PHOTO PROVIDED Cast members are pictured during a dress rehearsal for “The Pirates of Penzance” at Jersey Shore Area High School.

JERSEY SHORE — Internal documents reviewed by The Express shed new light on a behind-the-scenes dispute that threatened to upend Jersey Shore Area Senior High School’s spring musical.

The records reveal weeks of internal clashes among administrators over whether the production could proceed and identify School Board Vice President Harry Brungard as the person who initially raised concerns about casting a female student in a male lead role.

They also show how Superintendent Brian Ulmer reversed course after initially approving the show and suggest he may have improperly used executive sessions to discuss the musical. They further indicate that the high school’s principal expressed concerns that interfering with the casting could amount to discrimination.

Obtained through a Right to Know request, the emails and internal correspondence confirmed that casting, and later rehearsals, for “The Pirates of Penzance” were halted for weeks beginning in December after Superintendent Brian Ulmer withheld approval of the production because a female student had been cast in the lead role of Frederic, opposite a female love interest.

Although the controversy was quietly resolved in early February with the removal of an implied wedding scene, few details about the district’s internal deliberations had previously been made public.

In September, the musical’s directors received approval from Ulmer and High School Principal Justin Armbruster to proceed with their musical selection after the administrators cleared the script. By November, the school board had formally approved the production, and auditions were scheduled for around early December.

The newly released documents show that on Dec. 14, before the cast list was finalized, Ulmer first shared the complaint with Armbruster and directors Heather Haigh and Michele Long. While the specifics of that conversation are unclear, Haigh emailed Ulmer two days later to defend their decision.

“While I understand why you want to avoid the mess that could result from this matter, the whole thing just doesn’t sit well with me,” Haigh wrote. “I feel like we are appeasing a hateful opinion and alienating the people we are here to support and protect.”

She said the casting choice reflected the strongest audition, not a political agenda, and that the directors had originally considered a male student for the role, but he was unable to participate.

“Casting decisions depend on specific skills, vocal ranges and acting/movement ability, just like any other job.” Haigh said. “The gender of the character is often required to be kept true to the original work, but the gender of the actor is very rarely specified as required in the contract.”

She further said the complaint appeared motivated by bias rather than the production itself, and offered to meet with Ulmer and the complainant to explain her position.

In text messages between the directors the following day, Haigh identified Board Vice President Harry Brungard as the complainant. His identity appeared to have been revealed to her during a conversation that included her, Armburster and Ulmer earlier that same day.

When approached by The Express, Brungard declined to comment on his role in the casting dispute.

During that Dec. 17 discussion, Haigh said she explained the audition process and why other students were not suited for the role. Ulmer reportedly expressed concern that community backlash could force the show to close after opening night or require extensive changes.

Around this time, the directors privately considered several possible solutions, including saying the program was not sanctioned by the school board, rewriting parts of the show or choosing an entirely different production, but most were discarded due to the impact they would have on the production’s quality.

The next day, on Dec. 18, Armbruster sent Ulmer a detailed response addressing Brungard’s complaint, which alleged that the school was “intentionally promoting approval of same-sex relationships” through the musical’s casting.

Armbruster noted that the show had only 11 roles and that all the male students who auditioned had already been assigned parts, though the casting announcements had been held since Ulmer raised Brungard’s concern. He emphasized that the directors needed to finalize the cast and begin rehearsals to stay on schedule and warned that switching shows at that stage would make a 2026 performance impossible.

“I do not believe there was any intent to deliberately cast a show depicting same-sex relationships,” Armbruster said, asserting his belief that it was the directors professional opinion that the student assigned the role was the most qualified based on merit, not gender. “I believe this scenario has played out based on a need to fill a spot and a student willing to step up for the good of the group. The role is for a male character and the directors plan to portray the character of Frederic as a male. That intent has not changed. If anything, they are going above and beyond to maintain the integrity of the role as written.”

He also noted that cross-gender casting has long been common in theater, dating back to Shakespeare. Nearby South Williamsport and Central Mountain high schools were using similar casting practices, he added, and Jersey Shore had done the same in productions of Mary Poppins and All Because of Agatha within the past year.

Armbruster recommended allowing the show to proceed while ensuring that Frederic was clearly portrayed as a male character through costume and makeup. He also suggested confirming that the students involved and their families were comfortable with the roles.

“I am in support of our students and staff that wish to pursue their passion through this opportunity,” he said, adding, “I am opposed to recasting the role as I believe our role is to remain neutral while ensuring equal access and fair treatment. Based on the evidence above, I believe this role was cast fairly. I am supporting and trusting the professionals and their recommendation.”

