A scene has been altered in this year’s Shakespeare production, The Winter’s Tale, following a request by Headmaster Deborah Holman to remove a portion of the scene. The portion contained intentionally racist gestures and simian noises directed toward the black member of a biracial couple in the scene.

Holman viewed the segment of the play on Friday, Nov. 1. She and Assistant Headmaster Hal Mason explained the decision to omit the gestures and noises from the scene to cast and crew members on Monday, Nov. 4, according to director Mary Mastandrea.

“The scene contained a racial gesture that is powerful and has the potential to offend in a deep and significant manner,” Holman said in an email originally sent to Friends of Performing Arts (FoPa) leaders and later sent to parents of cast and crew members. “I have consulted with many individuals, both inside and outside BHS, and have given much thought to the issue. To ensure that all BHS students can participate in and consume Brookline High performances in a way that is both thought-provoking and safe, I have requested that Ms. Mastandrea and her cast find another way to interpret this racial tension without the gesture.”

According to Mastandrea, the gestures and noises were included in the scene to portray the racism in the South before and after the Civil War, the time period of the play. Mastandrea said that actors in the scene were instructed to show active disapproval of the gestures and later exile the character making them.

“I’m disappointed that we won’t have an opportunity to use the visceral response that we had hoped would be evoked in our play as a point of communication and perhaps as an educational point for students,” Mastandrea said.

Kate Finnerty and Juliana Kaplan can be contacted at [email protected].