asian slant last Saturday or I would have brought this up earlier. It was not my intention to take away from the members of the cast, crew or teachers who worked so hard on this show. In fact, it’s incredibly frustrating to me that these issues were brought up earlier in a timely manner and largely dismissed.

Reactions on Twitter to Racism in Thoroughly Modern Millie

Arissa Oh ‏@arissaoh  12h

@pragmaticmom that page in the program – the “disclaimer” – is complete and utter crap.

Arissa Oh ‏@arissaoh  Mar 14

‘mainly, we forgot that Asian people exist, might know English, & might object to racist stereotypes about them. Oops! SORRY (not sorry)’

Arissa Oh ‏@arissaoh  Mar 14

> now you’re going to do a #sorrynotsorry racist show, Newton North High School?

Chris Lehmann ‏@chrislehmann  12h

@pragmaticmom ugh. As a school leader, I am so frustrated by the school’s reaction.
Arissa Oh ‏@arissaoh  Mar 14

Newton North HS (MA) is staging racist “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” doesn’t care if you’re offended https://ilovenewton.com/nnhs-responds-concerns-modern-millie/ … via @JadeLuckClub

Arissa Oh ‏@arissaoh  Mar 14

‘we have heard your concerns & have educated ppl abt the stereotypes but we’re going fwd w/ the production anyway’ say smug white people

Arissa Oh ‏@arissaoh  Mar 14

‘we got some Asian staff to talk to some ppl & there’s going to be a disclaimer in the program, so’ say the smug white ppl

Arissa Oh ‏@arissaoh  Mar 14

Newton, MA is affluent suburb of Boston, 83.7% wh, 12% Asian, 1.5% Blk. Newton North HS is 76.9% wh, 8% Asian, 5.2 % Blk, 5.1% Latino

Arissa Oh ‏@arissaoh  Mar 14

“Filled with frisky flappers, dashing leading men and a dragon-lady of a villainess audiences will love to hate, THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE >

Arissa Oh ‏@arissaoh  Mar 14

> is a perfectly constructed evening of madcap merriment.” AND RACISM!

Arissa Oh ‏@arissaoh  Mar 14

Thank you to this blog for warning me about the #racism I am going to have to deal w/ at my kids’ HS https://ilovenewton.com/modern-millie-racist/ …

Arissa Oh ‏@arissaoh  Mar 14

As if kids in a large, white HS in a large, white suburb don’t risk being alienated enough >

Arissa Oh ‏@arissaoh  Mar 14

Watch the clip from the 1967 film of Thoroughly Modern Millie and tell me it’s not racist, Newton North HS http://www.asamnews.com/2014/03/11/i-love-newton-high-school-stages-play-filled-with-asian-american-stereotypes/ …

Arissa Oh ‏@arissaoh  Mar 14

‘we did not anticipate that ppl wd be upset that we are staging a racist show; pls come and share yr concerns so we can dismiss those too’

Arissa Oh is a professor of history at Boston University. Professor Oh’s current project examines the origins of the practice of Korean and international adoption. Her research and teaching interests include immigration and race in U.S. history, transnational Asian-American history, and Cold War social and political history. She has a B.A. from Yale and a Ph.D. from University of Chicago. She lives in Newton, MA. You can follow her on Twitter.

p.s. I was told that the director, Brad Jensen, would be very open to discussing my concerns. So I wanted to officially note that I emailed him a few days ago and he never got back to me.

Nor did the response from Todd R. Young (Chair, NNHS FPA Department), Adam Brown (Director, Theatre Ink) and Jennifer Price (Principal, NNHS) get emailed to me directly.

Related Links:

Thoroughly Modern Millie is Thoroughly Racist

Talk Back: Racism in Thoroughly Modern Millie at NNHS

NNHS Responds to Concerns About Thoroughly Modern Millie

Throwndown NNHS: Talk the Talk or Walk the Walk? Regarding Racism in Thoroughly Modern Millie

MTI Advises How to Squelch Dissent on Thoroughly Modern Millie

Rebuttal to ‘Millie in Newton: Turn Stereotypes into Lessons

Thoroughly Modern Millie End of School Year Takeaway

Thoroughly Modern Millie Talk Back Videos

The Boston Globe: School Play’s Stereotypes Bring Outcry and Apology. “Millie” touches nerve in Newton by Ellen Ishkanian

The Boston Globe: ‘Millie’ Flag Highlights How Old Plays are Rife with Stereotypes by Don Aucoin

The Telegraph: US high school show triggers race row by David Millward

NECN TV Segment: NECN Broadside with Jim Braude, Historical Musical Sparks Controvery at Massachusetts High School

More Than 50% of Asian American Teens are Bullied in School

White Privilege and Thoroughly Modern Millie

The Boston Globe: ‘Millie’ Fight Creates a Chilling Effect by Joan Vennochi

The Boston Globe: ‘Millie’ in Newton: Turn Stereotypes into Lessons

The Boston Globe: Musical is Little More Than Staged Racism by Jeffrey Melnick (Letter to Editor in response to Joan Vennochi’s article above).

Monitoring, Exposing & Fighting Against Anti-Semitism and Racism: Thoroughly Modern Millie’ play draws controversy in Mass. over racial stereotyping

Company One: In the Intersection, Thoroughly Modern Millie Controvery at Local High School

A case study published by UMass Peter Kiang almost 20 years ago (see pages 9-13), parallels almost exactly what happened at Newton North High School. ScholarWorks at UMass Boston, We Could Shape It: Organizing for Asian American Student Empowerment by Peter Nien-Chu Kiang.

The Notebook: Racism isn’t entertainment: Why “Thoroughly Modern Millie” didn’t belong on CAPA’s stage

Resist Racism: Thoroughly Racist ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’

Genki Speak: Racism in Our Backyard

Angry Asian Man

Village 14: Decision to Stage ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’ at North Challenged

AsAm News: Play Filled With Offensive Images Sparks Town Hall Meeting

AsAm News: I Love Newton: High School Production Fails To Address Heavy Dose Of Asian American Stereotypes

Greer Tan Swiston: Kudos to Newton North for a thoroughly modern update of ‘Millie’

The Boston Globe: Oh, by the way, how about a round of applause for the kids? (Letter to the Editor from a grandparent)

The Boston Globe: Choice, execution of musical informed by thoughful education process (Letter to the Editor from the writers who comprise the Theatre Arts Opportunity Committee at Newton North High School.)

