Page 5 of Bad Reputation

Zoya Delgado arrived. She was young to be the showrunner of a cultural juggernaut, probably younger than Maggie. With her glossy curtain of black hair, stunning features, and stylish pink A-line dress, she could’ve starred in a Videon series in addition to writing and directing one.

“And we’re live in five, four ...” A producer signaled the last three counts, and Maggie reminded herself to breathe. She’d faced Parent Led’s talking points before. She could do it again.

Maybe she’d buy herself a new plant to celebrate, like that slipper orchid she’d been lusting over but hadn’t bought yet because more crucial things—such as paying her mortgage—had come first.

Damn responsibility. French fries were going to have to be a good enough bribe to survive this.

A light near the camera flipped from red to green, and they were on the air.

“Welcome back,” Denise Strong said. “Conversations about content in the media are nothing new. From the Hays Code to movie ratings, we’ve struggled with what’s appropriate in movies, on television, and at the theatre. Our answers have changed over time, but lately, things have taken a sinister tone. In the last few years, we’ve seen book bans, attacks on teachers, and media boycotts, all related to questions about subject matter and community standards. Joining us today are two people who’ve experienced this backlash firsthand: Oregon teacher Maggie Niven and Hollywood showrunner Zoya Delgado. Ladies, thank you.”

Maggie muttered something incoherent, while Zoya offered a smooth “I’m so pleased to be here.”

Denise pivoted in her chair. “I’d like to start with you, Maggie. Can you tell us about what happened to you?”

“Well, I was a high school drama teacher for sixteen years.” The number was somehow too short and too long. But forty-eight main-stage productions, countless one-act plays and improvisational pieces, and thousands of students were the tally of Maggie’s career.

The cliché was right: teaching wasn’t a job; it was a calling. It had beenhercalling. For all that she’d disappointed her parents with her small ambitions, Maggie had always known her job was important.

“In that time, I won several district and state awards for teaching, and I mentored countless students.”

The first face that sprang to Maggie’s mind was Amira Kirby. Her parents hadn’t wanted her to take drama. During back-to-school night, they’d been clear that acting was irrelevant for their future-physician daughter. But in class, it was equally clear acting lit Amira up in ways chemistry and biology never could.

Amira had been one of dozens of students who’d protested Maggie’s firing. She’d told the school board that being in theatre was the onlyreason she felt confident enough to object. Studying drama empowered kids.That’swhy it was dangerous.

“Last year, I was fired when a parent complained about a production I directed,Covering the Spread.”

The funny part was when Maggie had picked the plays to do that season, she’d worried far more aboutRadium Girls, with its messages about how science was perverted by commerce and the exploitation of workers, than she had aboutCovering the Spread. She’d been so naive.

“I’ve seen it,” Denise said. “But for people who might not know the play, can you describe it?”

“It’s a musical about a high school debate team. It’s become a standard for community theatres and high schools because it has a small cast and really great songs. There’s also an audience participation component and some improvisation, so it’s a good teaching piece.” That had been how Maggie had seen it, anyhow. “It does have some mature themes about poverty and parental pressure, and the characters—much like actual high school students—are coming to terms with their sexuality, but the tone is light.”

“Maggie.” Rylee was really good at conveying through a single word that someone had messed up big time. “You’re being pretty casual about content that many people, manyparents, have concerns about. Some might callCovering the Spreadpornographic.”

It would be extremely boring porn.As tempting as it was to be sarcastic, however, Maggie knew it wouldn’t help.

“If anyone said that, they would be misrepresenting the truth.” Maggie’s voice was confident and calm, but sadly, she felt neither of those things. Her stomach was churning like the sea during a hurricane. “There’s no nudity, sex, or violence inCovering the Spread. I’ve directed productions of Molière that were edgier. While there are a few profane words, if it was a movie, it’d probably be rated PG-13.”

“They take the Lord’s name in vain.” Rylee clearly couldn’t think of a worse offense. “And this ‘play’”—she put sarcastic air quotes aroundthe word—“normalizes teens having sex. It also represents alternativelifestylesas if they’re no big deal.”

Didn’tHear Hernormalize lifestyles, at least Starbucks-swilling and yoga-doing ones?

Maggie wiped her sweaty palms on the cushion of her chair.Don’t be snarky. Don’t be snarky.“The play, with its language and the way it addresses a variety of families—and yes, even with the romantic subplots—represents life as it’s experienced by many, if not most, of my students. It’s real in a way that’s also age appropriate.”

“According toyou.”

Maggie had a master’s degree in theatre education, so she was an expert in the subject. “Yes.”

Luckily, Grace Choi stepped in. “If Rylee’s correct, you should have encountered widespread outrage. Were there a lot of complaints?” Somehow, Grace made this sound evenhanded and not sarcastic, which Maggie suspected it was.

“Only one. To be clear, participating in the play and attending it were optional. I did offer extra credit to students who came. But one student’s parents thought the content was too extreme, and after they went to the school board, I was fired.”

“Which is when you tried to cash in,” Rylee said.

Maggie had to blink back the emotions threatening to pour out of her eyes. She knew she’d done nothing wrong, that she’d been right pedagogically, and that a few yahoos on the school board had been looking for an opportunity to make a statement. Even Maggie’s parents, who would rather have had their daughter writing education policy than teaching, had seen the value in the lawsuit. It was one of the first times in Maggie’s life when she’d felt as if she hadn’t been disappointing them.

The money she’d gotten in the settlement had barely covered her legal fees. In a few months, the small nest egg Maggie had managed to squirrel away was going to disappear, and, not to put too fine a point on it, she’d be totally broke.

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