Ten years ago, the KC campus ran much the way that it does now. Teachers taught class, students attended class, the football team played, the band rehearsed; campus life revolved around a routine of normal day-to-day activities.
“Angels” then descended on KC.
In the fall of 1999, Raymond Caldwell, then head of the KC Theatre Department, made the decision to produce the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches,” by Tony Kushner. The play, first produced in May 1990, was the first at KC to give students a chance to act in a play of their own generation.
“One reason I chose ‘Angels’ was because it was bothering my conscience that for many years we had not produced a single play, other than a frothy farce, that was written in the lifetime of our students,” Caldwell said.
According to Caldwell, the chance for KC students to explore material written within their own generation proved easier said than done. The content of the play was unlike any seen before in Kilgore.
A 1992 New York Times review describes “Angels” as, “a two-part, seven-hour epic subtitled “A Gay Fantasia on National Themes,” … nothing less than a fierce call for gay Americans to seize the strings of power in the war for tolerance and against AIDS.”
Caldwell said his decision to produce “Angels” was one based on academic and artistic ideals.
“In 1999 it was already being included in many anthologies of the world’s greatest plays,” Caldwell said. “I held a strong conviction that the play needed to be done and that it was a great opportunity for our students to work on a contemporary literary masterpiece.”
Regardless of Caldwell’s academic intentions, a blaze about the play’s content soon sparked community-wide controversy, causing a routine student play to become a media frenzy.
A firestorm of controversy
Once word of the play’s subject matter spread through the community, a firestorm of protest and media attention erupted in the heart of campus.
The Flare ran its first article about the play on Sept. 10, 1999, with the kicker headline, “A Gay Fantasia.”
“As co-editor of the student paper, I wrote the offending headlines that ‘sensationalized’ the production,” Wes Ferguson said. “I’d write them again.”
This echo of the play’s subtitle gave readers their first taste of the play, outlining the themes and content, as well as Caldwell’s concerns about the issues that could arise.
“I know it’s risky. I know to expect criticism, even reprimands,” Caldwell said in the 1999 article.
Criticism and reprimands are precisely what followed.
After the article was printed, Donald Bebee, then pastor of Grace Baptist Church, read Caldwell’s copy of the script and wrote a letter of response to the Kilgore News Herald. Published on Oct. 3, 1999, Bebee’s letter stated his blatant objection to the play.
In response to Flare writer Matt Johnson’s asking the community to see the play “not as a production about homosexuals but instead as a play about life’s trials,” Bebee accuses Caldwell and students involved of looking at members of the community as “shallow-minded individuals incapable of looking at life in a greater depth.”
Bebee’s letter provoked a response from Dave Kucifer, then editor of the Kilgore News Herald. Kucifer identified with Bebee’s claims and made clear his lack of support of the production. Kucifer ran an editorial printed above Bebee’s letter in the Oct. 3, 1999, edition of the Kilgore News Herald.
“The production features a cast of characters that are largely homosexual and deals with an alternative lifestyle foreign to Kilgore and the East Texas area. While we would be among the first to defend Mr. Caldwell and his department’s right to present this or any other production, despite personal opinions, we see little or no reason to stage a production of this nature in Kilgore, or anywhere,” Kucifer said.
With community leaders such as Bebee and Kucifer voicing their objections to “Angels,” other groups and individuals began to take a stand as well. A number of letters to the Kilgore News Herald, Flare and Longview News–Journal expressing both support and disdain were received. Kilgore News Herald published two full pages of Letters to the Editor in one issue. The Flare published 18 letters in four issues. Church sermons were also delivered throughout the community about the questions of morality surrounding the homosexual context of the play.
“It was enlightening and embarrassing at the same time to see the blatant hatred and judgment of society but especially the community which I grew up,” Meredith Wilson French, then Flare associate editor, said.
The KC faculty began to feel the effects of a community outraged.
In dealing with the wealth of media attention and protest, KC set up a feedback line for people to call and voice their opinion about the play. Callers were greeted with a recording that said, “You have reached the ‘Angels in America’ feedback line at Kilgore College. We are interested in your opinion and assure you that your comments will be forwarded to the Kilgore College administration. … Only those messages with names and phone numbers will be forwarded. Also, because of the number of calls, please limit your message to one minute or less. Thank you.”
A deacon at Missionary Baptist Church left a message on the feedback line saying, “I think it’s terrible that y’all are putting on this homosexual play and we’re making a plea to all the mothers and dads in our church to not let their kids go to school at KC. Go to TJC instead.”
Statements similar to those of the deacon made national news. Articles appeared on Yahoo! News and Michael Moore’s Web site, as well as in many newspapers state and nationwide.
