 When the production company first arrived in Los Angeles , the cast and crew were " intimidated " by Scientologists . Scientology officials had previously visited the New York City production in the midst of rehearsals and handed out " documentation of court cases where the Church of Scientology had successfully prosecuted those seeking to disparage the Church 's methods . " Director / creator Alex Timbers characterized these events as " terrifically wonderful and intimidating " . Editors from the Los Angeles Times received phone calls from Scientologists urging them not to write about the play . In addition , the parents of one of the children from the cast received phone calls from members of the entertainment industry who were Scientologists . The parents of these cast members were told that if their children performed in the play , " it might be bad for their future career . " The parents politely informed these callers " We read the script , and we don 't think it is mean @-@ spirited ... We understand your concerns , but we don 't share your concerns . " When asked by Variety magazine for the Church 's official take on the play , a Los Angeles Church of Scientology spokeswoman was quoted as saying : " This is not litigation material . This is nothing . " In a 2007 interview , Jarrow commented on the Church of Scientology 's history of responses to productions of the play : " It 's clear the Church doesn 't like the show — but in my opinion that kind of controversy is evidence that the show 's hitting a nerve and dealing with pertinent issues . So I take a certain pride in that . " 
