My DS is Little Red Riding Hood

[notafraidofthebigbadwolf]

My DS is 8 and sobbed the whole way home from school today. They are doing a play for the first time in a long time - which we are thrilled about - but he's just been given the part of Little Red Riding Hood. No surprise, he wanted to be the Wolf. The teachers thought it would be fun to shake things up abit and give a boy the role of Little Red Riding Hood, and maybe the Wolf to a girl.
Boys have also ended up with the Wolf and Grandma. In fact I can't think what main part a girl has got. It is a small school and there are quite a few more boys then girls.

Still, it seems like a punishment to him.

Teacher said we could think about it over night, but it's too late to give him another part now as they've all been handed out. They'd have to make him a squirrel or something and give the part to a child who hadn't auditioned well enough to get a main part up front.

AIBU to be sad?!

No - The school is being far too woke.
Yes - he was lucky to get a part and should try to make the most of it.

Thank you - I name changed for this as very outing!

@autienotnaughty

I think they should have asked first. I can totally see why a boy may not want to play a traditional girl role. If he did great but I don't think he should have to. I'd ask him what he prefers wether to be lrrh or a small part.

I'm wasted on this thread.

I've posted twice that this is a Julia Donaldson adaptation which is about a boy called Little Red Riding Hoody. I even posted a link to it.

He's not playing a girl role, the school isn't being 'woke' (shudder) and they've given him a day to think about it and tell them whether he wants the part or not.

Hopefully now he knows that it's a part for a boy (and surely Julia Donaldson is a name to reckon with) he'll be fine. It sounds fun.

It doesn't matter about being "woke" or whether girls parts should go to boys and boys parts to girls (roles are often reversed in the theatre- Peter Pan is often played by a woman for instance)

It comes down to whether your ds wants to do it or not. Don't pressure him if he doesn't want to.

@flippertyop

What a pile of shit. What small boy wants to be little red riding hood. Ridiculous

This. Poor little chap.

Drama llama much? Just tell them he doesn’t want to do it.

No, just more wokeness in schools. Sad a girl can't have major role of lrrh.

Bloody stupid, imo, unless the script has been adapted to portray a boy, in which case it isn't Little Red Riding Hood. Sure, boys can play with girls' toys or wear girls' clothes, or vice versa, but it's now become so commonplace that it's utterly boring. Why can't people accept that some things are only for girls, and others are only for boys? Little Red Riding Hood wasn't a boy and shouldn't be played by a boy who is too young to understand why he's being given a female role. It has the potential to be very damaging.

I played one of Joseph’s brothers when I was at school and managed to be remarkably unscathed by the experience of playing a male despite being female.

How depressing that your son regards it as something shameful and humiliating - to be female. Maybe that might be worth addressing with him rather than finding on how to make the role more ‘manly’

@stingofthebutterfly

Bloody stupid, imo, unless the script has been adapted to portray a boy, in which case it isn't Little Red Riding Hood. Sure, boys can play with girls' toys or wear girls' clothes, or vice versa, but it's now become so commonplace that it's utterly boring. Why can't people accept that some things are only for girls, and others are only for boys? Little Red Riding Hood wasn't a boy and shouldn't be played by a boy who is too young to understand why he's being given a female role. It has the potential to be very damaging.

Which things are only for girls and which are only for boys? Do give us a list so we can behave according to your rules.

What it boils down to is whether he wants to play the part or not. If he doesn’t, I’m sure there are other children who’d love to have the lead role. He’ll just have to be a squirrel instead!

I went to a co-ed school back in the 1980’s and played all sorts of roles onstage, I loved showing off .😂

@flippertyop

What a pile of shit. What small boy wants to be little red riding hood. Ridiculous

This

When he was 6 my ds went to school on World Book Day as Little Red Riding Hood. His idea, and he was insistent. He wore red jeans, a red sweater and a short, red, hooded cape. He was delighted with his outfit. Yes, some children teased, but they soon stopped when he folded back the cloth on his basket and revealed that it was genuinely full of cakes.

But that's my ds's character - he generally couldn't give a damm what others think. Wish I had his resilience!

