Instagram star Sabby Jey and actress Kristin Paulse forced production of Hairspray to be cancelled - Daily Mail

Kids' production of Hairspray is cancelled for not being 'ethnically diverse' - after actress and Instagram star wage successful campaign

• Northern School of Performing Arts in Auckland, NZ, was casting for Hairspray 
• The musical involves several African Americans and the Civil Rights Movement
• Actress Kristin Paulse raised concerns about casting but she felt she was ignored
• Sri Lankan-New Zealand actress Sabby Jey then became involved in the pleas
• School announced they were shutting down the performance due to 'bullying'

By Claudia Poposki For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 09:29 BST, 17 June 2020 | Updated: 09:29 BST, 17 June 2020

A children's performing arts school was forced to cancel its production of Hairspray after a 'cyberbullying' campaign run by an Instagram star and an actress who complained that the cast was not sufficiently 'ethnically diverse'. 

The Northern School of Performing Arts in Auckland, New Zealand, began casting for the musical - which follows the story of a white teenager's fight for racial equality on TV during the Civil Rights Movement - on May 31.

Actress Kristin Paulse and Instagram star Sabby Jey, neither of whom have children at the school, took exception to the production because only six of 50 roles were given to 'racially diverse' people. 

The cast was made up of school students aged from 11 to 18. 

The Northern School of Performing Arts in Auckland, New Zealand, began casting for the musical, about a white teenager trying to integrate the television show she is part of, on May 31. Pictured: Cast from the 2007 movie

Sabby Jey (pictured), a Sri Lankan model, became involved after Ms Paulse felt like her concerns weren't being addressed

Ms Paulse said when she became aware of the production through her connections in musical theatre, she wanted to stress the need for representative casting. 

'I feel so passionate about the casting because there is already so few roles in musicals that are exclusive to people of colour or that are about race so it feels like another thing being taken away from our community if you don’t acknowledge the significance of casting the correct races,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

'I just wanted them to be aware of the racial sensitivity around the show in case it wasn’t something they had thought of.'

Ms Paulse said when the school responded, she sent a five-page letter expressing her concerns but felt it was dismissed.

'I was unhappy because they repeatedly told me that they heard me but their actions and dialogue were contradictory,' she said.

'For example, they told me that they hear my concerns and can assure me that they had "plenty of Maori and ethnic people auditioning" but then sent me the licensing rights as a defence.

'This read to me as: "I hear you but if we can’t find enough people of colour, we’re allowed to cast it how we want".'

This is when she got Sri Lankan-New Zealand actress Sabby Jey involved.

Jey, 26, also contacted the performing arts school and said if they did not reconsider Ms Paulse's concerns, she would set up a petition and speak to other people she knew in the industry about the school's actions. 

The school felt so threatened by Ms Jey's comments they allegedly filed a police report against her.

NZ Police were unable to confirm whether a complaint was filed due to privacy reasons. 

Ms Jey, 26, reached out to the school organising the play and pleaded with them to consider Ms Paulse's ideas to make the musical more inclusive 

The Northern School of Performing Arts made one concession - they would have a 'larger' woman, a person of colour and a gay man speak to the children to educate them.

'This was the one part of the response I actually did like and appreciated. However, they followed that sentence by saying "society may deem these people different, but in my strong view, they share the same skeleton as you and me",' Ms Paulse said. 

'While this may seem like a noble stance it minimalises the challenges faced by those individuals if you think of them as the same. 

'I could never understand the pain and discrimination a member of LGBT community because I am not part of that community.' 

The school has since pulled the plug on the performance and announced it in a since-deleted Facebook post that it was due to a 'safety issue' after 'cyberbullying, threats and harassing behaviour'.

'We auditioned and had a wonderful cast with the sufficient number of POC in our cast to effectively convey the story,' the post said.

The school has since pulled the plug on the performance and announced it in a since-deleted Facebook post

Ms Jey said she didn't understand why the school was making itself out to be the victim

'We are deeply apologetic to our wonderful cast as this is heartbreaking for them, however the safety of our cast and crew is paramount.

'Due to cyberbullying, threats and harassing behaviour of certain individuals it was becoming a safety issue for us to continue'.

Ms Jey said she didn't understand why the school was making itself out to be the victim.

'I’m hugely disappointed to see that staff at the NSPA has flipped the script and are claiming to be victims of bullying and unsubstantiated threats,' she said. 

'I'm really not sure how requesting change and asking for an apology could possibly be perceived as a threat to the safety of any student.'

Ms Paulse said she just wants an apology as she has given one for any distress she has caused.

'I apologised for any wrong I have done or harm inflicted. I’d like the same in return being that they had accused me of cyberbullying and harassing behaviour and making threats to children. That’s hurtful,' she said.

'I've been kicked out of a show because of this as well. This whole experience validated why POC in the theatre community don’t come forward and address their concerns because they ultimately get punished for doing so.' 

Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Northern School of Performing Arts for comment.

Only six of the 50 cast members were people of colour in the school's version of the musical. Pictured: 2007 movie Hairspray

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