Controversial play unites Tartan High students

Whether rain, snow or angry protesters, the show at Tartan High School will go on.

When "The Laramie Project" opens at the school this week, members from the Westboro Baptist Church of Kansas, widely known for their extreme stance against homosexuality, pledge to picket outside the Oakdale school.

The play, by Moisés Kaufman, is about the reaction to the 1998 murder of University of Wyoming gay student Matthew Shepard. His death was ruled a hate crime spurred by homophobia. It brought attention to the lack of hate crime laws in many states.

Although the church members, who also are notorious for protesting at funerals of soldiers, often don't follow through on their threats, the Rev. Fred Phelps said earlier this year that members of the church will be present for Thursday's 7 p.m. show.

That has sort of galvanized the student body, which has rallied around the theater, said Ryan DeLaCroix, the show director who is now in his third year at Tartan.

"Students have supported the show," he said. "It's been a hot topic."

The play is based on 200 interviews, news reports and journal entries from members of the Tectonic Theatre Project of New York, who went to Wyoming to interview people about the crime.

"These are actual words that came out of people's mouths," DeLaCroix said.

The play has given some teachers fodder for lessons on bullying, which they have presented in class this term. It also has pumped new interest into the school theater program. More than 30 students auditioned for the 10 spots in the cast, more than usual, DeLaCroix said. A crew of 40 is helping build the set.

There is a serious message. "We want the audience to think about the way they treat people, and the words they say. [Shepard] was a human and no one has the right to commit a crime. There needs to be respect for people for who they are."

DeLaCroix chose the show because he wanted to do a production that kids would relate to, and because he wanted to do a thought-provoking show, one that "you typically don't see in a high school." He also said his talented cast of three seniors, four juniors, one sophomore and two freshmen could do the show justice.

Along with a touchy subject, the actors have another challenge: Each will portray eight to 10 characters during the two-hour production, all without leaving the stage except during a brief intermission.

"You have to change mannerisms for each character," said Nicole Lamm, a senior who has been in theater productions for four years.

Lamm is excited about the production and says it's a show with a poignant message.

"People don't realize that when they say things [such as 'that's so gay,'] that it's bad, but when they see it on stage, we hope they will see that it is not OK," she said. "We should not treat people different."

Tim Harlow • 651-735-1824 Follow Tim on Twitter @timstrib