Not sure this anecdote is any help, though.

Anyway, while mixing up the parts could be clever and funny, imposing this on children too young to appreciate the irony really is not funny. Neither is the fact that none of the three main parts are played by girls. Should surely have been LRRH and gran - boys, wolf and forester - girls.

What it boils down to is whether he wants to play the part or not. If he doesn’t, I’m sure there are other children who’d love to have the lead role

Yea, let one of those kids who auditioned less well a chance. He’ll do well to be a squirrel!

Some kids often don’t get a chance to shine - everyone should be given the opportunity.

He's probably too young to understand it but try and watch A Midsummer Nights Dream by the Bridge Theatre. It was a fabulous production (and filmed so you might be able to find it) and Gwendoline Christie (from GOT) played Titania but they swapped the lines so she was saying Oberon's lines and vv. It was brilliant and so much less sexist.

I'm not sure parts of that production were entirely suitable for an 8yo, but yes, it was good.

@Dinosauratemydaffodils

What a pile of shit. What small boy wants to be little red riding hood. Ridiculous

Mine! Okay his preferred version usually ended with him killing the wolf but he'd happily have played Little Red.
I don't see a problem personally. Small child ignoring parental advice, straying from path, meeting predator and getting granny eaten works as a part for both boys and girls.

I agree.

It's the main part. It's a unisex story, which happens to be depicted with a female in traditional versions. There's nothing in the story which means it has to be a girl.

@caringcarer

No, just more wokeness in schools. Sad a girl can't have major role of lrrh.

Again. This is the play they are doing. It's by Julia Donaldson and it's about a little boy in a red hoody. Nothing to do with wokeness.

www.amazon.co.uk/Donaldson-Orange-Little-Riding-6-pack/dp/1447927508?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

He should just let the other kid do it. These roles should go to kids who want them.

My daughter played arch angel gabriel, everyone knew that was male, no one batted an eye lid. Schools often mix it up like this.

It's the main part. It's a unisex story, which happens to be depicted with a female in traditional versions. There's nothing in the story which means it has to be a girl.

Well... there is in some of them, but not in versions for children!

@SlyAvocado

Auditioned?!

What the hell school is this and how old is he 😂

That was my first reaction!!

My DD is in Y5 and has never had to audition!

This reminds me of a show we did when I was at school - would've been early 80s and I was about 10/11. They asked the roughest, toughest boy in the year to play Shirley Temple. Dressed him up in a satin dress and he sang Good Ship Lollipop. He fully embraced it and pulled it off astonishingly well. (Yes, they also had a girl playing Fred Astaire, although probably because of her dancing ability than any kind of statement about sex and gender).

So he should go for it and make it his own. School must think he'll be brilliant for it.

@Ionlydomassiveones

“It's a unisex story, which happens to be depicted with a female in traditional versions. There's nothing in the story which means it has to be a girl.”

Except the ‘moral’ which was that the odds were stacked against the ‘little’ girl and the frail granny and she used brains to overcome (male) brute strength.

Or frail old seriously ill person and child Vs brute strength.

It’s just a bit of fun. Does your DS go to and enjoy pantomimes where the main characters are swapped around gender wise?

@TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross

I played one of Joseph’s brothers when I was at school and managed to be remarkably unscathed by the experience of playing a male despite being female.

How depressing that your son regards it as something shameful and humiliating - to be female. Maybe that might be worth addressing with him rather than finding on how to make the role more ‘manly’

Crumbs that's a reach! He's an 8 year old kid. They are allowed to feel disappointed. I don't think he is feeling as strongly as you have suggested! He's upset he didn't get the role of the wolf. So what? He's a kid! I wish people would give it a rest. Going too far the other way when kids aren't allowed to express their opinions if it goes against people's woke agendas

Lead role!!!! What a star ⭐️

Tell him a huge congratulations from me, what a talent he must have. There are so many men made amazing livings from not limiting themselves to societal expectations. Fill him in on just a few very successful men who have played female characters.

Good on him!!

I would have thought more parents would be familar with Julia Donaldson, little red riding hoody is a great little play.