The Boston Globe: We miss a vital chance for understanding when we swap out ethnic characters (Letter to the Editor from a great-grandmother, teacher and volunteer)

Arissa Oh ‏@arissaoh  1h

3 white ppl on @GreaterBoston unhelpfully discuss HS prodns of “Thoroughly Modern Millie.” cc: @pragmaticmom

Pawprint: Millard West Student Newspaper: Through with Thoroughly Modern Millie

The Washington Post: Twenty-Three Skiddo: ‘Modern Millie’ Doesn’t Dance

It’s an attempt, sort of, at a parody of the old-style musicals of the ’20s and ’30s, the sort jerry-built out of cheerful songs, convoluted plots, elaborate tap demonstrations and derogatory stereotypes.

IMDb: Thoroughly Embalmed Musical

Project Muse: Thoroughly Modern Millie (review)

Not Like Crazy: An Easily Overlooked Racism?

In the Spring semester at school, the Musical Theater Department put on Thoroughly Modern Millie, which was overflowing with racism in its portrayal of Asians. I must say, I was thoroughly upset about the whole thing. First, the guys playing the Asians, I believe they were supposed to be Chinese immigrants, had white face makeup and slanty eyes. I couldn’t help but think that if they’d dressed in blackface, surely there’d be an uproar (Of course, they are putting on Ragtime this year, so we’ll see how they handle that– they’re already sending out emails about how they want the black students to try out for roles because there aren’t many black people in the musical theater department *eyeroll*). That wasn’t the only bad thing about the musical, however, the villian was a white woman pretending to be Asian who pronounced her L’s as R’s, and said she used soy sauce to clean a stain. Of course, she also treated the two Asian immigrants who worked for her as if they were stupid, and the silently and humbly submit in front of her, though behind closed doors they argue in Chinese (I guess it was real Chinese), with subtitles projected above the stage. And then one of the Asian men falls in love with one of the white women in the musical, blonde hair, blue eyes, you know the deal. At the end of the musical, they get together, as if his reward for working hard and being submissive, for being mistreated, is the gift of white womanhood, the pinnacle of creation. So yeah, I was pretty pissed about that whole thing.

Myvanwy: Review of Thoroughly Modern Millie

Someone sent me video of a local comedian’s youtube video of a character I’ve seen him portray once before. To call it infantile and racially insensitive would be a gross understatement. For the targets of his ridicule, it’s every bit as offensive as a mean-spirited performance in blackface. But because it’s against one of the few groups for whom bigotry, hostility, and ridicule is still acceptable (Chinese Americans and others of Asian and/or Pacific Island descent), it’s seen as okay by most and even encouraged by other local comedians. Kevin Marshall’s America

Zak Keith: Hollywood Asian Stereotypes

Racism against Asians is often “unawares”—a form of racism that flies under the radar due to its widespread acceptance as the norm. Its interactive dynamic resembles that of an unwritten social contract. Asians in the West are expected to accept patronizing remarks and racist taunts so demeaning that perpetrators would think twice before dishing them out with such unwavering consistency to any other minority group, such as Latinos or African Americans. Asians who object to such treatment are typically met with befuddlement and offense at their audacity to make an issue out of it.

Mia Wenjen blogs at PragmaticMom: Education Matters, here and occasionally at her Asian American blog JadeLuckClub. She resides in Newton with her husband and three kids, the oldest of which will attend Newton North High School this fall. She can be found on Pinterest, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Sulia, Google +, Instagram and YouTube.

Photo credit: Grasshopper and Sensei, my oldest.
March 13, 2014
NNHS Responds to Concerns About Thoroughly Modern Millie
This letter was released today in response to the issues related to “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” as outlined on this blog and elsewhere. Village 14

Department of Fine & Performing Arts

Newton North High School

March 13, 2014

This letter is in response to some recent concerns surrounding Newton North’s production of Thoroughly Modern Millie. It is important to acknowledge up front that we recognize the concerns that have been brought forward. We appreciate the open and honest dialogue and hope that the information in this letter will help us all understand the work that has gone into this production and the teaching and learning that will continue long after this weekend.

In choosing Thoroughly Modern Millie for production we recognized early on that there are some significant challenges in regard to the stereotypes portrayed in the show. We ultimately decided to produce the work, but took deliberate steps to address these concerns directly from the onset:
- Michele Leong, English Teacher and Director of the Office Human Rights and Charlene Beh, English Teacher at Newton North have been a helpful resource to the faculty, staff,and students involved in this production. They led the cast/crew in workshops about the stereotypes portrayed in the musical. They also were instrumental in educating the staffand students on Asian Stereotypes in the media and its impact on our society. Ms. Beh also attended a rehearsal and gave helpful feedback to the production staff.
- The students in the Asian Culture Club at North had a conversation with the director,producer and department head in which they voiced some of their concerns and suggestions.
- We reached out to MTI, the company that owns the rights to Millie to see if a high school edition was available. Unfortunately, it was not.
- The program includes a Production note that addresses the concerns surrounding the stereotypes.
Adam Brown, Director of Theatre Ink, in his opening words to the audience at each production will make a statement about the stereotypes in Millie and invite the audience to read the production note found on page 49 as well as invite them to our talk back.

We do understand that we did not appreciate the magnitude of feelings that the play would elicit. Even as educated artists and teachers we also learn and grow in situations like this. Future selections will go through more scrutiny and we will look at issues with a keener eye. We do apologize for the impact that this has caused and may cause members of our community. Even with these steps in place, we acknowledge that for some it may not be enough. It is our sincere hope that this production is one of both artistic integrity and one where significant learning has occurred. It certainly was never and is never our intent to offend members of our school or Newton community.

Theatre Ink prides itself on being “Newton North’s Teaching and Working Theatre.” The process of producing this show, and the thoughtful and sometimes challenging dialogue it has generated among staff, students, and the broader Newton community, exemplifies the program’s commitment to explore, critique, and interpret how the human experience is conveyed throughthe arts. As the curtain goes up tonight we are bringing the constructive conversation and learning process that our school community has engaged in over these past few months to an audience of students, parents, and community members. We hope that you will choose to participate in it with the same appetite for learning that we have seen in our students – a genuine desire to understand our differences, our history, and ourselves.

On Monday night, March 17th, we will hold a “Talk Back” to further learn and share perspectives surrounding the arts and stereotypes, especially those presented in Millie. All are welcome to attend. The meeting will be held in Newton North High School’s Little Theatre at 7:00PM. We hope you will join us.

