The U’s theatre department is once again under fire, following a recent lawsuit filed against professors who allegedly forced sophomore Natalie Wallace to engage in “unruly conduct with a goat” for her theatre midterm.
The suit, filed Wednesday in the Salt Lake 14th District Court, accuses three professors within the theatre program of forcing Wallace to comply to questionable behavior with the animal for an assigned scene.
Prosecutors maintain that Ms. Wallace’s first amendment rights were violated when she was punished for her refusal to interact with the goat, a 3 year-old Anatolian Black breed, property of the theatre department.
“I really had no problem with [the scene] initially,” Wallace said, claiming that professors ensured her that a cardboard cutout of the animal would be provided.
“But when I came to class, and there was this real, live goat there, I just knew that I couldn’t go through with it,” Wallace said in a public statement Friday.
Neither the girl’s attorneys nor the U’s theatre department would specify precisely what interaction with the goat the script called for.
“It’s just ridiculous,” said student Aaron Wang said of the lawsuit. “If you’re involved in the [theatre] department at all, you just know and accept that there are certain barriers you have to be willing to cross. Theatre is art, and goats are art, too.”
Still, critics contend that the theatre department has gone too far, considering the two year old suit filed by U student Christina Axson-Flynn.
“If it’s not foul language, then it’s goats,” said one freshman who wished to remain anonymous. “Soon they’ll be asking us to sacrifice the goats.”
But Professor Karen Stefofalous harshly argues against such allegations.
“Our department would never, in any way, advocate the mistreatment of animals.”
Stefofalous, the sole care taker of the department’s goat, defends the boost in moral the animal has contributed to the theatre program.
“Blackie here has done wonders for our actors. He’s added a realism that really can’t be replaced by any of our other students in scenes.,” she said. “I still can’t understand how anyone could take offense from this little thing.”
The goat had no comment.
Wallace’s hearing is scheduled to take place some time next month.
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