By: Nicole Neal and Alexa Neal
On November 7th, Tower Hill School opened The Laramie Project, a play about Matthew Shepard, a gay, University of Wyoming student who was brutally murdered. Such a serious topic, something new for Tower Hill theater, created hesitation among students about how the production would be received.
We spoke with stage manager Priya Raju and cast member Sean Pedraza about how they, as well as others involved in the production, felt about how the school would react to the play. “Originally when they said what it was…I was a little bit nervous because we’d never done anything like this,” said Priya. Sean felt a similar way. “I was kinda scared because the school is really not like exposed to that type of… subject so I wondered how they would perceive it.”
According to director Ms. Healy, Tower Hill had only done one other heavy-hitting play in the time that she’s been here, explaining their apprehension.
However, as rehearsals progressed, and they learned more about the material, their doubts faded and they gained more confidence in the show. Although Priya was worried at first, she stated that “overtime, I really started to appreciate the importance that it could bring to the Tower Hill community, and I really appreciate that we did it.”
The audience went through a similar experience. Ellie Ginsburg, who attended closing night of the show, felt some uncertainty before watching it about how her fellow audience members would react. “I think people are just kinda scared to touch on these topics.” During the show, though, she felt that the audience deeply understood its importance. “The whole room, it was just like everyone was taking it very seriously.”
When we asked if this type of play should be put on in the future, we were met with enthusiasm. “Yes, absolutely yes,” said Sean. Ellie had a similar opinion. “This was a first for Tower Hill and I think we can keep tackling topics like that,” she said.
Overall, the key takeaway for Priya was not focusing too much on if others would like it, and instead placing emphasis on the message getting out there. “I think it changed to not really worrying as much and just…the importance of putting it out there to start a conversation about it.”
The Laramie Project cast on opening night!
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