Carly Schorman Mesa Legend

Sam Wilkes (left) and Stephan Michael Stoakes of “The Laramie Project” prepare for dress rehearsal at South Mountain CC.prepare for dress rehersal.

South Mountain’s first drama
tackles issue
of hate crimes.
Matthew Shephard, a 21-year-old Wyoming college student, was beaten savagely, tied to a chain link fence, and left to die in the fall of 1998. This hate crime raised national awareness of the consequences of anti-homosexual bigotry, and sparked a great deal of debate.
In September 2003, South Mountain Community College performed their first play, “The Laramie Project,” which chronicles many of the events of Matthew Shephard’s death.
“The Laramie Project” was originally performed by the Tectonic Theater Company, a group of actors from New York. The members of the troupe traveled to Laramie, Wyo. one year after the incident, and conducted over 200 interviews with the townspeople.
The play tackles controversial subject matter such as homosexuality, bigotry, hate crimes, the death penalty, and religion.
The play’s director, Julie Holston, was aware of the play’s poignant and compelling themes when she selected “The Laramie Project” for South Mountain’s first performance. Holston, formerly an adjunct faculty member at MCC from 1999 to 2001, has been the director of South Mountain’s drama department for the last two years.
“The deans were very supportive when they heard of my decision to use ‘The Laramie Project’ for our debut performance,” said Holston. “It sets a precedent for our willingness to tackle current issues that impact the lives of our students.”
The national climate concerning issues of bigotry and hate crimes has not changed enough since 1998, according to Holston. “Things haven’t really changed, since then. There is still a lot of close-mindedness, rage, and inappropriate kinds of acting out … The play focuses on the gay theme, but there is a more general message against hate crime, and singling people out due to their differences.”
Aside from its subject matter, there are other aspects that make “The Laramie Project” a unique play. Originally, the Tectonic Theater Company actors played as themselves, as well as many of the townspeople. In its current incarnation, each performer actually plays between five and eight different roles, throughout the course of the play, falling into the roles of the various townspeople being interviewed, or taking on the role of a member of the Tectonic Theater Company.
Regarding her attempts to make South Mountain’s performance of the play distinctive from prior performances, Holston said, “It’s going to be a very intimate performance. We are performing in the ‘three-fourths round’ style, which puts us very close to the audience, and we are making efforts to make the audience truly feel as if they’re a part of it, not just spectators.”
The South Mountain performers conducted a “Talk Back” at the end of each performance, giving the audience a chance to ask the performers any questions they might have concerning the play, as well as an opportunity to discuss the issues raised.
At the “Talk Back” on their opening night, Sept. 12, Emily Smith, an MCC student, said, “Working on this play has really taught me that people are so much more than the sum of their parts. There’s beauty in everyone; you just have to sit back and look for it.”
A member of MCC’s adjunct faculty with the drama department, Billy Jones, was one of the play’s actors, and his roles included Dennis Shephard, the father of the victim. “I think of my own son, when I play that part, and how I would react if something like that happened to him. It’s a sense of loss that simply can’t be put into words.”
Jones, himself a homosexual, also spoke of the play’s message against violence. “Everyone has a right to believe as they wish,” said Jones, “so long as they don’t hurt anyone. Everyone has their differences, but it’s those differences that make the world go around.”