Not all local theater productions are made for children

The last Acting Company production was "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)."

If you saw any performances of the play, you probably saw a hilarious summary of Shakespeare's works.

You are also probably aware that play contained what we'll call "adult content." Namely, there were profanities and references to certain things some audiences may find objectionable.

I know this because I attended the rehearsal for the show, and because I got an earful from some callers complaining about the show.

For the moment, let's ignore the fact that complaining to me personally about a show is as useful as investing in General Motors.

The suggestion from at least one caller was that the Appeal-Democrat should have advised readers that "Shakespeare" contained objectionable content.

All this being said, if you look up on this page, you notice that Yuba College is producing a new play called "Summerfolk." Having attended a rehearsal of the play, I can say that "Summerfolk" contains content some audiences may find objectionable.

Passing along this warning shouldn't be necessary. After all, the majority of plays produced outside schools in this community are by adults for adults. That implies that if the language gets a little blue, an audience shouldn't be surprised.

The nature of the complaints came people who brought children to a "Shakespeare" performance. That was is a bad idea because most Shakespeare plays are loaded with sexual references and adult language — you don't always realize it because the plays are written in ye olde English.

Second, children probably wouldn't understand the jokes or plot in "Shakespeare," anyway.

If you are interested in plays suitable for children, there's the Magic Theatre at the Acting Company, which produces plays roughly at the same time as Acting Company productions.

The next Acting Company production is "The Crucible." It begins March 20 and contains material some audiences might find objectionable. Consider yourself warned.