Earlier this month, we reported the news that a group of local high schoolers had lost their space (inside their school) for a senior project performance of Evil Dead: The Musical due to content concerns from school authorities. Since then, many in Portland's theater community have rallied behind the students: The Funhouse Lounge and Post5 Theatre both opened their doors for performances this week and next, and the writer of Evil Dead: The Musical, George Reinblatt, even showed support, sending an email saying he was proud of the students for trying to produce his show in the first place.

Today, Will Fries of the Funhouse Lounge reports that the Funhouse Lounge and Ticketfly have arranged for ticket sales and fees to go directly to the students and an unspecified non-profit summer arts program. It seems eminently reasonable that the ticket sales will go to the students—frankly, I'm not sure why this is news, I assumed/hoped they were doing that anyway—BUT. Ticketing service fees are a known racket, so ensuring that those proceeds go directly back to the students is worth noting.

Meanwhile, the crowd rallying behind the production has grown to include 10 local organizations and businesses; some, like Kickstand Comedy Space, the IPRC, and Action/Adventure Theatre are exactly the type of arts organizations you'd expect to be supporting local youth producing campy theater.

Attempts to censor student work are often effective—not in the way they're intended, but in great, unforeseen ways—as in this case, with newly bolstered community support for art made by teenagers. This is a story we've seen play out before, and while an inadvertently wonderful outcome like this one never surprises me, it's always really fun to watch.