He also said that he was “uncomfortable with being asked to take an institutional stance that goes beyond our educational role and seems to specifically veer from our stated vision.”

After the holidays, on Jan. 8, Armbruster emailed the directors saying he understood the board would discuss the musical in executive session at its Jan. 12 meeting. Since no clear directive had been issued, he instructed the directors to continue following the recommendations he outlined in December.

Two days after that meeting, Ulmer emailed Armbruster and the directors saying they did not have permission to proceed.

“Given the conversations that this has already generated in the community, I am not comfortable permitting a female to act in a male role when the two female leads will be love interests,” Ulmer said. “You do not have my permission and the Board supports this decision.”

Ulmer cited Board Policy 230, which requires superintendent approval for student performances, as the basis for his decision.

“The Board endorses public performances by students when they constitute a learning experience that contributes to the educational program; they do not interfere with other scheduled activities; and the circumstances of the event do not pose a threat to the health, safety or well-being of the students who are involved,” the policy reads.

In a follow-up email, Armbruster pushed back, questioning the rationale behind Ulmer’s decision and urging clarity on how the policy applied to the situation.

“Per the Authority section of the policy, I am unable to identify where this casting decision interferes with other scheduled activities or poses a threat to health, safety or the well-being of the students involved,” Armbruster said. “I will also reinforce that in this instance the students and their guardians have agreed to accept this role.”

He argued that the decision contradicted the policy’s intended purpose, since canceling the show would eliminate the students’ opportunity to “share their talents and skills with the community through participation and performance in public events.”

He also asked whether the student who would be denied the role might have grounds for a discrimination lawsuit, noting that “in this case, a student is denied an opportunity based on their gender.”

“We would not be permitted to do such things for our staff and I’m not sure why this is acceptable for students,” Armbruster said.

He also questioned why the matter was being discussed in an executive session rather than in a public meeting.

“I watched the board meeting Monday evening, and the board president stated publicly the executive session was for personnel and negotiations. Your opening line says you reviewed this in executive session, but I am unclear how that falls under personnel and negotiations,” he said.

He asked to appeal the decision, which he called unfair, and reached out to the Pennsylvania Principals Association for guidance. Records indicate the teachers’ union was also involved around this time.

On Jan. 15, following Ulmer’s directive, the directors discussed pausing rehearsals, concerned that continuing could be seen as insubordination. Rehearsals were suspended the following week and remained on hold through early February.

“From a union perspective, we don’t want to do anything that will show the admin is able to reprimand us,” Haigh wrote to Long in a text message. “We don’t know yet what is not allowed to continue.”

By this point, the directors believed the student cast as Frederic would be removed from the role, and questions arose about who should inform her. High school staff suggested Ulmer deliver the news.

“Well that’s what we are going to let happen because that’s who the parents should contact to voice their displeasure,” Haigh said. “Because OUR decision is professional and theirs is discriminatory.”

Armbruster also began exploring avenues to appeal the decision.

On Jan. 23, responding to an inquiry from NorthcentralPA about the musical, Armbruster criticized a public statement by the district, saying it misrepresented the situation. Ulmer had told NorthcentralPA and later The Express that concerns had been raised before casting, that the directors were given a specific directive, and that the board supported the decision. He emphasized that the board and superintendent had neither canceled the show nor postponed practices.

“I don’t like this, and the directive was not clear. We asked for clarity, it has yet to be provided,” Armbruster said. “(The) board was also aware that not casting would result in (the) show not running.”

That same day, school solicitor Christopher H. Kenyon, partner at McCormick Law Firm in Williamsport, responded to questions about Armbruster’s appeal and the directive.

“Unfortunately, the position that the director and you have taken not to try and figure out an alternate way to address the concerns in a way that would eliminate disruption to the school and the community forced Dr. Ulmer to give a directive about how to proceed,” Kenyon said. “Dr. Ulmer and the board appreciate your passion for the students and this production. However, without a willingness on yours and the Director’s end to respond to the concerns, you have caused a more significant disruption.”

Kenyon added that there is no appeal right for this decision, which falls entirely within the discretion of the superintendent, and noted that the board had confirmed its support.

Armbruster took offense at the solicitor’s message, and records show the discussion was conveyed to representatives of the Pennsylvania Principals Association.

Though the records end in late January, discussions continued into February, when a compromise was reached to remove the wedding scene.

The students’ production of The Pirates of Penzance is now underway at Jersey Shore Area Senior High School, with performances scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday and at 2 p.m. on Saturday.