“We were not seeking media attention; most importantly, we were trying to protect the faculty, staff and students from the radical fringe groups who came out of the woodwork after this started,” said Dr. Bill Holda, KC president.
The fringe groups were formations of extremists from nearby Lindale and Mount Enterprise, who appeared in Kilgore after media attention was gained by local churches for their opposition of the immorality of “Angels.” According to Holda, the media attention gave visibility to local churches with otherwise obscure congregations. When extremist groups got involved, the community churches drastically decreased their participation in protests, so that their congregations would not be associated with the negativity brought forth by the extremist groups.
Members from the Church of God — Headquarters in Heaven, drove a bus throughout campus displaying signs of protest. One side of the black bus had bold, white letters painted on it exclaiming, “HELLP, GOV. BUSH, CALL THE POLICE!! DR. MOLDA & HIS SEWER SUCKING SODOMITES AT K.C. HAVE RAPED AND SODOMIZED THE VIRGIN VILLAGE OF KILGORE, TX.”
The group parked in front of First Presbyterian Church where Holda directed the choir, forcing church attendees to walk past the bus boasting the slogan before entering the church doors.
The bus also displayed painted letters saying, “THE CONSTITUTION LIKE GRACE US NOT A LICENSE TO DO EVIL.”
At one point during the week which the play opened, a group of Rangerettes confronted the bus parked on Houston Street, in defense of the college, attempting to not let the bus pass their human barricade.
Flare photo editor, Matt Johnson, was able to ride the bus and talk to protester Dorman McKinney. Johnson described the inside of the bus housing the crusade, as well as the pink ice cream truck McKinney also used, in a column he wrote for the Oct. 15, 1999, issue of The Flare.
“Two wooden shelves were mounted on the inside walls of the bus. Lining the shelves were Bibles of all shapes and sizes. Various picket signs, religious paraphernalia and road-refuse littered the floor,” Johnson wrote.
He also noted that McKinney’s crusade against “Angels” at KC was not his first. In 1996, McKinney protested the play in Dallas. McKinney told Johnson that he had protested in every state except Kentucky and Vermont.
“I’ve been put in jail before,” McKinney told Johnson. “But for doin’ right, not for doin’ wrong.”
McKinney, a former nightclub owner, told Johnson that seeing preachers go to his nightclub on Saturday nights and then go preach at church on Sunday morning, helped inspire him find God and begin his crusade to save America from its sins.
On the opening night of the play, protesters from Heritage Baptist Church picketed at the edge of KC property outside of Van Cliburn Auditorium. The church members held signs claiming “God Hates Fags,” and “Yes, Homosexuality Is SIN SIN SIN.”
In reaction to protesters, increased security was in place the night the play opened. Police searched the auditorium for signs of suspicious packages or activity, patrons were required to pass through metal detectors prior to entering the theatre and security cameras were put in place to survey audience members.
Although the play went on for four nights without any breach in security, the effects of the media firestorm and community protest created a lasting effect on KC, Raymond Caldwell and the Kilgore community.
The pursuit of academic freedom
At the urging of the college’s board of trustees, a notification process was put in place in hopes of deflecting occurrences similar to the “Angels” controversy from happening again at KC.
“Following the entire ‘Angels’ experience we did put in place an academic process whereby we can at least be notified and evaluate any actions, disclaimers, etc. which would be appropriate,” Holda said. “If an instructor believes something could be controversial, we ask that they discuss it and be open with us.”
In the case of “Angels,” Caldwell placed warning labels on all materials given to students involved in the play.
“On all the printed materials, starting with the audition announcement and ending with the playbills given to audience members, I stated plainly that the play was of a controversial nature and may not be suitable for some people,” Caldwell said.
The theatre department policy at the time required all theatre majors to audition for all plays. Caldwell opted to allow students the choice to decline participation in “Angels” at their discretion.
“Because I wanted to avoid being accused of such a thing as ‘poisoning the minds’ of our youth and because I knew that the play was controversial, I felt that it was my ethical duty to acknowledge at the outset the fact that the play might be unacceptable to some people – students included,” Caldwell said.
A more current example of this notification process is in the recent KC theatre production “A Few Good Men.” Advance warning was given to students about the language the script contained, which could be perceived to be offensive.
“You want people to not wander in uninformed, yet you want them to self choose,” Holda said. “To my knowledge, the policy has not restricted or prohibited anyone from their exercise of academic freedom.”
Academic freedom played a role in the decision to bring “Angels” to KC. Caldwell expressed his opinion on this freedom in saying, “My belief is that a college education should expand the students’ awareness and encourage them to question and to challenge what they have always thought to be true, and to pique their curiosity about the world that lies outside their own.”
