A Texas school district canceled a high school production of Little Shop of Horrors after officials objected to a female student playing the musical's male lead, citing the state's controversial anti-drag law.
Ana Mota, a senior at South Grand Prairie High School, was cast as Seymour, a nerdy flower shop worker who discovers a strange, bloodthirsty plant.
Mota has performed in several local productions, playing Jack in Into the Woods and the title character in Pinocchio. Having played male characters before, she thought nothing of auditioning for Little Shop of Horrors, noting that cross-gender casting is common in theater.
For James Seol, appearing at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C., is a homecoming.
"I'm gonna be a little cliche here," says the gay actor, who was raised in Springfield, Virginia, "but it's a little bit of a dream come true. When I was just starting out, my family might have been a little bit uncertain about this career choice. And to be able to come to a theater that I actually grew up going to -- I remember seeing the first national tour of the original production of Ragtime -- and then having my family -- a big contingent of family, by the way -- come to see me perform there is a really, really great feeling."
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