A Texas school district has defended its decision to cancel a production of Little Shop of Horrors after a female student was cast as the male lead, saying the show raised concerns under a 2025 state law.
Ana Mota, a senior at South Grand Prairie High School in Grand Prairie, had been chosen to play Seymour after auditioning for the role. The production was halted before performances began, after district leaders questioned whether the casting complied with Senate Bill 12.
Mota and her mother, Nancy Jimenez, addressed the Grand Prairie ISD school board on Thursday night, describing the decision’s impact on the student and her fellow cast members.
“The district was afraid they were teetering the law with SB 12 and decided to take extreme caution, removing me from the role,” Mota told the board.
The district initially attempted to recast Mota in a female role, while assigning Seymour to a male student. The musical was then cancelled altogether, with leaders also pointing to its themes, including a romantic relationship and an abusive relationship.
Why Grand Prairie ISD cancelled the musical
Grand Prairie ISD board president Emily Liles said the superintendent had concluded that the production would not meet the requirements of Senate Bill 12, which was enacted in Texas in 2025.
“Recently, district leadership and this board learned of an issue related to the casting and production of the musical Little Shop of Horrors at South Grand Prairie High School,” Liles said.
“At that time, the superintendent informed us that the performance of this play would not follow the requirements of a Senate bill that was enacted in 2025. Due to this, a decision was made to halt the production, regroup, and move forward.”
The legislation restricts how public schools address gender identity and sexual orientation, and the district said it was acting to ensure its programmes remained within the law.
Mota said the decision had left her and others feeling that their work had been disregarded.
“I hope that in the future, if something like this comes up, that they can handle it in a better way instead of doing all this, because this has set us behind quite a bit,” she said.
Jimenez told the board she had sought clarification from the superintendent about which part of the legislation applied to the production, but said her communications had not received a response.
“Their silence spoke, spoke that then I have to do something else. I wish we didn’t have to do this, honestly, this brings me zero satisfaction,” she said.
South Grand Prairie High School chooses replacement
The school has selected Frozen as its replacement musical. Mota said she was pleased with the choice and intended to audition, although she remained determined to challenge how the original production had been handled.
“If something does upset us, there’s a real reason for it to upset us,” she said. “I think it’s important to continue on and to fight for what’s right and what you believe in.”
The audition process for Frozen is expected to take place in January.
