A 17-year-old Texas student who won the male lead in Little Shop of Horrors has seen her school cancel the entire musical after officials raised concerns about state law. Ana Mota was cast as Seymour at South Grand Prairie High School, near Dallas, but was told on 6 October that she could no longer play the character.
The cancellation ended Mota's chance to play Seymour in her senior-year musical after four days of auditions and a week of rehearsals. Grand Prairie Independent School District cited legal compliance and the musical's romantic and abusive relationship storylines when explaining why it pulled the show.
Administrators initially proposed giving Seymour to a male student and having Mota share the female lead, Audrey, with the actress already cast. After Mota challenged the decision, district officials informed her and her mother on 8 October that the production would be cancelled and replaced.
She Won the Part, Then Lost the Entire Show
Mota said the casting had been open to students regardless of gender, and that she had earned Seymour through the same auditions as everyone else. She had previously played male characters, including Jack in Into the Woods and Pinocchio, without a similar objection. 'I was frustrated because I had earned a role and I worked hard for it, and I wasn't allowed to play it,' she said.
Watch here: A Texas school district cancels Little Shop of Horrors after a female student lands the male lead, sparking controversy over the decision.
The proposed switch would also have affected fellow student Criselle Zamarripa, who was originally cast as Audrey, while understudy Adam Portales would take over Seymour. Instead of accepting the shared role, Mota asked to keep the part she had won. 'It's not a compromise at all. It feels more like a punishment to everyone in the cast,' she said.
The cancelled musical, written by Howard Ashman with music by Alan Menken, follows a florist's assistant who discovers a man-eating plant and falls for his co-worker. Its dark comedy also depicts Audrey's abusive relationship with dentist Orin Scrivello. The show was adapted into a 1986 film starring Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, and Steve Martin.
Does Texas Law Ban Girls From Playing Male Roles?
High school cancels all performances of musical—after girl cast as male lead.
— LongTime🤓FirstTime👨💻 (@LongTimeHistory) October 14, 2026
Blames Texas law banning "sexually oriented performances" where minors might be present.
"I was upset," she said. "This isn't about drag at all."
Little Shop of Horrors is about flower shop assistant… pic.twitter.com/a04PxLlnYa
Mota said officials initially invoked Texas Senate Bill 12, which she understood to mean the state's 2023 law restricting certain sexually oriented performances, widely described as an anti-drag measure. US District Judge David Hittner ruled the 2023 law unconstitutional on 25 August 2026, blocking Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton from enforcing it. Paxton has appealed the ruling, and the district subsequently clarified that it meant a different Senate Bill 12, passed in 2025.
The 2025 measure restricts some school instruction and programming concerning sexual orientation and gender identity, but does not expressly bar girls from playing male characters. The district has not identified a specific provision that prohibits Mota's casting. Music Theatre International, which licenses Little Shop of Horrors, expressly permits actors of any gender to play any role provided the characters' scripted genders are preserved.
In its statement, the district pointed to Seymour's romantic relationship with Audrey and the show's depiction of abuse. Officials said they had decided to 'pull that production and find something more appropriate' while seeking to follow state and federal law. In a recorded meeting, district representatives also expressed fears of protests and public backlash over the casting.
Mota Wants Her Senior-Year Musical Back
Mota's mother, Nancy Jimenez-Mota, has challenged the district's legal reasoning and sought a written explanation. The family has raised concerns about possible sex discrimination under Title IX, although no court has determined that the district violated the law. They have also considered legal action if officials refuse to reconsider the cancellation.
On Thursday, 15 October, Mota and her mother addressed the Grand Prairie ISD school board. Board president Emily Liles reiterated that district leaders believed the production would conflict with legislation enacted in 2025. The school has since selected Frozen as its replacement musical, with auditions expected in January. Mota said she was happy with the choice and planned to audition, although she remained critical of how the cancellation was handled.
Mota had previously made clear that choosing another production would not undo the loss of Seymour. 'I do not want a new musical,' she wrote on Instagram. 'I want the part I auditioned for, in the musical I expected to do my senior year.'
