Texas school cancels ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ production after girl cast as Seymour
Canadien actor Rick Moranis with the plant Audrey II of the film Little Shop of Horrors, directed by Frank Oz and released in 1986. (Photo by Murray Close/Sygma/Sygma via Getty Images) (Getty Images)
A Texas school district has cancelled a planned production of Little Shop of Horrors after a girl was cast as Seymour, the show’s traditionally male lead, citing Texas Senate Bill 12.
Grand Prairie Independent School District (GPISD), in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, confirmed it had pulled South Grand Prairie High School’s musical after senior Ana Mota was selected to play Seymour, a florist who discovers a bloodthirsty plant while pursuing a romantic relationship with his colleague Audrey.
According to theatre writer Howard Sherman, who reported on the controversy through his publication Downstage Center, Mota was told approximately a week into rehearsals that she would have to give up the role. The part would instead go to the male understudy, while Mota would be offered the role of Audrey, sharing it with another student.
“I was frustrated because I had earned a role and I worked hard for it, and I wasn’t allowed to play it,” Mota told WFAA-TV, adding: “It’s not a compromise at all. It feels more like a punishment to everyone in the cast.”
In an open letter published on Instagram, she argued that the district was excluding her from an educational opportunity because she is a girl.
Why did GPISD cancel Little Shop of Horrors?
In a statement reported by The Dallas Morning News, Grand Prairie ISD said its decision followed concerns about the musical’s romantic storyline and themes involving an abusive relationship.
“When District leadership learned of this issue and in consideration of themes in the musical involving an abusive relationship, a decision was made to pull that production and find something more appropriate,” the district said.
It added that the decision was made as part of its ongoing effort to ensure its programmes complied with SB 12 and other applicable laws.
However, Friendly Atheist via Substack questioned why the production became a concern only after Mota was cast as Seymour. The school had previously staged Little Shop of Horrors four years ago, and the Grand Prairie Fine Arts Academy, another school within the same district, is also performing the musical this year
Texas Senate Bill 12 took effect on 1 September 2025 and places restrictions on school instruction, activities and programming related to sexual orientation and gender identity.
Mother considers legal action
Jimenez-Mota said the dispute represented a wider problem beyond one student losing a role in a school production.
Speaking to Sherman, she criticised what she described as the intimidation created by laws targeting LGBTQ+ people and artistic expression.
“I don’t know at what point we became this,” she said, arguing that lawmakers should be more concerned with issues such as access to healthcare, housing, food insecurity and gun violence.
She also said the family was considering legal action if the district refused to reverse its decision.
Mota has argued that removing her from the role violated Title IX, the federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in education programmes that receive federal funding. Whether the district’s actions violated the law would be a matter for legal assessment.
‘This isn’t drag at all’, student says
Mota said she has played male roles before, including Jack in Into the Woods, and described the casting process as gender-blind. She told the Dallas Morning News: “This isn’t drag at all.”
Her mother, Nancy Jimenez, also challenged the district’s reasoning, saying: “The law in itself doesn’t even apply to this situation,” in comments aired by NBC DFW.
High school theatre productions often use gender-blind casting, in part because student participation and vocal ranges do not always match the roles written in scripts.
In 2023, a trans boy was barred from playing a leading male role in a Texas school production of Oklahoma!, after the district said it would use the sex of the role as identified in the script when casting.
