Brickbats precede school play
Controversy is brewing in Acton and Boxborough over the regional high school's upcoming production of "The Laramie Project," a graphic play that examines the 1998 murder of a 21-year-old gay student in Wyoming.
Several parents spoke out at a recent School Committee meeting hoping to stop the play. Opponents say the content is not appropriate for high school students.
But the district plans to move forward with the production. Rehearsal started last week, and the show is set to open Nov. 2.
"We've listened to all the concerns and opinions, and the administration at all levels supports the play," said JoAnn Campbell, assistant principal at Acton-Boxborough Regional High School. "We're really looking forward to it. It's been successfully performed at other high schools, and we're confident it will be done successfully here, too."
In the 1998 slaying, University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard was tied to a cattle fence, beaten, robbed, and left to die just outside Laramie, where the university is located. He was found 18 hours later by a biker and died several days later. Two local young men were charged with the crime, to which they later confessed; both are serving sentences of life in prison.
The play, based on hundreds of interviews, including many with Laramie residents, looks at the death and the small university city's reaction to the hate crime. It opened at the Denver Theater Center in March 2000 and two months later moved to Union Square Theatre in New York. In 2002, HBO turned the play into a film.
"The Laramie Project" has been performed on stage throughout the country - including in high schools, though not without controversy. In October 2005, Newton police stepped up their presence after a Kansas church, known for staging antigay demonstrations around the country, threatened to protest a production at Newton South High School; the church group did not show up.
More recently, the principal of Ocean Township High School in New Jersey canceled a production set for this year but was overturned by the district's superintendent, who said the community was overwhelmingly in favor of the play being performed.
In Acton, Scott Wilson, a father of three daughters, one of them a freshman this year, said he was shocked the school district decided to put on the play. He said he had bought a copy and read through the script.
"I was particularly concerned about the language and violence," he said. "It's very graphic in its depiction. That was its intention and I can understand that, but is it appropriate for a high school population? It's not something I'd give to my 14-year-old."
Wilson said he also opposes the play's portrayal of conservative Christians. He said it depicts Christians as intolerant individuals.
"The central message is people with traditional moral values must change their views of sexual morality or what happened to Matthew will happen here," Wilson said.
He said just because some Christians don't support homosexuality doesn't mean they support violence. "It shows extremist behavior as typical, and I don't want to be polarized that way," he said. "Because I have more conservative values, don't call that hate."
Wilson and other parents have organized a forum to give the community an opportunity to voice their concerns and listen to speakers. The forum will be held at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 3 in the auditorium of Acton-Boxborough Regional High School.
"I want people to come away with the understanding that there are people who are not embracing the homosexual lifestyle, but we still take the violence very seriously," Wilson said. "Everyone is for having a high school where people aren't bullied, regardless of sexual orientation."
Bruce Sabot, chairman of the Acton-Boxborough Regional School Committee, said the panel supports the administration's decision. He said students interested in trying out for the play needed parental consent, and students are not required to see the play.
"If you think the content is offensive, you don't have to see it," Sabot said.
Sabot and Campbell said they hope the play will provide a learning experience that will spark constructive dialogue in the community.
Linda Potter, the school's drama director, said she had expected controversy given the play's content and history in other communities. But she said it's not something she jumped into without careful thought. In two years in planning, Potter said, she solicited feedback from faculty and school groups before moving forward with the production. She said she has had overwhelming support from parents, teachers, students, and counselors. "The point is to examine what happens in Laramie and look at whether some of those seeds of hate are here in Acton," Potter said. "I hope it gets people thinking."
Potter said most of her productions have been "family-friendly," but this one will not feature singing, dancing, or laugh lines. "Part of my job is to bring to an audience not just quality entertainment, but use theater as a mirror of society and life, and it's not all frothy musicals," she said. "I'm not doing my job if all pieces are light and fun."
Wilson said there is some concern over the Oct. 3 forum because emotions will be running high on both sides. He also expects protesters when the play starts in November, though he said some parents are still hoping the production will be canceled.
Jennifer Fenn Lefferts can be reached at jflefferts@yahoo.com. 