Sincerely,

Todd R. Young

Chair, NNHS FPA Department

Adam Brown

Director, Theatre Ink

Jennifer Price

Principal, NNHS

p.s. A reaction on Twitter

Arissa Oh ‏@arissaoh Mar 14

‘we did not anticipate that ppl wd be upset that we are staging a racist show; pls come and share yr concerns so we can dismiss those too’

Arissa Oh is a professor of history at Boston University. Professor Oh’s current project examines the origins of the practice of Korean and international adoption. Her research and teaching interests include immigration and race in U.S. history, transnational Asian-American history, and Cold War social and political history. She has a B.A. from Yale and a Ph.D. from University of Chicago. She lives in Newton, MA. Follow her on Twitter.

Related Links:

Thoroughly Modern Millie is Thoroughly Racist

My Take on Thoroughly Modern Millie

Talk Back: Racism in Thoroughly Modern Millie at NNHS

Throwndown NNHS: Talk the Talk or Walk the Walk? Regarding Racism in Thoroughly Modern Millie

MTI Advises How to Squelch Dissent on Thoroughly Modern Millie

Thoroughly Modern Millie End of School Year Takeaway

Thoroughly Modern Millie Talk Back Videos

Rebuttal to ’Millie in Newton: Turn Stereotypes into Lessons

The Boston Globe: School Play’s Stereotypes Bring Outcry and Apology. “Millie” touches nerve in Newton by Ellen Ishkanian

The Boston Globe: ‘Millie’ Flag Highlights How Old Plays are Rife with Stereotypes by Don Aucoin

The Telegraph: US high school show triggers race row by David Millward

NECN TV Segment: NECN Broadside with Jim Braude, Historical Musical Sparks Controvery at Massachusetts High School

More Than 50% of Asian American Teens are Bullied in School

White Privilege and Thoroughly Modern Millie

The Boston Globe: ‘Millie’ Fight Creates a Chilling Effect by Joan Vennochi

The Boston Globe: ‘Millie’ in Newton: Turn Stereotypes into Lessons

The Boston Globe: Musical is Little More Than Staged Racism by Jeffrey Melnick (Letter to Editor in response to Joan Vennochi’s article above).

Monitoring, Exposing & Fighting Against Anti-Semitism and Racism: Thoroughly Modern Millie’ play draws controversy in Mass. over racial stereotyping

Company One: In the Intersection, Thoroughly Modern Millie Controvery at Local High School

A case study published by UMass Peter Kiang almost 20 years ago (see pages 9-13), parallels almost exactly what happened at Newton North High School. ScholarWorks at UMass Boston, We Could Shape It: Organizing for Asian American Student Empowerment by Peter Nien-Chu Kiang.

The Notebook: Racism isn’t entertainment: Why “Thoroughly Modern Millie” didn’t belong on CAPA’s stage

Resist Racism: Thoroughly Racist ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’

Genki Speak: Racism in Our Backyard

Angry Asian Man

Village 14: Decision to Stage ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’ at North Challenged

AsAm News: Play Filled With Offensive Images Sparks Town Hall Meeting

AsAm News: I Love Newton: High School Production Fails To Address Heavy Dose Of Asian American Stereotypes

Greer Tan Swiston: Kudos to Newton North for a thoroughly modern update of ‘Millie’

The Boston Globe: Oh, by the way, how about a round of applause for the kids? (Letter to the Editor from a grandparent)

The Boston Globe: Choice, execution of musical informed by thoughful education process (Letter to the Editor from the writers who comprise the Theatre Arts Opportunity Committee at Newton North High School.)

The Boston Globe: We miss a vital chance for understanding when we swap out ethnic characters (Letter to the Editor from a great-grandmother, teacher and volunteer)

Arissa Oh ‏@arissaoh 1h

3 white ppl on @GreaterBoston unhelpfully discuss HS prodns of “Thoroughly Modern Millie.” cc: @pragmaticmom

Pawprint: Millard West Student Newspaper: Through with Thoroughly Modern Millie

The Washington Post: Twenty-Three Skiddo: ‘Modern Millie’ Doesn’t Dance

It’s an attempt, sort of, at a parody of the old-style musicals of the ’20s and ’30s, the sort jerry-built out of cheerful songs, convoluted plots, elaborate tap demonstrations and derogatory stereotypes.

IMDb: Thoroughly Embalmed Musical

Project Muse: Thoroughly Modern Millie (review)

Not Like Crazy: An Easily Overlooked Racism?

In the Spring semester at school, the Musical Theater Department put on Thoroughly Modern Millie, which was overflowing with racism in its portrayal of Asians. I must say, I was thoroughly upset about the whole thing. First, the guys playing the Asians, I believe they were supposed to be Chinese immigrants, had white face makeup and slanty eyes. I couldn’t help but think that if they’d dressed in blackface, surely there’d be an uproar (Of course, they are putting on Ragtime this year, so we’ll see how they handle that– they’re already sending out emails about how they want the black students to try out for roles because there aren’t many black people in the musical theater department *eyeroll*). That wasn’t the only bad thing about the musical, however, the villian was a white woman pretending to be Asian who pronounced her L’s as R’s, and said she used soy sauce to clean a stain. Of course, she also treated the two Asian immigrants who worked for her as if they were stupid, and the silently and humbly submit in front of her, though behind closed doors they argue in Chinese (I guess it was real Chinese), with subtitles projected above the stage. And then one of the Asian men falls in love with one of the white women in the musical, blonde hair, blue eyes, you know the deal. At the end of the musical, they get together, as if his reward for working hard and being submissive, for being mistreated, is the gift of white womanhood, the pinnacle of creation. So yeah, I was pretty pissed about that whole thing.

Myvanwy: Review of Thoroughly Modern Millie

Someone sent me video of a local comedian’s youtube video of a character I’ve seen him portray once before. To call it infantile and racially insensitive would be a gross understatement. For the targets of his ridicule, it’s every bit as offensive as a mean-spirited performance in blackface. But because it’s against one of the few groups for whom bigotry, hostility, and ridicule is still acceptable (Chinese Americans and others of Asian and/or Pacific Island descent), it’s seen as okay by most and even encouraged by other local comedians. Kevin Marshall’s America

Zak Keith: Hollywood Asian Stereotypes

Racism against Asians is often “unawares”—a form of racism that flies under the radar due to its widespread acceptance as the norm. Its interactive dynamic resembles that of an unwritten social contract. Asians in the West are expected to accept patronizing remarks and racist taunts so demeaning that perpetrators would think twice before dishing them out with such unwavering consistency to any other minority group, such as Latinos or African Americans. Asians who object to such treatment are typically met with befuddlement and offense at their audacity to make an issue out of it.

