Watertown High School theater students are pushing back after the interim superintendent canceled their planned spring production of the high school version of "Flashdance," citing concerns the show could be risky or potentially controversial.Interim Superintendent James Feil made the decision this week to cancel the production. It marks another instance of school officials weighing in on what students in the arts can and cannot perform at Watertown High School."I had heard some, you know, through some board members, you know, people expressing concern by just the very nature of the title," Feil said.This spring, the Watertown Unified School District made national headlines after the school board voted to ban a piece of instrumental music because of its ties to LGBTQ+ history."Especially after the fiasco last year with the band piece, I think the community is now like, wow, this is happening again?" theater student Sophia Tolfa said."Flashdance" is based on the 1983 film about an 18-year-old woman who works as a steel mill welder by day and a nightclub dancer by night, dreaming of becoming a professional ballerina. The film is rated R, but the high school version was modified for younger audiences and had been approved by both, Ryan Moldenhauer, the musical director and, Jason Widiker, the principal."All the inappropriate themes were totally knocked out, and so instead of it being a nightclub that the protagonist Alex Owens works at. She works at a a diner essentially," theater student Cannon Jo Wiley said."I'd say the theme of the whole story is that believe in yourself, and that's what a lot of the kids are taking from this musical," Wiley said. Watertown High School students hope to revive Flashdance after superintendent cancels productionFeil said he discussed the modifications with the director but stands by his decision."You know, I have made a judgment, you know, call here obviously in in terms of resetting the stage, so to speak, for a larger and bigger audience," Feil said.The original musical director has decided not to participate in the new production. The school must now find a new director and select a different musical for the spring 2027 performance.For students, the loss goes beyond the show itself."I think that it just felt like my heart got ripped out of my chest because musical theater is my heart," Wiley said."The fact that our director is not going to be able to make his usual amazing show is extremely heartbreaking. I think we're all just feeling a little defeated right now, but it's also lighting a fire in us," Tolfa said.Students say they hope the broader community will rally around the production."I think that the thing that would unite us all as whole is the students and the school board and the parents and the community as a whole coming together and all supporting the show and learning what it means," Wiley said.The musical director did not respond to a request for comment.Its about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for TMJ4 on your device.Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.Report a typo or error // Submit a news tip ...read more read less