Saline High School Drama Club Presents 'The Larami Project' Nov. 15-17

The Saline High School Drama Club kicks off their 2024-25 performances with The Laramie Project, written by Moises Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theatre Project. The performance(s) will be at 7:30 p.m., Nov. 15-16 and 2 p.m. Nov. 17 in the Ellen A. Ewing Performing Arts Center at Saline High School.

The Laramie Project portrays the aftermath of the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student whose brutal attack by two young men, motivated by anti-gay hatred, shocked the nation and sparked discussions on hate crimes and LGBTQ+ rights.

“This is a very young cast,” said artistic director Kristen Glatz. “The Laramie Project allows for a lot of students to get cast in a play, with the opportunity to be the focus of a scene and deliver a short monologue. For young actors, this is incredible experience.”

"There is only one senior in this production, so a lot of younger students get a chance to have a role with speaking lines, sometimes with them being the only person on stage,” Glatz said.

Overall, The Laramie Project paints a complex portrait of a small town shaken by tragedy, inviting the audience to reflect on the destructive power of hate, and the heights of compassion of which humanity is capable. To help prepare students for their roles, they met with the SHS Social Justice Club and the district’s DEI Specialist.

Members of the cast will play multiple roles in the production. Glatz said the show is constructed as a series of “moments.” 

“Every piece of dialogue in the script is actual dialogue that were said by the residents of Laramie. There is no fiction in the script,” Glatz said.

The cast includes Izzy Belaire, Ev Belote, Reed Cowie, Olivia Cummings, Katelyn Gray, Carman Harnish, Drew Harrigan, Ben Holtz, Nava Meshinchi, Negeen Meshinchi, Clara Meyers, Kyra Mills, Anna Palacios, Cato Pangilinan, Holly Peavler, Kegan Rife, Arlo Ringle, Lilly Sarver, Henry Strozeski and William Wilson.

The production is directed by Kristen Glatz and student-directed by Hannah DeWard. All tickets are general admission and $10. Tickets can be purchased online and all ticket sales are cashless, only credit or debit sales are accepted. You may also purchase tickets are the door starting 45 minutes prior to the performance.

Glatz said the drama clubs at the high and middle schools pride themselves on being a safe place for anyone and everyone. 

“Sometimes students are searching for how and where they fit in. Often, students find their place in the theater. You can be yourself and there is always a place for you.”

Actor/singer/songwriter Jeff Daniels once said at his Unplugged concert that he found his “tribe” in theatre while a high school student in Chelsea. He said that, for him, it “made all the difference.” He then sang a semi-autobiographical song titled “God’s Little Mistake.”

For more information, please email glatzk@salineschools.org or visit https://tinyurl/SHS-Drama-Club.

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