Mia Wenjen blogs at PragmaticMom: Education Matters, here and occasionally at her Asian American blog JadeLuckClub. She resides in Newton with her husband and three kids, the oldest of which will attend Newton North High School this fall. She can be found on Pinterest, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Sulia, Google +, Instagram and YouTube.
March 13, 2014
Throwdown NNHS: Talk the Talk or Walk the Walk? Regarding Racism in Thoroughly Modern Millie
Dear Principal Price, Mr. Brown, and Mr. Young,

This week, I was disappointed to hear about the controversy around North’s production of Thoroughly Modern Millie, and what the students, families, faculty and community will take away from this production.

I have four concerns:
1. Valuing one group while marginalizing another – This play was selected for the dynamic female characters while recognizing it contained anti-Asian racism. The school administration is thus condoning promoting one group at the cost of another.
2. Historical fiction – this fiction does not portray the common experiences of Chinese American bachelors in the 1920s and masks the reality of the hardships and racism they endured. It was not easy (to say it mildly) for Chinese women to immigrate to the US during exclusion, and few white women would give up their citizenship to marry a Chinese man. Given there is so little Asian American history in the curriculum, it’s frustrating to know that this is what students are being exposed to.
3. North’s endorsement of the play – I presume the school paid a licensing fee for the rights to the play. From the distributors stand point that’s another vote to them that there’s a demand for this type of content. In a bottom line industry, people put their money where their mouth is.
4. What will be remembered – I question who the beneficiaries are of this “teachable moment.” I expect that although members of North’s Asian American community worked with Theatre Ink in making edits, I can’t imagine they are satisfied with the outcome or happy they were put in this situation, especially during Asian Heritage Month—which in my day, I recall was celebratory and honored those in the community. In my experience as a student, it’s memories like this that leave bitter feelings towards an institution (and expect it would be the same case if I were faculty too.)
I graduated from NNHS in 1994. It’s taken me 20 years to realize how influential the experiences I had during high school were in shaping my values led me to become the Asian American community leader I am today.

During my freshman year, it was rare to see Asians on camera outside of a martial arts film, and it was the first time I saw an Asian American film. The film had a mostly Asian cast portrayed in America, speaking English without accents. It was a validating experience — the pride and joy I felt watching it sparked a lifelong fire in me to seek out more opportunities to view Asian-Americans in dynamic and diverse roles. Now, over 20 years later, I’m the Founding Director of the Boston Asian American Film Festival.

During my junior year, I really struggled with the level of writing needed for my AP US History course. With the support and encouragement from Mr. Moore, I chose to write a research paper comparing the Chinatown community’s reactions to the proposal of the Central Artery in the 1960’s with the Big Dig in the 1990’s. Through that I learned how the Asian American community was much more active and organized in the 90’s in standing up against plans that would have had a negative impact on Chinatown residents, and that voicing your concerns can make a difference.

Considerations for moving forward:

Put your money where your values are – proceeds from Thoroughly Modern Millie could be put towards more positive educational experiences for the students, faculty and wider community. The cast and crew may have been provided cultural sensitivity training, but the impact of the NNHS production go beyond the walls of the school and city. The debate on ilovenewton.com is reaching concerned citizens across the commonwealth and country (I found out about this from a blog authored in California.)

Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend the production this week as I am currently out of town attending CAAM Fest (the largest Asian and Asian American film festival), but given my role at the Boston Asian American Film Festival and Chinese Historical Society, I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and/or give references to others that can help to support the administration, students and faculty in moving forward so that students leave North with experiences that are more supportive in their journey towards self-identity and awareness.

Sincerely,

Susan Chinsen

NNHS Class of 1994

Founding Director, Boston Asian American Film Festival

Managing Director, Chinese Historical Society of New England

p.s Related links:

Thoroughly Modern Millie is Thoroughly Racist

My Take on Thoroughly Modern Millie

Talk Back: Racism in Thoroughly Modern Millie at NNHS

NNHS Responds to Concerns About Thoroughly Modern Millie

MTI Advises How to Squelch Dissent on Thoroughly Modern Millie‘

Rebuttal to ’Millie in Newton: Turn Stereotypes into Lessons

More Than 50% of Asian American Teens are Bullied in School

White Privilege and Thoroughly Modern Millie

Thoroughly Modern Millie End of School Year Takeaway

Thoroughly Modern Millie Talk Back Videos

———-

The Boston Globe: School Play’s Stereotypes Bring Outcry and Apology. “Millie” touches nerve in Newton by Ellen Ishkanian

The Boston Globe: ‘Millie’ Flag Highlights How Old Plays are Rife with Stereotypes by Don Aucoin

The Telegraph: US high school show triggers race row by David Millward

NECN TV Segment: NECN Broadside with Jim Braude, Historical Musical Sparks Controvery at Massachusetts High School

The Boston Globe: ‘Millie’ Fight Creates a Chilling Effect by Joan Vennochi

The Boston Globe: Musical is Little More Than Staged Racism by Jeffrey Melnick (Letter to Editor in response to Joan Vennochi’s article above).

Monitoring, Exposing & Fighting Against Anti-Semitism and Racism: Thoroughly Modern Millie’ play draws controversy in Mass. over racial stereotyping

Company One: In the Intersection, Thoroughly Modern Millie Controvery at Local High School

A case study published by UMass Peter Kiang almost 20 years ago (see pages 9-13), parallels almost exactly what happened at Newton North High School. ScholarWorks at UMass Boston, We Could Shape It: Organizing for Asian American Student Empowerment by Peter Nien-Chu Kiang.

The Notebook: Racism isn’t entertainment: Why “Thoroughly Modern Millie” didn’t belong on CAPA’s stage

Resist Racism: Thoroughly Racist ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’

Genki Speak: Racism in Our Backyard

Angry Asian Man

Village 14: Decision to Stage ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’ at North Challenged

AsAm News: Play Filled With Offensive Images Sparks Town Hall Meeting

AsAm News: I Love Newton: High School Production Fails To Address Heavy Dose Of Asian American Stereotypes

Greer Tan Swiston: Kudos to Newton North for a thoroughly modern update of ‘Millie’

The Boston Globe: Oh, by the way, how about a round of applause for the kids? (Letter to the Editor from a grandparent)

The Boston Globe: Choice, execution of musical informed by thoughful education process (Letter to the Editor from the writers who comprise the Theatre Arts Opportunity Committee at Newton North High School.)

