Content Guidance

2024-25 Season Content Guidance

SENIOR CLASS

Note: This is a play-within-a-play in which the characters rehearse and perform some scenes from George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion. Some language and content is specific to those scenes.

Language: shit, bullshit, bitch, hell, damned, dammit, deadass, hustler, gagged, British slang from Pygmalion: “gutter wench,” “what the devil,” idiot

Violence: a character falls and injures their leg

Adult Behavior: References to drugs, drinking underage, someone mispronounces “lidocaine” and says “cocaine,” students perform scenes from Pygmalion in which the characters drink alcohol

Sexual Content: Onstage kisses of both same-sex and opposite-sex couples. Brief references to egg donation, having multiple partners, mild sexual innuendos; Characters discuss an instance in the original Pygmalion script in which Eliza Doolittle alludes to being roofied.

Other: Themes of racial stereotypes, cultural appropriation, racism, and classism.

If this were a film it would be rated PG-13.

KIM'S CONVENIENCE

Language: shit, “pimping the Jesus now,” damn, ass, fuck, bitched, “ladda mercy.” 

Violence: Depiction of physical grappling. References to conflict, slavery, violence/death over stealing, parents passing, and child corporal punishment.

Adult Behavior: References to stealing and marriage/divorce.

Sexual Content: References to kissing.

Other: References to racism and racial stereotypes, gentrification, rehab, religion, and queerness.

If this were a film it would be rated PG-13 for strong language and intense conversations.

A Synetic Theater production of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM

Language: n/a

Violence: Two comedic fights, involving slapstick and magic.

Sexual Content: 4 characters comedically strip down to their underwear during the course of a fight. Simulated crotch grab during a fight for comedic effect.

Adult Behavior: Two men fight over one woman, leading to the aforementioned fights.

Other: One scene involving a nightmare in which a snake threatens one of the female characters.

If this were a film it would be rated PG for some adult moments.

2025-26 Season Content Guidance

RED PITCH

Language: Bum, bum-licking, bloodclaat (Jamaican slang word), crud, piss, shit, fuck, dickhead (Note: the stronger languge appears only in one scene)

Violence: Reference to a previous physical fight; depiction of a play fight; depiction of a physical altercation resulting in injury, including a nosebleed

Sexual Content: References to teenage boys having romantic interest in teenage girls 

Adult Behavior: References to underage drinking at a party;  references to smoking 

Other: Brief moment of flashing lights meant to represent camera flashes. The play features many conversations about gentrification and characters losing their homes/having to move. There is a nearly constant sound of construction underscoring the play, in addition to sounds of and references to protests. References to caring for an elderly grandparent with memory loss.

If this were a film, it would be rated PG-13 for brief strong language, violence, and intense conversations

HELLO, DOLLY!

Language:  Damn, hell, damnation, “what the devil,” dammit, hoochie coochie (the name of a dance, used for comedic effect)

Violence: Reference to a rumor of one character poisoning her husband (this is false and played for comedic effect); Characters get into a comedic, stylized scuffle that results in them being arrested

Sexual Content: Much discussion about matchmaking and marriage, flirtation, slow dancing, onstage kissing

Adult Behavior: Depictions of adults drinking alcohol (wine/champagne)

Other: References to the death of a spouse; themes of grief and remarriage after the death of a spouse; references to smoking; brief loud sounds (tomato cans exploding)

If this were a film, it would be rated PG.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL: A GHOST STORY OF CHRISTMAS

Synopsis: Ebenezer Scrooge lives a dismal life without family, friends, or a love for anything but money. One Christmas Eve, he is visited by the ghost of his former business partner and then three spirits urging him to examine the state of his past, present, and future life. Based on the classic story by Charles Dickens.

Language: This production is a one-man show using the original text of Dickens' short story. The Victorian-era language may take some getting-used-to for younger audience members. The word “ass” is used in reference to a donkey. There is a lot of discussion surrounding death, including the death of the protagonist and a child.

Adult Behavior: Depictions and references to Smoking, Drinking, and Gambling: Mention of beer, punch, and wine

Sexual Content: None

Violence: None

For which audiences: Ages 11+ 

If this were a film, it would be rated G, although because of the format and Victorian language we recommend it for ages 11 and up. View Frequently Asked Questions about this production.

LITTLE MISS PERFECT

Language: "for the love of God", "Betch", damn, shit, God, oh my God, asshole, d-slur for lesbian women

Violence: None

Sexual Content: Depiction of two teenage girls having crush on each other; Two teenage girls kiss; Two teenagers make out; Reference to a character writing a "steamy" fantasy story (no specifics given)

Adult Behavior: Depiction of underage teenagers drinking alcohol and being drunk at a party; Depiction of teenagers smoking marijuana; Depiction of a video of underage teenagers drinking at a party

Other: Depiction of blackmail; Discussion of internalized homophobia;Depiction of and references to a character being in foster care; Depiction of anxiety; Discussion of neurodivergence and masking; Discussion of death of a parent from cancer; References to a parent undergoing chemotherapy; Depiction of racism in a predominantly white institution; Depiction of microaggressions; Discussion of a queer character staying in the closet; Depiction of religious character's homophobia

If this were a film, it would be rated PG-13 for strong language and mature themes.

