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Fear and Prejudice in a University Town

Director Gail Holbrook takes on poignant Laramie Proje

The aftermath of the murder of 21-year-old Matthew Shepard is explored in The Laramie Project, to be staged Oct. 1­6 in Wismer Theatre by CSU, Chico's Department of Theatre Arts.

On Oct. 6, 1998, Shepard was beaten to death in Laramie, Wyoming, because he was gay. Four weeks later, a group from New York City, the Tectonic Theatre Project, led by playwright Moisés Kaufman, arrived in Laramie to learn more about why Shepard was murdered, what people were saying, and how they felt about what happened. Ultimately, Kaufman and the Tectonic Theatre Project wrote The Laramie Project, a collage of testimonies, interviews, and comments made by Laramie residents. The drama was named one of the 10 best plays of 2000 by Time magazine.

Director Gail Holbrook comments on the importance of producing The Laramie Project in Chico.

Why did you choose The Laramie Project?

The Laramie Project was recommended to me by a friend in San Diego who had worked on a production of it last year and knew my passion for "issue" plays. I think it is a very important piece given the university's attention to respecting diversity and "building bridges." Bringing this issue to an audience is my contribution to enhancing their awareness of this situation. We are all guilty of complicity if we do not accept responsibility for our language and behavior. As with racist language and actions, when we make jokes or call people derogatory names like "faggot" or "dyke," we are planting the seeds of hate crimes. It feels right to do this play at this time in this place. Theatre should speak to the "ills of society"; it should make us think and incite us to do the right thing. If done well, it also entertains us and moves us emotionally. This play has the potential to do all of these things.

The play presents sensitive material -- how are your young actors approaching it?

The eight cast members have done enormous amounts of research -- into the case, the individual people who appear as characters in the play, and the Tectonic Theatre Company. They are close to Matthew Shepard's age, and they remember his death and how shocked they were at the time it happened. They all know people who have been victims of homophobia.

How is Chico similar to Laramie?

Matthew Shepard's death could have happened in Chico. We are both western university towns with diverse populations -- many well-educated and inherently tolerant people, but many people with conservative, steadfast opinions who find homosexuality objectionable as a lifestyle choice. We could defend ourselves by saying we are in California, and Californians are notorious for being freethinkers. But Wyoming was the first state to give women the vote, and they think of themselves as freethinkers, too. And it happened there. It could happen anywhere. The play presents all the angles: the varied opinions from those of gay citizens to those of radical homophobic evangelists and everything in between. This play is really a modern Our Town. It could take place anywhere from Grovers Corner, New Hampshire, to Chico, California.

Lisa Kirk