Drama Department Takes on the Laramie Project

On Oct. 6, 1998, Matthew Shepard, a gay student of the University of Wyoming, was beaten, tortured and left for dead on the outskirts of Laramie, WY. Shepard was left tied to a fence in freezing temperatures for 18 hours. Once found, he was taken to a Fort Collins hospital; he remained in a comatose state until dying on Oct. 12. Shepard’s murderers pled “gay panic” as a defense, making this felony one of the most influential hate crimes against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

Over the course of the year following Shepard’s death, members of the Tectonic Theater Project travelled to Laramie to conduct interviews with members of the small town and document the events that followed Shepard’s murder. The interviews were then edited together to form the play, The Laramie Project. The play has been performed many times across the country, has been adapted into a movie and has a sequel, Laramie: Ten Years Later. The Laramie Project has now come to Peninsula and will be performed in December.

The show deals with many issues such as LGBT acceptance, hate crimes and the death penalty, a fate threatened upon the accused. Despite the dark subjects of the show, drama teacher and director of the production Seth Cohen felt passionate about having The Laramie Project performed. He hopes to spread awareness about the ongoing prejudice against people of the LGBT community.

“It is an important show with an important story that needs to be shared. Though our society has made great advancements, the LGBT community is still probably one of the most underserved minorities no matter where you go in the world,” Cohen said. “It is one of the first times a minority has been persecuted throughout history regardless of skin color or religion.”

Sophomore and assistant director Matthew Barri agrees that the show needs to be told especially because he feels Shepard’s death was unjust.

“There is no difference between gay people and straight people. [Gay people] get hated and ridiculed for no reason,” Barri said. “I really want people to realize that Shepard was a genuinely great human being who was loved. He had a family and friends who just adored him. There was nothing bad about this guy. He was such a pure human being, but the only difference was that he was gay and that got him killed. It is really horrifying.”

Many aspects of The Laramie Project distinguishes it from other shows that have been performed at Peninsula.

“[The Laramie Project] has one of the most intense subject matters I have performed in,” senior and cast member Austin Kelly said. “The way the play is written and staged is different than an orthodox play. It is based on a system called moment work where instead of scenes it is just moments broken down in the script. You cannot really tell when one moment is explicitly stated in the script, but you can feel it very naturally.”

The show has approximately 70 different characters throughout the entire show, allowing Cohen to have a larger cast of 25 students. The large number of auditionees for The Laramie Project motivated Kelly.

“[The interest in The Laramie Project] shows that even in spite of everything that has happened in the past that people still care,” Kelly said. “It is really important that people still care, or else people like [Shepard] are going to be forgotten. Once they are forgotten, that is when they are discriminated against.”

This show gives all who are involved a reminder that an occurrence such as Shepard’s is still a possibility. Senior and cast member Ashley Zoeckler, who identifies as bisexual, explains why The Laramie Project is so much more than a show to her.

“In another place, another time, myself and everyone in the LGBT community could have been [Shepard],” Zoeckler said. “By being in [The Laramie Project], I get an opportunity to stand with my community and basically just tell everyone we will not stand for [hate] anymore. This story is so important and people need to hear it, and by being in the show, I can make sure that happens.”

Peninsula’s LGBT United club has had discussions with the drama department about issues covered in The Laramie Project. LGBT United also has begun to invite other gay straight alliance (GSA) clubs from neighboring high schools to come see the performance. Sophomore and LGBT United member Tia Fidaleo is thankful for the drama department’s support.

“It is nice to have representation,” Fidaelo said. “For stories like [The Laramie Project] to come out is nice because [some think] everything must be good in [the LGBT] community now. Even though it is getting better, this does happen still. [This production] opens people’s eyes.”