Saline High School Drama Club Delivers Strong Performance in The Laramie Project

I thought, what do you get when you combine a young, inexperienced cast with a complex and powerful drama? Probably an average to slightly below average performance.

Was I wrong. So terribly wrong.

The cast delivers a home run in their production of The Laramie Project, written by Moises Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project. Director Kristen Glatz guided her young cast into delivering a powerful, thoughtful, and emotional performance.

The Laramie Project details the torture and brutal murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay 21-year-old student at the University of Wyoming. On October 6, 1998, Matthew asked for a ride home from a local bar in Laramie. Instead, two Laramie residents, Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson, took Shepard to a remote location, tied him to a fence and savagely beat him, and then left him to die. Shepard survived the attack for six days.

The Laramie Project details the aftermath of that murder, and its effect upon the residents, the community, the state of Wyoming and the nation.

The first thing the audience sees is a fence. And that fence remains in every scene that follows, a constant reminder of where Shepard died. It is a simple set, consisting of boxes and risers which get moved to accommodate various locations. Glatz’s simple set works. The magic of this performance is in the words. The dialogue tells the story. It is said in plain, ordinary language that you would expect to hear. The words include obscenities. It includes slurs.

The dialogue also includes words of kindness. Of compassion. And words of forgiveness. An elaborate set would have just detracted from the simplicity of the story.

The Laramie Project is based on over two hundred interviews with the people who lived through the tragic events.

The performance began a little slow, with the young cast making sure they remembered their lines and when and where they were to exit, enter or move about the stage. All that changed as the story began to unfold.

Kyra Mills, Cato Pangilinan and Arlo Ringle played the roles of an ER physician, a kid with a bike who discovered Shepard’s body and a police officer who arrived first on the scene. The dialogue was convincing. And it packed so much emotion.

Listening to Mills talk about the effect discovering Shepard’s body had on him, and his hope to be able to wipe that memory from his mind was emotional. It was stunning. Listening to Pangilinan describe what it was like to be an ER physician having to treat the massive head injuries that were usually only found in car accidents, was profound.

And listening to Ringle talk about the helplessness he felt trying to provide care at the scene, and how he was unable to open the jaw of the severely beaten man to help the victim breathe, is so believable.

The performance of the three brought tears to the eyes of the audience. Including me. And it was then that everything changed. The performance became emotional and remained there for the duration.

The scene in which the actor described how the town organized a parade for Shepard and all the events surrounding the event was another scene that left the audience wiping tears from their eyes. The dialogue was delivered so simply yet so powerfully.

Every person in the cast was given a scene in which they delivered a small bit of dialogue. And it was clear that every cast member believed they carried a responsibility for telling the remarkable story of The Laramie Project.

Every adult who attends this performance will have lived through the death of Matthew Shepard, the trial of McKinney and Henderson, and the aftermath that started a national dialogue and ultimately led to the passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act in 2008.

There are many memorable lines offered by the cast during the performance. Every parent who sees this performance will feel, on a visceral level, the words delivered by Jamie Meyers, when he implored to everyone to “Go home. Hug your kids. Never let a day go by where you don’t tell them you love them.”

And probably the most powerful moment in the entire performance is delivered by Shepard’s father at the sentencing hearing for McKinney. Through his tears, the father admits he wants to see McKinney die. It is what he deserves. But he then says he believes that it is a time for            H-O-P-E. Yes, hope. And healing. And forgiveness. So, on behalf of his murdered son, he asks the judge not to impose the death penalty.

He looks at McKinney and says, “Every day, when you wake up, you will need to thank Matthew for living to see another day.” Under those circumstances, who among us could do that?

The cast for The Laramie Project includes: Izzy Belaire, Ev Belote, Reed Cowie, Olivia Cummings, Katelyn Gray, Carmen Harnish, Drew Harrigan, Ben Holtz, Nava Meshinchi, Megeen Meshinchi, Clara Meyers, Krya 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.

The Laramie Project is a remarkable production. I give it two thumbs up. And if I had ten thumbs, I would give it ten thumbs up. Performances are Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. And Sunday at 2:00 p.m. at the Ellen A. Ewing Performing Arts Center at Saline High School.

More News from Saline

• What to do in Saline this weekend: Friday, Dec 20 - Sunday, Dec 22 Check out these 7 events coming up this weekend on our calendar.
• BASKETBALL: Saline Battles Injuries, Edges Riverview, 31-30 Saline is 6-0.