H.S. teens to stage 'Laramie Project'

LAKEWOOD — On Oct. 7, 1998, Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old University of Wyoming student, was tied to a split rail fence, beaten and left to die in a remote area of Laramie, Wyoming, because he was homosexual.

It has been 10 years since Shepard's murder and the story of the young man's life and death continues to be told through various genres and venues all over the country. Those venues will now include Lakewood High School.

The play "The Laramie Project" will make its debut before the Lakewood community at 7 p.m. Dec. 5-6 at Lakewood High School, 855 Somerset Avenue.

The main impetus for "The Laramie Project" is to "erase hate, replace hate with understanding, compassion and acceptance," which is the message of the Matthew Shepard Foundation.

Director Angela Corenblith said the play, which is a series of monologues and short scenes, was chosen for a number of reasons.

"This is a topic that needs to be shared and talked about with others," Corenblith said. "People often times take diversity for granted. This play deals with that and talks about the biases people have, and hate crimes. Its purpose is to show that we are all human beings and that you can't categorize people. It reminds us that we are people first, not race, not sexual orientation, but people. People tend to look at those things first. We are too progressive for that."

Although Corenblith said "The Laramie Project" may not change the core of a person's heart or how that individual were raised, it can affect a level of tolerance for people who are different in some way.

She said seeing the play may help a person stop and think, especially before he or she judges, make generalizations about or stereotype another person.

"I hope it makes people empathize with others instead of judge," Corenblith said.

"The Laramie Project" is a play by Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project about the reaction to the murder of Shepard. The play draws on hundreds of interviews conducted by the theater company with inhabitants of the town, company members' own journal entries and published news reports.

"The Laramie Project" is divided into three acts and the actors portray more than 60 characters in a series of short scenes.

Senior Keera Worthy, 17, will play two characters in Lakewood's production of "The Laramie Project," Marge Murray and Doug Laws. Keera said the play is about more than just promoting tolerance. She said that to her, it is about getting the message across that "gay rights are human rights."

The cast includes Peter Bilgrav, Amanda Daniel, Mary Elliott, LaWanda Frazer, Jessica Goglas, Josh Gonzalez, Stephanie Guzman, Valeria Guzman, Gigi Johnson, Aasim Johnson-Ambridge, David Jusino, Shivani Kumari, Sarah Lorusso, Aniya Lynn, Sheila Maldonado, Biahshe McKinley, Vincent Mota, Natalia Nagorska, Vannessa Samuels, Rodrigo Sanchez, Brianna Small, Shamyra Smith, Julianne Valentin, Ian Vogler, Scott Walters and Keera Worthy.

Ciara King is the student assistant director.

Tickets for the Lakewood High School production of "The Laramie Project" will be $4 for students and $6 for adults. Due to the explicit language in the play, parental discretion is advised when considering whether to bring young children to the performance.