'Grapes of Wrath' in question at Kennesaw State

KENNESAW, Ga. - A student production of a literary classic at Kennesaw State University has sparked debate over the use of nudity in a school play. <br> <br> About 500 students petitioned the school&#39;s theater department for a ban on nudity in all productions including an upcoming production of ``The Grapes of Wrath.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> However, the university&#39;s president and school officials have chosen to support the play, which is scheduled to open Tuesday night. <br> <br> The play is an adaptation of John Steinbeck&#39;s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, which chronicles the journey of a Depression-era family from Oklahoma to the migrant camps of California. <br> <br> One of the scenes prompting debate is during the first act a main character, Al Joad, strips and jumps into a pool of water to bathe. Another scene involves the portrayal of a woman breast-feeding a starving man after her child is stillborn. <br> <br> Assistant theater professor Laurence Ruth said the nudity is essential to the story. Yet, Ruth added, it is not the primary concern. <br> <br> ``The play is not about the nudity,&#39;&#39; said Ruth, production director. ``The play is about the indomitability of the human spirit, holding the family together.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Kennesaw State student Rachel Brooker, 26, disagreed. <br> <br> ``Nudity is nudity, no matter how it is done,&#39;&#39; said Brooker, who organized the campaign against nudity in school plays. ``I think it&#39;s inappropriate.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Tuesday&#39;s production will be the first play performed at the 14,000-student campus that will feature nudity. School officials said an advisory note has been included on posters and the university&#39;s Web site. <br> <br> ``We hope that people will judge this play on its artistic merits and make their own decision whether to see it,&#39;&#39; President Betty Siegel said. <br> <br>