The Boston Globe: We miss a vital chance for understanding when we swap out ethnic characters (Letter to the Editor from a great-grandmother, teacher and volunteer)

Arissa Oh ‏@arissaoh 1h

3 white ppl on @GreaterBoston unhelpfully discuss HS prodns of “Thoroughly Modern Millie.” cc: @pragmaticmom

Pawprint: Millard West Student Newspaper: Through with Thoroughly Modern Millie

The Washington Post: Twenty-Three Skiddo: ‘Modern Millie’ Doesn’t Dance

It’s an attempt, sort of, at a parody of the old-style musicals of the ’20s and ’30s, the sort jerry-built out of cheerful songs, convoluted plots, elaborate tap demonstrations and derogatory stereotypes.

IMDb: Thoroughly Embalmed Musical

Project Muse: Thoroughly Modern Millie (review)

Not Like Crazy: An Easily Overlooked Racism?

In the Spring semester at school, the Musical Theater Department put on Thoroughly Modern Millie, which was overflowing with racism in its portrayal of Asians. I must say, I was thoroughly upset about the whole thing. First, the guys playing the Asians, I believe they were supposed to be Chinese immigrants, had white face makeup and slanty eyes. I couldn’t help but think that if they’d dressed in blackface, surely there’d be an uproar (Of course, they are putting on Ragtime this year, so we’ll see how they handle that– they’re already sending out emails about how they want the black students to try out for roles because there aren’t many black people in the musical theater department *eyeroll*). That wasn’t the only bad thing about the musical, however, the villian was a white woman pretending to be Asian who pronounced her L’s as R’s, and said she used soy sauce to clean a stain. Of course, she also treated the two Asian immigrants who worked for her as if they were stupid, and the silently and humbly submit in front of her, though behind closed doors they argue in Chinese (I guess it was real Chinese), with subtitles projected above the stage. And then one of the Asian men falls in love with one of the white women in the musical, blonde hair, blue eyes, you know the deal. At the end of the musical, they get together, as if his reward for working hard and being submissive, for being mistreated, is the gift of white womanhood, the pinnacle of creation. So yeah, I was pretty pissed about that whole thing.

Myvanwy: Review of Thoroughly Modern Millie

Someone sent me video of a local comedian’s youtube video of a character I’ve seen him portray once before. To call it infantile and racially insensitive would be a gross understatement. For the targets of his ridicule, it’s every bit as offensive as a mean-spirited performance in blackface. But because it’s against one of the few groups for whom bigotry, hostility, and ridicule is still acceptable (Chinese Americans and others of Asian and/or Pacific Island descent), it’s seen as okay by most and even encouraged by other local comedians. Kevin Marshall’s America

Zak Keith: Hollywood Asian Stereotypes

Racism against Asians is often “unawares”—a form of racism that flies under the radar due to its widespread acceptance as the norm. Its interactive dynamic resembles that of an unwritten social contract. Asians in the West are expected to accept patronizing remarks and racist taunts so demeaning that perpetrators would think twice before dishing them out with such unwavering consistency to any other minority group, such as Latinos or African Americans. Asians who object to such treatment are typically met with befuddlement and offense at their audacity to make an issue out of it.

Mia Wenjen blogs at PragmaticMom: Education Matters, here and occasionally at her Asian American blog JadeLuckClub. She resides in Newton with her husband and three kids, the oldest of which will attend Newton North High School this fall. She can be found on Pinterest, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Sulia, Google +, Instagram and YouTube.
March 13, 2014
Thoroughly Modern Millie at NNHS is Thoroughly Racist

Let me start by saying that I am Asian American and that I moved to Newton more than ten years ago because it has a decent sized Asian American population. That is important to me because being the only Asian American can result in significant bullying (as evidenced by my husband who grew up in town with a much smaller Asian population). As a result, my Korean American husband got very good at street fighting in order to defend himself against bullies and racial insults.

I personally have not seen Thoroughly Modern Millie but I was a recent high school benefit where I first heard of the Anti-Asian stereotyping in Thoroughly Modern Millie.* In its defense, it was written more than four decades ago when Asians were never seen in the media, and if so, only in derogatory stereotypes.

*Here is my post after seeing the show.

Think Calgon commercial and Ancient Chinese Secret:

But the Calgon commercial isn’t nearly as offensive to me as the Anti-Asian stereotyping of Thoroughly Modern Millie. So let’s take a look.

Asian Stereotypes in Thoroughly Modern Millie

These are the two Asian parts in Thoroughly Modern Millie. In the original movie script, they are described as Oriential #1 and Oriental #2. These parts were rewritten in the Broadway musical:

Ching Ho: Chinese henchman, falls in love with Miss Dorothy.
Bun Foo: Chinese henchman, focused more on the task at hand.

The musical has since become a popular choice for high school productions. Wikipedia

It was pointed out to me by a Chinese American that Ching Ho and Bun Foo are not even real Chinese names. In rewriting the film into the 2002 musical, you may as well as kept them as Oriental #1 and Oriental #2. While supposedly the henchman roles were given backstories and rich characters, calling them by fake Sing Song Chinese names only fuels and rage and hurt that Asians and Asian Americans feel while sitting in the audience.

Here are some other posts on racism in Thoroughly Modern Millie.

The Dalton School removed the racism from their production of Thoroughly Modern Millie:

The New York Times reports that Manhattan private school Dalton Middle School announced today that it would be moving forward with a previously cancelled production of the musical THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE with a new, revised version approved by the show’s creators.

The musical was originally canceled due to “concerns about the show’s use of Asian stereotypes and a subplot involving a white slavery ring in China”. The original plan had been to replace ‘MILLIE’ with a revue of the songs. But now the revised version will “drop references to Asia, change the names of two Chinese characters, and describe incidents of human trafficking as simple kidnappings.” From Broadway World

Dick Scanlan, the lyricist and co-book writer of “Millie,” said in an interview on Mondaythat he and the show’s composer, Jeanine Tesori, had approved the school’s sanitized version of “Millie” and suggested some new lyrics and other ideas. Performances of “Millie” will begin this Thursday as originally planned.

“I have given my blessing because, while I understand angry parents, for me heartbroken kids trump angry parents,” Mr. Scanlan said. “The narrative basically remains the same, and Asian girls would play the two roles that were Chinese in the original, though the characters would have common names. What is missing is a deliberate political choice that Michael Mayer, Jeanine, and I made years ago to portray Asian stereotypes and then challenge them in order to bust them.” Mr. Mayer directed the Broadway production.

I have a problem with this because obviously Michael Mayer, Jeanine and Dick Scanlan are not Asian Americans nor did they seem to study Asian American history and therefore wrote a 2002 musical that is historically inaccurate with dated Asian stereotypes. And this is also the rationale that NNHS gives — busting Asian stereotypes. They are using the wrong stereotypes and erasing the history of what actually happened to Asian Americans during the 1920s. We, as Asian Americans, don’t need this kind of help.

