A Texas school district cancels its planned production of “Little Shop of Horrors” after a 17-year-old student is told to give up the role of Seymour. The South Grand Prairie Independent School District says it removed the production following concerns about compliance with Texas Senate Bill 12, which governs certain performances involving drag or adult-oriented content.
Multiple outlets report that the student, Ana Mota, had been cast in the male lead role, and the district instead scrapped the show entirely. PinkNews and The Oregonian describe the decision as a response to the new state law and the district’s interpretation of how it might apply to a school musical. The Daily Mail frames the action as driven by fears the casting would be viewed as breaking the state’s drag-related restrictions.
While the outlets agree on the basic facts—cancellation, the student’s lead casting, and the district’s stated reason tied to Senate Bill 12—they differ in emphasis, with some focusing on the student experience and others on alleged legal risk.
