It's been said that if we don't learn from history we're bound to repeat it. Organizers with Lubbock Community Theatre say that's why they're choosing to perform "The Laramie Project."
The play is the true story of a murder that happened in a small Wyoming town back in 1998. A high school boy named Matthew Shepard was brutally beaten, tied to a post and left to die from his injuries because he was a homosexual. Director Jay Brown says the story still resonates.
"We thought it was time for "The Laramie Project to be shown again," he said. "It was done in Lubbock a few years ago, but when you stop and think about it, things haven't gotten that much better."
The play is based on a number of interviews done with Laramie residents, getting their reactions to the tragedy. Cast member Ashley Rhodes says eight actors take on about 80 roles.
"I'm friends with some of my characters on Facebook," she said. "It's just an incredible opportunity. This play can never be done too many times."
The play captures the wide range of emotions and thought processes derived from such a horrific event and cast member Jamie Rogers says there's a good chance you'll identify with some of them.
"It's not asking you to agree with what you just saw," Rogers said. "But hopefully you leave the theater thinking, I learned something about myself. Those kinds of shows are very, very rare."
LCT is working with the group Parents, Families and Friends of Gays and Lesbians to promote the show with the hope of helping start a dialogue of understanding and compassion. Rhodes says she expects a bit of blowback.
I've gotten a lot of mixed responses when they hear what we're doing," she said. "Some are supportive, some are trepidatious. There may be some backlash, but that's the point of doing it."
And change doesn't happen without it.
Tickets: Lubbock Community Theatre