The plot in Thoroughly Modern Millie of Asians selling women into white slavery is not accurate and caused a real backlash against Asians and Arabs. In fact, there are many egregious historical inaccuracies that I have a problem with in this new musical retelling.

Based on the 1967 film of the same name, Thoroughly Modern Millie tells the story of a small-town girl, Millie Dillmount, who comes to New York City to marry for money instead of love – a thoroughly modern aim in 1922, when women were just entering the workforce. Millie soon begins to take delight in the flapper lifestyle, but problems arise when she checks into a hotel owned by the leader of a white slavery ring in China. The style of the musical is comic pastiche. Like the film on which it is based, it interpolates new tunes with some previously written songs.

The fierce anger against “white slavery” caused racial profiling of Arabs in Europe and Chinese immigrants in America. While there were some examples of Chinese mafia members engaging in human trafficking during the 1920′s, the sad distortion is that in actuality, many more Asian women and children were and still are trafficked from China and other Asian countries to the United States.

So it is not surprising that many people are offended by Thoroughly Modern Millie’s portrayal of poor Asian immigrants. And considering the wickedness of the crime being discussed, it is not surprising that survivors of human trafficking might also be offended by the play’s comedic treatment of the subject. from The Marginalized

Asian American Theatre Review has issues with this musical and brings up a good point of WHY are we perpetuating racial stereotypes in this century that we know to be harmful and derogatory.

The pair are invariably described as being a politically correct portrayal. Hmm. The original depiction is most definitely stereotyped and offen
sive–yet any variation from it is considered politically correct??? This shows how incredibly empty the term is, and how devalued it has become. When ANY attempt to change an admittedly stereotyped and racist portrayal is termed “politically correct”, it’s time to bury the term. Dammit, isn’t the whole point of our current enlightened times is to avoid being stereotyped and racist when you don’t have to be??? from Asian American Theatre Review

Racial stereotypes of Chinese in Thoroughly Modern Millie

I was shocked that this musical contained lots of outdated Chinese stereotypes including:
a Chinese laundry, kidnapping for white slavery, bad Chinese accents, and a female actor in “white face” playing a white woman masquerading as a Chinese woman. Much less culturally sensitive than Robert Downey Jr playing a black man in Tropic Thunder.

Part of the sub-plot is that white girls are sold into white slavery and shipped off to China, by the character of Mrs. Meers, a white woman dressed up as a Chinese woman – who doesn’t even have a proper Chinese accent – She keeps mis-prounouncing her “L’s” as “R’s.”

She keeps saying things like “Ssssso saaaad, to be arrrr arrrrone in dis worrrrld.”

I realize that this is supposed to be a fun frothy romp, and every character is stereotyped to extreme measures …

But I still felt uncomfortable watching the perpetuation of racist stereotypes in this way. There are many people in today’s audience who don’t realize the origins of such stereotypes, nor the harm that was caused over decades of racism. From Gung Haggis Fat Choy

Seriously, does the movie script say Orientals?!

However, what Millie also features is a staggeringly racist plotline involving [CONTENT WARNING: racist plot described in detail] a hotel owner and her two nameless, menacing Chinese manservants (played by Jack Soo and Pat Morita and credited, appallingly, as Oriental #1 and Oriental #2) selling residents of the hotel into white slavery. Nothing about this plotline is remotely okay, especially given that every scene with the “Orientals” serves to emphasize how alien they are.

Millie was adapted into a stage musical in 2000, which came to Broadway in 2002. I have not seen it, but I do know enough to know that they tried valiantly to rectify the problems with the source material. They (mercifully) cut the Jewish wedding entirely, and they gave Mrs. Meers’ servants names and motivations—one ultimately ends up marrying Miss Dorothy, in the stage show’s most radical departure from the film. But I question why this adaptation even came to be, more than thirty years after the film first premiered. Why it was felt that a film this transparently problematic could—or should!—be turned into a stage show, other than the general momentum stage adaptations of movies have been gaining in the past decade. And lastly, I question whether the changes they made really solved the problem, and I am forced to conclude they almost certainly didn’t. Millie, despite many charming moments, is rotten to the core, and I don’t see a way to solve that problem without making an entirely different show. from Bitch Magazine

My question is WHY? Why pick Thoroughly Modern Millie that depicts blatant anti-Asian stereotyping? Why not go with something else or rewrite this script to offend another ethnicity. How about gypsies? Or Eastern Europeans?

It’s now 2014, and Asian Americans still struggle with their portrayal in the media. See this kickstarter video of an Asian American actress and the limited parts — all stereotypes — available to her and other Asian actors.

And let’s ask ourselves … does Thoroughly Modern Millie help today’s Asian Americans or does it hurt us? And if you think Thoroughly Modern Millie does Asian Americans a disservice, then why are we still doing this play in high schools around America?

Let’s discuss this! Please respond by leaving a comment. If you want more ink, please email me your take at pragmaticmomblog@gmail.com and I’ll post it.

Here’s a few questions to start us off:

1) Do you think this play makes Asian American students at Newton North High School uncomfortable?

2) Do you think this play makes Asian American parents or grandparents watching the play uncomfortable?

3) Do you think the Chinese language teachers at Newton North High School would be comfortable with this musical? What about Newton North’s sister exchange school in China?

4) Do you think Asian American stereotyping exists in today’s media? Why or why not? Are they the same as in Thoroughly Modern Millie? If not, what is the benefit of discussing outdated stereotypes?

5) What is the benefit to Asian Americans to have this kind of musical in wide circulation?

6) Are Asian Americans marginalized? If so, what causes that?

p.s. This is from The Newtonite:

The musical’s racist villain, Mrs. Meers, played by senior Kelsey Fox, presented challenges for the show. “There are some images in our show that are going to be offensive,” said English teacher Bradley Jensen, the director. He continued that the whole cast had to “really inform ourselves about the stereotypes that are in our show.”

Asian Culture Day: Asian-Americans in the Media

While I appreciate that effort was made to educate Asian American students at Newton North High School about anti-Asian bias in the media, I am surprised that this production is embracing the egregious Asian stereotypes in Thoroughly Modern Millie.

It’s one thing to point out the stereotypes and quite another to reinforce it by moving forward without addressing the changes. It is saying to me: “Here are anti-Asian stereotypes. Look, they are quite common. That’s why we are ok with promoting them in our musical. And it’s just for a laugh so that’s ok.”

And while everyone has the right to their own opinion, this is not ok with me.

