DALLAS—Theatre Brookhaven presents "The Laramie Project" Oct. 11-21 in the Brookhaven College Performance Hall.
"The Laramie Project," by Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project, paints the portrait of a small town dealing with anger, hate and violence through interviews, journals and public records.
The first Friday night performance on Oct. 12 marks 20 years since the death of Matthew Shepard. In 1998, the 21-year-old University of Wyoming student was beaten, tortured and left tied to a fence in freezing temperatures. He was discovered 18 hours later and died six days after the attack. Matthew Shepard was gay.
"Today's traditional-aged students don't even know who Matthew Shepard was or what happened," said Darise Error, theater department chair at Brookhaven College. "We thought it might be useful to look at how Shepard's murder helped pave the way for hate crime legislation and started a conversation about equal rights for the LGBTQ community."
This production exemplifies Brookhaven College's 40th anniversary theme of transforming lives. The show includes cameo appearances by a Theatre Brookhaven alumnus from each of the four decades spanning the 40 years from the founding of the college in 1978 to the present.
"The Laramie Project" is directed by Michael Robinson and Bonnie De Passe. The play runs Oct. 11-21 with performances Thursday – Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
Admission is free. To reserve tickets, visit
https://www1.dcccd.edu/bhc/bcsa-tickets.
Visit
www.BrookhavenCollege.edu for upcoming events celebrating the Brookhaven College 40th anniversary.