Florida’s Governor wasn’t up for a Tony Award Sunday. But Ron DeSantis made news anyway.
Actor Denee Benton was presenting the 2023 Excellence in Theater Education Award to Jason Zembuch Young, a teacher from Plantation, when she couldn’t resist getting in a jab at the Florida Governor.
“And while I am certain that the current Grand Wizard, I’m sorry, excuse me, governor of my home state of Florida will be changing the name of this following town immediately,” Benton, a native of Eustis who has been nominated for a Tony in the past, said to raucous applause.
The actor’s “Grand Wizard” reference was pejorative, likening DeSantis to the leader of the Ku Klux Klan, and playing off the meaning of the word “Plantation.” Benton’s jokes landed with the crowd in Manhattan.
We have reached out to the Governor’s Office for comment on Benton’s brand of humor, and will incorporate response when provided.
Zembuch Young certainly will have a story to tell his students in Plantation. In an article earlier this year discussing his work, he discussed the importance of diverse voices and an “inclusive” theater.
“As a high school theater teacher, I’ve had the opportunity to work with many students from different backgrounds with varying exceptionalities. When we are inclusive in the theatre, everyone is better for it. Everyone deserves to have a voice,” Zembuch Young said. “It is in the theatre that we have an opportunity to give our students a platform to use that voice, regardless of who they are, where they come from or what language they use to communicate.”
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