The “Asian-Americans in the Media” panel took place during this school’s Asian Culture Day B-block in the Little Theatre.

English teacher Michele Leong presented a slide show comparing Asian-Americans to white Americans in popular movies and television shows. Leong explained that the roles and attitudes of Asian-American women differ, but that Asian-American women are usually publicized as hyper sexualized. She continued by adding that Asian-American men are publicized as the “laughing stalk” and are emasculated overall.

After, three students from the cast and crew of Thoroughly Modern Millie, a musical surrounded by controversy around its portrayal of Asians, joined English teachers Peter Goddard and Brad Jensen to discuss the show.

Senior Kelsey Fox explained her role in the show could potentially cause much concern among the audience. Fox is playing Mrs. Meers, a white woman who pretends to be Asian. Fox said that she will be playing a very politically incorrect and “derogatory, to say the least” role in the musical. Motivated to not offend people in the audience, Fox explained, “My job is to make sure the audience laughs at my character and not at Asian culture.” Fox has been, “learning and listening to our Asian community,” in order to limit the offensiveness of her role.

The panel explained that they were all trying to round out their characters of the racist show. “We try to round out characters, and make them more like humans and less like caricatures,” said Jensen.

Theater Ink director Adam Brown stepped into the conversation and said, “Sure, it would’ve been easier to not pick this show, but because we have, it has caused a lot of questions and communication. That is certainly a learning opportunity for everyone.”

“I’m glad Theatre Ink is doing the show and I’m glad to be a part of this show,” said Senior Hiroki Shibuya.

These are all related posts on Thoroughly Modern Millie at Newton North High School:

My Take on Thoroughly Modern Millie

Talk Back: Racism in Thoroughly Modern Millie at NNHS

NNHS Responds to Concerns About Thoroughly Modern Millie

MTI Advises How to Squelch Dissent on Thoroughly Modern Millie

Throwndown NNHS: Talk the Talk or Walk the Walk? Regarding Racism in Thoroughly Modern Millie

Rebuttal to ‘Millie in Newton: Turn Stereotypes into Lessons

More Than 50% of Asian American Teens are Bullied in School

White Privilege and Thoroughly Modern Millie

Thoroughly Modern Millie End of School Year Takeaway

Thoroughly Modern Millie Talk Back Videos

These are other articles and posts related to Thoroughly Modern Millie at Newton North High School:

The Boston Globe: School Play’s Stereotypes Bring Outcry and Apology. “Millie” touches nerve in Newton by Ellen Ishkanian

The Boston Globe: ‘Millie’ Flag Highlights How Old Plays are Rife with Stereotypes by Don Aucoin

The Telegraph: US high school show triggers race row by David Millward

NECN TV Segment: NECN Broadside with Jim Braude, Historical Musical Sparks Controvery at Massachusetts High School

The Boston Globe: ‘Millie’ Fight Creates a Chilling Effect by Joan Vennochi

The Boston Globe: ‘Millie’ in Newton: Turn Stereotypes into Lessons

The Boston Globe: Musical is Little More Than Staged Racism by Jeffrey Melnick (Letter to Editor in response to Joan Vennochi’s article above).

Monitoring, Exposing & Fighting Against Anti-Semitism and Racism: Thoroughly Modern Millie’ play draws controversy in Mass. over racial stereotyping

Company One: In the Intersection, Thoroughly Modern Millie Controvery at Local High School

A case study published by UMass Peter Kiang almost 20 years ago (see pages 9-13), parallels almost exactly what happened at Newton North High School. ScholarWorks at UMass Boston, We Could Shape It: Organizing for Asian American Student Empowerment by Peter Nien-Chu Kiang.

The Notebook: Racism isn’t entertainment: Why “Thoroughly Modern Millie” didn’t belong on CAPA’s stage

Resist Racism: Thoroughly Racist ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’

Genki Speak: Racism in Our Backyard

Angry Asian Man

Village 14: Decision to Stage ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’ at North Challenged

AsAm News: Play Filled With Offensive Images Sparks Town Hall Meeting

AsAm News: I Love Newton: High School Production Fails To Address Heavy Dose Of Asian American Stereotypes

Greer Tan Swiston: Kudos to Newton North for a thoroughly modern update of ‘Millie’

The Boston Globe: Oh, by the way, how about a round of applause for the kids? (Letter to the Editor from a grandparent)

The Boston Globe: Choice, execution of musical informed by thoughful education process (Letter to the Editor from the writers who comprise the Theatre Arts Opportunity Committee at Newton North High School.)

The Boston Globe: We miss a vital chance for understanding when we swap out ethnic characters(Letter to the Editor from a great-grandmother, teacher and volunteer)

Arissa Oh ‏@arissaoh 1h

3 white ppl on @GreaterBoston unhelpfully discuss HS prodns of “Thoroughly Modern Millie.” cc: @pragmaticmom

Pawprint: Millard West Student Newspaper: Through with Thoroughly Modern Millie

The Washington Post: Twenty-Three Skiddo: ‘Modern Millie’ Doesn’t Dance

It’s an attempt, sort of, at a parody of the old-style musicals of the ’20s and ’30s, the sort jerry-built out of cheerful songs, convoluted plots, elaborate tap demonstrations and derogatory stereotypes.

IMDb: Thoroughly Embalmed Musical

Project Muse: Thoroughly Modern Millie (review)

Not Like Crazy: An Easily Overlooked Racism?

In the Spring semester at school, the Musical Theater Department put on Thoroughly Modern Millie, which was overflowing with racism in its portrayal of Asians. I must say, I was thoroughly upset about the whole thing. First, the guys playing the Asians, I believe they were supposed to be Chinese immigrants, had white face makeup and slanty eyes. I couldn’t help but think that if they’d dressed in blackface, surely there’d be an uproar (Of course, they are putting on Ragtime this year, so we’ll see how they handle that– they’re already sending out emails about how they want the black students to try out for roles because there aren’t many black people in the musical theater department *eyeroll*). That wasn’t the only bad thing about the musical, however, the villian was a white woman pretending to be Asian who pronounced her L’s as R’s, and said she used soy sauce to clean a stain. Of course, she also treated the two Asian immigrants who worked for her as if they were stupid, and the silently and humbly submit in front of her, though behind closed doors they argue in Chinese (I guess it was real Chinese), with subtitles projected above the stage. And then one of the Asian men falls in love with one of the white women in the musical, blonde hair, blue eyes, you know the deal. At the end of the musical, they get together, as if his reward for working hard and being submissive, for being mistreated, is the gift of white womanhood, the pinnacle of creation. So yeah, I was pretty pissed about that whole thing.

