CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — A theater teacher at a South Loop high school has been suspended and the school play canceled after complaints from the cast.
Jones College Prep theater teacher Brad Lyons is now on leave and the school is conducting an investigation in the wake of the controversy over the now-cancelled school play.
The cast pushed back against the planned performance of the play “The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) … Revised."
The satirical take on the works of William Shakespeare was written in the 1980s and performed around the world but some performers felt that some of the themes were out of date and that the script made light of sexual assault.
The students said Lyons angrily called off the performance instead of listening to their feedback.
Since then, students have brought other allegations to light unrelated to the play.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported the allegations included other inappropriate comments, sending a student to buy him cigarettes, and texting students, which has been against CPS rules since 2018.
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