Bennett – The devil sometimes appears in the most unexpected places.
Take this bedroom community about 30 miles east of Denver that most motorists probably don’t even notice as they speed by on nearby Interstate 70.
In his ever-crafty way, the emperor of evil has managed to infiltrate this prairie town of 2,000 people via seemingly innocuous means – a half-hour video meant to introduce children to a 147-year-old French opera.
It happens that a key character in the work – Charles Gounod’s “Faust” – is Mephistopheles, a.k.a. the devil, who manages to persuade an aging Faust to sell his soul in return for the restoration of his youth.
Music teacher Tresa Waggoner showed 12 or so minutes of the video, part of a 33-year-old series titled “Who’s Afraid of Opera?” to about 260 first-, second- and third-graders at Bennett Elementary School a few weeks ago.
That set off a firestorm of controversy that has led to an investigation of the incident by school officials and a demand by some parents that Waggoner be fired. Some said their children were so traumatized that they had nightmares.
“Any adult with common sense would not think that video was appropriate for a young person to see. I’m not sure it’s appropriate for a high school student,” said Robby Warner, a mother of two children who saw the video.
Casey Goodwin, whose 9- year-old daughter also saw it, called it a “satanic video” during a phone call. Asked about that in a later conversation, she said, “I think it glorifies Satan in some way, yes.”
Aside from the appearance of a leering devil, the parents say, the video includes such other objectionable elements as a man killed by sword in silhouette and an allusion to suicide.
The debate over the devil has turned Bennett into the latest skirmish in an ongoing cultural war that has included former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s attack on elephant-dung paintings and battles in Vermont and Kansas over “intelligent design.”
Peter Russell, Opera Colorado’s general director, believes concerns about the opera videos, which feature famed soprano Joan Sutherland and a trio of puppets serving as narrators, are much ado about nothing.
“If there’s something even softer than G in terms of a motion-picture rating, that’s what these would get in terms of the innocuous dippiness that we’re talking about,” he said. “I mean, come on.”
The opera itself, he said, was written during the Victorian era and was meant as a kind of emblem of the moral values of that time.
At least one mom agrees. Linda Miller, whose third-grader saw the video, said “maybe it shouldn’t have been shown to the kids in that age group, but I don’t think it should have been blown out of proportion as it has been.”
Waggoner, who is in her first year teaching vocal music in Bennett, was caught off guard by the reaction to the video and still seems stunned by the ardor it provoked.
“I was definitely not sensitive to the conservative nature of the community, and I’ve learned that,” she said. “However, from what has been said about me, that I’m a Satan worshiper, my character, I can’t believe all this. … My intention was just to expose the kids to opera.”
Waggoner, who found the version of “Faust” on a shelf in the elementary music room, thought it would be a good way to introduce students to opera and the sound of trained voices.
Because music classes last just 20 minutes, she showed only portions of the video, fast- forwarding through most of it.
“I did not think it was inappropriate. Now I know that the parents did, and I feel terrible about that,” she said.
Waggoner has sent a letter of apology to all the elementary school parents.
George Sauter, district superintendent, said Waggoner is not in danger of losing her job. He praised her work in general, saying she was simply inexperienced in terms of the district’s policies and should not have shown the video to students below the fourth grade.
He’s worried the controversy might cause outsiders to view Bennett as anti-arts but noted that, in November 2004, the town approved a $10 million bond issue, which included a 500-seat auditorium and dedicated vocal and band rooms.
“We’re in no way going to back off,” Sauter said. “We want to expose kids to things, to help them see there is another world beside Bennett out there. But we have to understand who we are serving.”
Results from the district’s investigation will be discussed at the school board’s February meeting.
Waggoner acknowledges it will be difficult for her to remain in Bennett.
“I know I’m not accepted here, that I’m not welcome here by the parents,” she said. “It’s a very uncomfortable position.”
Fine arts critic Kyle MacMillan can be reached at 303-820-1675 or kmacmillan@denverpost.com.
