Laramie Project tackles tough topics in closing performance Saturday night
The cast of The Laramie Project performs on opening night
Last Friday marked the opening night of this year’s fall play The Laramie Project. Rather than have a fun and goofy play aimed toward children, the O’Shea Players put on a serious show, which describes the real-life reactions of the Laramie townspeople after the murder of Matthew Shepard.
Opening night went off without a hitch, and attendance was, “above what we usually get for the fall performance,” director Scott Tarzwell said.
Despite the controversy surrounding the play, the audience was “really accepting of the topic,” freshman Taylor Leonard said. The Rainbow Youth Alliance was also there to show support for the cast and crew.
The play carries a strong message with it which affected many of the actors involved. “It reminded me that there is still this kind of hate out there. It’s important to remember everyone should be treated equally,” junior Evan Thanicatt said.
Many of the actors had to play characters who had opposing viewpoints to their own. “As an actor, you will have to take on roles that you will not be comfortable with, but being an actor you have to be willing to put aside your beliefs and take on the role for the overall message of the play,” senior Lenox Kamara said.
The biggest challenge that the actors faced was channeling their characters. “These are real people, and you want to portray them correctly,” junior Elisabeth Warren said. The actors were told not to do any research on their characters so they could make them their own, like they would with other characters, but “many of us did [research] so we could portray them correctly,” Warren said.
There were many factors Tarzwell considered when choosing The Laramie Project as the fall play. The shooting in Orlando this past summer was one of those deciding factors, as was the strong support from the cast. “The shooting was very tragic, but it really drove us to do this show,” Kamara added.
Tarzwell also decided to do this show because “members of the theater board asked me if we could do something more serious,” Tarzwell said.
The last chance you have to see The Laramie Project will be this Saturday at the O’Shea Theater, showing at 7pm.
Your donation will support the student journalists of Watkins Mill High School. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.
Josephine Moore is an opinion writer for the Watkins Mill Current. She has been on staff for 4 years and Newspaper Honor Society, Quill and Scroll. Josephine...