APPROPRIATE

Language: characters use derogatory epithets against a Jewish person; n-word; fuck, fuckup, Bumblefuck; frickin; cunt; idiot; hell; heck; bullshit, shit, shitshow, shitty; goddamn, Jesus, God; crap; dick; genitals; dopefiend; asshole; bitch; lynch; slave, enslave; discussions of characters’ mental health and “being crazy”

Violence: a prop photo album onstage is supposed to have pictures of lynchings (prop will not have real photos); onstage grappling and hair pulling; onstage punch; vandalism

Sexual Content: a character masturbates on stage while watching gay porn (audience hears the sound of the video but does not see it); jokes about cousins having a crush on each other; reference to statutory rape and teen pregnancy

Adult Behavior: depiction of drunkenness; allusions to characters’ past substance abuse, addiction, and drug dealing; depiction of pregnancy; a character gives middle finger onstage

Other: references and allusions to racism and racial violence; a character unknowingly dons a Klan hood; Anti-Semitism; jokes about suicide; references to pedophilia and child molestation; frank discussions of whether a relative is or is not racist; references to slavery and a cemetery for enslaved people; references to hoarding; mention of a teenager dying due to fentanyl overdose; mention of a student selling intimate items over the internet; discussion of characters’ mental health and depression; allusions to ghosts, spirits, rituals, and spells; depictions of grieving a parent/grandparent, estate sales; discussion of siblings dying and family estrangement; discussions of loans, financial issues, layoffs; allusions to smallpox blankets and pogroms; depiction of a home falling into disrepair, references to cicadas and cicadas peeing

If this were a film, it would be rated R for strong language and sexual content.

I AND YOU: THE MUSICAL

Language: fuck, fucking, fucked up; shit, shitty, bullshit; crap, crappy; damn; goddamn, hell, Jesus, OhGod, OhMyGod; sex, sexy, sexting, sexty; gay; shut up; son-of-a-bitch

Violence: None

Sexual Content: characters discuss the sensual imagery and sexual allusions, innuendos, and homoeroticism in Walt Whitman’s poetry; characters discuss and tease each other on efforts to date in high school; onstage kiss

Adult Behavior: NA

Other: death of a teenager; depictions of teens dealing with mental health and trauma; allusions to ghosts or spirits; one of the characters has a chronic disease and is hospitalized; 

If this were a film, it would be rated PG-13 for strong language and mature themes.

CARLA HALL - PLEASE UNDERESTIMATE ME

Language: Freakin', oh my God, bullshit, fuck, for God's sake, Goddamn, ass

Violence: Reference to protagonist’s babysitter being beaten up in her house

Sexual Content: Protagonist has over-the-top comical "flirtatious" segment with the kitchen stove; Protagonist goes on date, including a slow dance; References to going home with a date; References to married couple flirting; Discussion of protagonist trying to “talk sexy” (this is played comedically and not specific or vulgar)

Adult Behavior: 

Other: Depictions and discussion of racism and sexism in entertainment industry; Discussion of protagonist being cheated on by boyfriend; discussion of natural vs. straightened textured hair; Discussion of protagonist's babysitter being beaten and raped in front of her; Protagonist has frustrated outburst

If this were a film, it would be rated PG-13 for language and mature themes.

A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER

Language: Hell, "who the devil,” mild innuendo/double entendre

Violence: A note about violence: The plot of this show centers around the main character killing members of his family line to become first in line for the Earldom. While this violence is frequent, the show is a comedy with an over-the-top, farcical style, and the violence is shown in this comedic way and is not graphic.

Discussion and depiction of murder in various fashions, including a character being pushed off of a tower, cutting a hole in ice where characters are skating, being stung by bees, human sacrifice (unseen), decapitation by a barbell, gunshot (with gunshot sound), drowning (unseen), poison. Characters get into a fight, including punching and slapping.

Sexual Content: Onstage kissing; discussion of marriage; fade-to-black sex scene with no nudity; in a separate scene, a female character is seen in period-appropriate undergarments (corset, pantaloons); Characters cheat/have extramarital affairs

Adult Behavior: References to a character being a frequent drinker; characters drink beer and wine 

Other: Death of a character’s mother frequently referenced; characters depicted grieving/in formal mourning at a funeral service; a character dies of a heart attack; References to being disowned from family; Appearance of firearms onstage; frequent discussion of economic class difference and upper class prejudice against lower classes

If this were a film, it would be rated PG-13 for violence and sensuality.