When deciding what fall show we wanted to do this year many individuals asked "why?" "Why what?" "Why The Laramie Project?"
Before we could even utter a word, people would give us their reasons:
What, are you trying to make a political statement?
Is this some sort of response to recent events that are fresh in the minds of our society?
Do you have some sort of agenda?
The answer to each one of these questions, no. We wanted to tell a story, a story that should never need to be told - the story of a man that went to his death for no other reason than being himself. It doesn’t matter that Matthew Shepard was gay, what matters is the simple truth that in America today people are being killed simply for who they are, whether it’s their gender, their religion, their lifestyle, their color or occupation. Violence seems to have replaced baseball as America’s national pastime. How do we stop the bleeding? By maybe realizing that we should celebrate our differences rather than use them as a vehicle of judgment and hatred. As trite and hackneyed as that may sound, which world would you rather be a part of? The choice is ours. Special thanks to my partner in crime, John Davenport who has made me a better Director. I also would like to thank our amazing booster club, who support us in so many ways. Finally, I would like to thank our superb cast and crew who have been a joy to work with. For many of these students, it is their last fall show. We dedicate this production not only to the memory of Matthew Shepherd, but also to the students (both on stage and off) that have spent the last four years devoting time, energy, tears, sweat, and love for the program we are so proud of.
Enjoy the show!
Michael Hollomon and John Davenport
