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High-school actors to present 'Laramie Project'
Originally Posted Online: Nov. 06, 2009, 4:43 pm
Last Updated: Nov. 06, 2009, 6:08 pm
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Print this story | Email this storyLast Updated: Nov. 06, 2009, 6:08 pm
By Jonathan Turner, jturner@qconline.com
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High-school students from the Quad-Cities and across Iowa will present an acclaimed play about hatred and compassion next week in Davenport. "The Laramie Project," a 2000 play based on a brutal murder that galvanized the nation, will be performed Thursday night as part of the annual Iowa Thespians Festival. For the third straight year, the festival is taking place at Davenport North High School Nov. 12-14. In October 1998, on a bitterly cold night, Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old gay student, was tied to a cattle fence near Laramie, Wyo., beaten, and robbed. His bloody, bruised body was not discovered until the next day. He died several days later at a local hospital. Playwright Moises Kaufman conducted interviews with more than 200 residents of the community to document how they were coping with the hate crime. From those interviews, he and the Tectonic Theater Project created "The Laramie Project." The play was presented at Augustana College, Rock Island, in 2005, and a filmed version of the work was shown at Moline's Black Hawk College in 2006. Liz Hansen, a high-school teacher in Grinnell and director of the Iowa Thespians production, said the play asks audiences to examine values such as faith, tolerance, forgiveness, community, and the need for truth. "I'm proud of the Iowa Thespians' decision to tell this story," she said. "There's never been a better time to have dialogue and understanding in the state of Iowa than now, with the court decision in the state to recognize gay marriage and the recent passing of the Matthew Shepard Act last month." The act, signed by President Obama on Oct. 28, gives federal authorities greater ability to investigate possible hate crimes that local authorities choose not to pursue. It includes crimes motivated by a victim's actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability. Iowa is one of five states to permit same-sex marriage, all through court ruling or legislative action. This week, Maine became the 31st state to block gay marriage by public referendum. Not only is national attitudes toward gays a relevant topic today, Ms. Hansen said, it is especially important for high-school students. "They're confronted with this all the time, from their peers, adults in their life, all around them. We are a school that is very proactive. When you hear comments like that, when people act like that, we call them out. I feel it's made a difference." Ms. Hansen and the show's technical director visited Laramie last March. It's "just like any other college town here in Iowa," she said. "It struck me that this crime, it can happen anywhere. Everywhere in this country are the feelings -- some of the feelings of hate, some running closer to the surface, some very deep. "My mission, as a theater educator, is to educate people on how should you, as an individual, respond to that? How can you change that? You have to start with yourself -- stand up to statements people are making." "The Laramie Project" doesn't re-enact the crime, she said, but you hear what happened, what the perpetrators thought and how people reacted. Srda Vasiljevic, a senior in Des Moines and an actor in the production, said it's "one of the most honest contemporary plays in today's society." "It truly analyzes the psyche of a small town shattered by an incredible act of brutality," he said. "But the thing that sets the show apart is that it does not take a stance on the issue. Rather, it presents all sides in an accurate and equal way. That is really rare and unique." The 16-member cast of "The Laramie Project" includes two students from Pleasant Valley High School, and five Quad-Cities students are on the seven-member crew. The festival, which will include a Friday " Laramie Project" performance for students only as well as many other shows by individual schools, is held at Davenport North because its 800-seat auditorium is one of the largest high-school theaters in the state, Ms. Hansen said. "The kids worked very, very hard on this show," she said. "It's been an awesome experience." -- If you go -- What: "The Laramie Project," presented by Iowa Thespians. -- When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12. -- Where: Paul Holzworth Performing Arts Center, Davenport North High School, 626 W. 53rd St. -- Tickets: $8; iowathespians.org. 
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