ST. CATHARINES — After three weeks of touring schools, Carousel Players has been hit by a number of cancellations of its latest production, Boys, Girls, and Other Mythological Creatures, over what the theatre company’s artistic director fears is a response based on “intolerance, transphobia, homophobia and misogyny.”

In an open letter posted Friday, Carousel Players’ Jessica Carmichael wrote that she believed it was important to encourage an open dialogue with parents, teachers and educators about both the production and its message.

“The core message from the main character, Simon/e, in Boys, Girls, And Other Mythological Creatures, is that every child needs the support of friends and family no matter who they are, what they dress like, what toys they like to play with and what they imagine they can be,” she wrote. “I wholeheartedly believe in this message.”

Written by Mark Crawford, the play debuted in early April and follows the story of Simon who feels boxed in by traditional gender roles and the idea that boys can only play with certain toys or dress certain ways, and girls another.

“The main message of the story isn’t Simon/e’s questioning, it is whether the family surrounding Simon/e can face their fears, find acceptance and continue to love one another no matter what,” Carmichael wrote.

With performance at more than 22 schools in the Niagara and Hamilton region, Carmichael said the feedback has been consistently positive. On Friday when she posted her open letter, five Niagara Catholic District School Board (NCDSB) schools had cancelled performances of the play that had been booked in the last year. By Wednesday, one additional elementary school in the District School Board of Niagara and one in the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board had also cancelled.

“We’ve had nothing but glowing feedback from the teachers at the schools we’ve already performed in,” said Carmichael on Wednesday, adding earlier that day they received a package full of ‘thank you’ letters from students who had already seen the production.

In a written response to the cancellations, NCDSB director of education John Crocco said that as a fully inclusive and support board for all students and staff, decisions regarding presentations from community members are made upon individual consideration and review.

“We will continue to follow our process when presentations are offered to be delivered within our school communities,” it stated.