Hello Everyone
This is Kathleen Woods in (the Palo Alto high school) Theatre program. As you may have heard, the Theatre program is producing The Laramie Project in March in conjunction with Paly’s GSA. I want to let you know some of the dates and activities related to the production. I encourage you to attend the show and hope that you will consider including some related activities on tolerance in your upcoming curriculum. Please encourage your students to attend the show as well.

The Laramie Project is a highly moving and powerful theatre piece that deals with difficult but important topics such as homophobia, violence, and the violation of basic human rights. In the end, the piece speaks to the redeeming power of forgiveness and demonstrates the ability of individuals to make a positive difference.

The Laramie Project is summarized by the publisher as follows:

In October, 1998 a 21 year old student at the University of Wyoming was kidnapped, severely beaten and left to die, tied to a fence in the middle of the  prairie outside Laramie Wyoming.
His bloody, bruised and battered body was not discovered until the next day, and he died several
 days later in an area hospital.
 His name was Matthew Shepard, and he was the victim of this assault because he was gay. Moises
 Kaufman and fellow members of the Tectonic Theatre Project made six trips to Laramie over the course of a year and a half in the aftermath of the
 beating and during the trail of the two young men
 accused of killing Shepard.
They conducted more than 200  interviews with the people of the town.
Some people interviewed were directly connected to the case, and others were citizens of Laramie and the breadth of their reactions to the crime is fascinating.
Kaufman and the Tectonic Theatre members have constructed a deeply
 moving theatrical experience from these
interviews and their own experiences.
THE LARAMIE PROJECT is a breathtaking theatrical collage that explores the depths to which humanity can sink and the
heights of compassion of which we are capable.

The performance dates and times are:

March 7, 8, 13 and 15 at 7:30 PM.  

Tickets are $7.00 for students and senior and $10.00 for adults.

Panel discussions will follow each performance of the play.

The show is rated for mature audiences. 

Thank you for your time and I hope to see you at the show.