In response to community outrage and accusations of imposing personal beliefs onto students, Caldwell said, “That is not to say that any student should abandon what he has been taught or what he truly believes. Questioning the status quo does not necessarily mean that one disapproves of it, and it certainly should not always lead to change. But not to question or challenge or doubt or cross-examine is, in my opinion, nothing short of immoral.”
Holda’s pursuit of academic freedom calls for respect and understanding.
“We should respect freedom and freedom of choice,” Holda said. “It’s hard to legislate morality and values; it’s not my job to declare what’s moral or immoral.”
Funding fallout
The fallout surrounding the “Angels” controversy created more than just community outrage and media coverage. Monetary supporters of KC began to question their donations and attempted to withdraw contributions. The threat posed by the McMillan Foundation to withhold $500,000 previously pledged to the college sparked a fear among the KC administration.
After meeting with each foundation trustee individually, Holda was able persuade the foundation not to rescind its pledged donation, allowing for the renovations of the Ivan Liberal Arts Building and the completion of the Devall Student Center.
Another financial effect of the negative attention sparked by “Angels” regarded funding being pulled from the Texas Shakespeare Festival. Caldwell was associated with both the KC Theatre Department and TSF, causing some members of the TSF Guild to withdraw membership in order to display their public disapproval of Caldwell’s production.
“The most visible of such actions concerned the Gregg County Commissioners Court which had voted earlier in the year to grant $50,000 to TSF for the 2000 season,” Caldwell said.
A vote was cast to rescind the grant after certain members of the Commission made public statements voicing a threat to deny funding if “Angels” was not canceled.
“They denied, however, that their decision had anything to do with the ‘Angels’ controversy or with the fact that we did not concede with their demands, insisting instead that they had reconsidered their position on offering funding to any kind of arts organization,” Caldwell said.
TSF set a plan into motion immediately following the withdrawal of the Commissioners’ money to spread the word to all TSF exes about the situation. Enough money was supplied through donations to make up for the $50,000 loss before the beginning of the 2000 Season.
“By the end of the year we had received more than $11,000 in donations from all over the country, a $10,000 grant from the Dramatists Guild of America, $10,000 from Carol Hall (co-author of ‘The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas’) and $18,000 from the PEN Center,” Caldwell said.
As a result of the Gregg County Commissioners decision to withdrawal their grant, Texas Monthly awarded the court its annual “Bum Steer Award.”
“The play caused the Festival to suffer in a way, but only temporarily,” Caldwell said. “Membership in the TSF Guild has grown every year since it was organized in 1994.”
To date, the TSF Guild has more than 700 dues-paying members.
On the wings of destiny
“It’s hard to believe it has been 10 years already,” French said. “I remember the protest bus driving through campus like it was yesterday.”
In the years that have passed talk of the controversy has fizzled, yet the topic still remains relevant to today’s college culture.
“There is still a huge debate regarding the same-sex/gay issue today,” explains Holda. “I don’t know if we’re any more comfortable being sexual beings today than 10 years ago.”
“Angels” opened the issue regarding same-sex relationships in an area where such topics were considered by community members as foreign or taboo.
“‘Angels in America’ forced East Texans to confront the issue of open homosexuality — rubbed our noses in it, even — and 10 years later, I believe we are a more tolerant people because of that brief encounter,” Ferguson said.
Although Ferguson and Holda have differing viewpoints on how our community has changed in light of the controversy, it is agreed by all involved to have been a learning experience.
“Something most people don’t realize is that the real value for the actors, Flare staff and students at the time was witnessing something like this first-hand was maybe a greater learning experience than the play itself,” Holda said.
Justin Adams, the lead actor in KC’s “Angels” says the experience “was and will remain the most powerful theatrical event of my life. I can’t say enough about how it formed my life today.”
Earlier this year, Adams met Kushner and was able to express to him how important “Angels” was in shaping his life and career. According to Adams, Kushner immediately remembered the controversy at KC and acknowledged the work of Caldwell and Holda.
“I hope the lessons haven’t been forgotten,” Adams said. “I learned a lot about humanity and I saw what fear and narrow-mindedness can do to a community.”
Any initial reservations about producing the play seem to be squelched as far as Caldwell is concerned.
“I am proud and happy that I did the play, and I think it was absolutely the right thing to do. No question. Without a doubt. I will always consider it one of the most admirable and notable accomplishments of my career,” Caldwell said.
// Ashley Austin, Copy Editor
Wow, what a well-written and thorough article. the “Angels” experience (powerful play, hateful protests) was the first time i remember questioning the conventional wisdom of East Texas, and it definitely had a hand in me becoming a more tolerant person. thanks KC!
the quotes in this story was very strong and told the story. i loved it!