Remember the play that was banned from Sherwood Middle School ‘cause it contained material that school administrators deemed “too mature” for students—which Matt Davis probably correctly interpreted to mean that it contains a non-condemnatory message about homosexuality? As a former Hopkins Hawk/Sherwood Bowman (the first play I was ever in was And Then There Were None, at Sherwood Middle School) who knows full well how provincial that town still is, this story from the O made my day:

The show will go on Sunday for a controversial Sherwood Middle School play that school administrators had stopped, saying the subject matter was too mature for students.

Sherwood Middle School students will perform “Higher Ground,” a play about overcoming bullying written by their drama teacher, Jennie Brown, at the Portland Center for the Performing Arts.

The students had voted to cancel it at their school and perform it off campus rather than revise it as their principal had required.

“I think the message as it is, is perfect,” said Genny Torricelli, a sixth-grader who plays a girl who gets bullied about her father being in prison. “I think if we were to change it, it would be like making it the Disney version.”

Score one for the good guys. Rest of the story after the jump.

Three days before the play's Feb. 22 opening, Anna Pittioni, principal of Sherwood Middle School, postponed it and said it needed to be reworked because its "content exceeds the maturity of many of our students."

The parents of three students in the play had raised concerns about it to Pittioni the previous weekend and pulled their children from the production.

While the majority of the student cast felt the play's portrayal of middle-school bullying was realistic, or even tame, Superintendent Dan Jamision felt student actors taunting others with references to homophobia, racial slurs, and physical or sexual harassment was too harsh.

The Portland Center for the Performing Arts is providing the space without charge as it has at times for other student productions.

"We felt with all the hard work of the students and their teacher that it would be a shame for them not to perform," said Lori Kramer, the center's assistant executive director.

Of the original cast of 48, 40 are now committed to the production with the leads unchanged, said Ria Torricelli, a production volunteer whose daughter is in the play. Some parts had to be re-assigned -- with a handful of young actors doubling up on the roles -- because some of the students had family, sports and other commitments on Sunday.

The play will be performed at 2 p.m. Sunday in Brunish Hall of the Portland Center for the Performing Arts, 1111 S.W. Broadway. Donations will be accepted at the door to help cover production expenses.

The student actors will also collect donations of nonperishable food for the Loaves and Fishes lunchtime program at Sherwood Senior Center, where they've been rehearsing.