Retroactive cancelation: College apologizes for operetta it staged 11 years ago, deletes old photos of it

The president of Muhlenberg College on Monday publicly apologized for its 2010 production of the operetta “The Mikado” and deleted all photos of the performance from its website.

And although President Kathleen Harring’s Sept. 13 apology statement did not mention it by name, the theater department also apologized for its 2004 production of the musical “Annie Get Your Gun” in its footnote on “racial stereotypes and deleted photos.”

“While these shows were performed more than 10 years ago, it is important to acknowledge the impact that the use of racial stereotypes had — and continues to have — on members of the Muhlenberg community,” Harring stated.

“Specifically, we were made aware of a 2010 production of The Mikado at Muhlenberg Summer Music Theatre which featured examples of yellowface and a related photo gallery of the performance that was on our website. We removed the images and we provided a footnote explaining the reason for this action.”

Muhlenberg is a private college in Pennsylvania well known for its theater arts programs, but in the wake of George Floyd’s death, in June 2020, its Department of Theatre and Dance was accused of racism.