Myvanwy: Review of Thoroughly Modern Millie

Someone sent me video of a local comedian’s youtube video of a character I’ve seen him portray once before. To call it infantile and racially insensitive would be a gross understatement. For the targets of his ridicule, it’s every bit as offensive as a mean-spirited performance in blackface. But because it’s against one of the few groups for whom bigotry, hostility, and ridicule is still acceptable (Chinese Americans and others of Asian and/or Pacific Island descent), it’s seen as okay by most and even encouraged by other local comedians. Kevin Marshall’s America

Zak Keith: Hollywood Asian Stereotypes

Racism against Asians is often “unawares”—a form of racism that flies under the radar due to its widespread acceptance as the norm. Its interactive dynamic resembles that of an unwritten social contract. Asians in the West are expected to accept patronizing remarks and racist taunts so demeaning that perpetrators would think twice before dishing them out with such unwavering consistency to any other minority group, such as Latinos or African Americans. Asians who object to such treatment are typically met with befuddlement and offense at their audacity to make an issue out of it.

p.p.s. Here are some related posts on my Asian American blog:

How Asian Americans Are Portrayed in U.S. Media. Who Should Be the Next Asian Old Spice Guy?

Asian Americans in Recurring TV Gigs

A Racist Bakesale Exposes Reverse Discrimination Against Asian Americans (I include this link because this is the real racist front that Asian Americans are currently fighting. All my posts on this topic are here.

Making us explain why Yellow Face is offensive is a waste of our time. I can’t believe this is still being used. In real life, has there ever been a white person pretending to be Asian? It’s only in the media and on the stage that this ridiculous premise exists.)

Survivor: Cook Islands Winner Yul Kwon and Why Media Portrayal of Asian Americans Matters

Mia Wenjen blogs at PragmaticMom: Education Matters, here and occasionally at her Asian American blog JadeLuckClub. She resides in Newton with her husband and three kids, the oldest of which will attend Newton North High School this fall. She can be found on Pinterest, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Sulia, Google +, Instagram and YouTube.

Photo credit: Grasshopper and Sensei, my oldest.

March 11, 2014
The Kosovo Crisis of 1999: Historical Context and Personal Experiences

Huntington Lecture Series to feature talk by North history teacher and the Model United Nations advisor, Gregory Drake

Kosovo Crisis lecture

on March 13

4:00-5:00 p.m.

The Huntington Lecture Series: An intellectual treatTo emphasize our commitment to scholarship, Principal Price and the PTSO are sponsoring a series of lectures by faculty and community members on a wide-ranging variety of topics of interest to all. The series encourages faculty and parents to get to know one another in an intellectual and professional setting.

Staff, students, parents and friends are cordially invited to attend:

The Kosovo Crisis of 1999: Historical Context and Personal Experiences

Thursday, March 13, 2014

4:00 to 5:00 p.m.

Film Lecture Hall, Newton North High School

After witnessing nearly a decade of war in the former Yugoslavia, much of the world was shocked when yet another round of ethnic tensions erupted in the Serbian province of Kosovo in 1998. By May 1999, over 1 Million Kosovar Albanians had fled their homes. Yet for observers of the Balkans, the war in Kosovo was an inevitable final act in the Yugoslav tragedy. The death of Yugoslavia, noted historian Noel Malcolm, “began in Kosovo, and it will end in Kosovo.” This talk will focus on the historical roots and context of the Kosovo war. How did this relatively small province find itself in headlines around the world? What led to the crisis? How did the events in Kosovo fit into the larger context of the Fall of Yugoslavia? What was life like in the province before and after NATO intervention? North History teacher Greg Drake will address these questions and reflect on his own experiences working with refugee populations in Kosovo and Macedonia.

Gregory Drake is a history teacher and the Model United Nations advisor at Newton North High School. Previously, he worked for several years in the non-profit sector, both in the U.S. and abroad. Mr. Drake spent 1998-2000 working for Kinderberg, e.V. a German humanitarian organization, managing projects related to children’s health and education in the Balkans.

Light refreshments will be served.

R.S.V.P. Jeanne White, 617 969-6734, or e-mail: babajeanne@gmail.com

March 10, 2014
Is Your Child a Talented Chef? Food Network Opportunity!

My name is Courtney Scarpelli and I am a casting assistant for Rachael vs. Guy: Kids Cook-Off, Food Network’s exciting culinary reality series. We are currently casting for season 2 and would like to inform you and your readers about our search!

Rachael Ray and Guy Fieri are back for battle and are in search of the most talented kid chefs in the country. We are looking for kids with captivating personalities who believe they’re at the top of their culinary game and want to inspire a Food Network audience through their passion for food and cooking. The winner will receive a grand prize that will help to kick-start their culinary career!

For your convenience, I have attached a copy of our flyer that further details what we are looking for and how to apply. Please feel free to post this on your website, send out to any list serve you may have or forward it on to anyone you think may be interested. Any help spreading the word about our search is greatly appreciated!

For more information and how to apply, please visit our website at www.RachaelvsGuyKidsCasting.com. If you have any questions or require further information, please feel free to contact me. Thank you for your time and assistance.

March 8, 2014
Newton Family Singers Celebrates Paul Simon

Newton Family Singers Present …

LOVES ME LIKE A ROCK

A Joyful Celebration of the Music of Paul Simon

To Benefit the Asperger’s Association of New England (AANE) and the Autism Alliance of MetroWest

Sunday, April 13, 4pm
Performing Arts Center at Newton North High School,
457 Walnut Street, Newton

March 7, 2014
GELF Benefit Dinner This Saturday!

2014 Global Education Leadership Dinner

at Newton North High School

GELF and Newton Schools Foundation

Saturday, March 8, 2014

from 6:30 PM to 10:30 PM (EST)

Newton, MA

Please join GELF in a benefit dinner to help fund scholarships for Newton High School Students to travel abroad.

GELF TICKETS

GELF MENU
Course 1- Peru
Corn, Squash and Coconut Soup with Corn Relish

Course 2- Mexico
Hearts of Palm and Avocado Salad with Grilled Shrimp

Course 3- China
Bean Thread Noodles with a Soy Cinnamon Broth, Sesame Peanut Paste, Apples and Cucumbers with Scallion and Pea Pancake

Course 4- Italy-
Balsamic Braised Short Ribs with House-made Spiced Potato Chips

Course 5- France
Chocolate Pot-de-Crème with Raspberry Whipped Cream and Minted Fresh Fruit

Tickets are still available here.

March 6, 2014