Littleton High School Meets The Laramie Project

Littleton High School is going to do what?

An email from kryssi wyckoff martin announced Littleton High School’s theatre department was already in rehearsal for Moises Kaufman’s and the Tectonic Theatre Project’s The Laramie Project. Although the theatre production scheduled exploded daily with new dates and times, this was one interview I had to have. kryssi asked if I would like to come to a rehearsal and hang out with the cast. Would I ever. Questions trundled around in my head. Their opening night, October 12 marks the ninth anniversary of Matthew Shepard’s cruel death. The performance would begin with a candlelight vigil sponsored by the LHS Gay/Straight Alliance.

kryssi wrote: “The murder of University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard in 1998 forced the world to take a hard look at how we think, judge and raise our children. We don’t want to believe that we are like this, but we are. We are like this.”

I had been under the impression Littleton was a relatively conservative community. What was happening? Littleton’s Town Hall was getting ready to open with Cabaret, directed and choreographed by Nicholas Sugar, and LHS was doing The Laramie Project?

Most of these kids would have been 7- and 8-years-old when Matthew was so brutally murdered. How much would they know? How much would they understand about what they were doing? How much did they care about a gay college student being beaten to death and left tied to remote fence to die a slow painful death?

I am not certain who was more excited, the cast or me. kryssi, known affectionately by her students as K-Mart, would be working on monologues. A special place had been set up in the middle of the theatre with a table wrapped around the seats. After everyone was introduced, I, of course, forgot most everyone’s name. They graciously took that with a grain of salt. Immediately, students eager to talk about their experience surrounded me.

kryssi and I had been friends ever since the days she had her own production company, Genoa’s Mother where she wrote and produced plays speaking directly to women’s issues. This was her fourth year in the theatre department at LHS.

I had to ask. I had been under the impression Littleton was a relatively conservative community. Had I been wrong? They all laughed. I was correct they responded in unison. Littleton was conservative, but they weren’t. They all spoke to LHS being very accepting of a variety of life styles surrounded by diversity. Not only did they like it, they enjoyed it, honored to have the privilege to know so many different people with so many different backgrounds and ideologies.

I couldn’t help but think back over the years with my experience with high school kids in many different places, remembering their fears, anxieties, loneliness, having no where to go, no one to go to, playing games for acceptance, hiding their gayness from themselves, families, friends, and me their minister out of confused terror.

I had only been at the theatre a few minutes and had only just met them, but what I saw was a group of bright, creative, intelligent, open, forthright, sensitive, honest group of individuals I would gladly, without hesitation, give them the power to run the world. Right there, right then, in that room, they held the magic to heal a zillion social ills tearing people apart, setting up barriers of fear, hate, disloyalty, infidelity, mistrust, and failure. There they were gay and straight proud to call each other friend, as though the only difference between them was the color of their eyes, taking, of course, the obvious into consideration.

How much did they know about Matthew Shepard? How could they possibly comprehend the cruelty, the bigotry, or the horrendous horrid situation? How could they relate to the events? How could they even hope to subject themselves honestly representing the situation? When kryssi told them last year they would be doing The Laramie Project, they wanted to know more. Every one of them expressed in one way or another how excited they were wanting to be a part of a production that would take them far away from their innocence into a horrendous dark arena of human nature they had only read about.

Erica Emmelheinz said she stopped in Laramie last summer, and couldn’t get anyone to talk about the 1998 event. Some even said it never happened. The cast is planning a trip to Laramie not to pin anyone down, but to get a feel for the area. Their young minds claiming a grasp of why the people of Laramie thrust into international attention would like very much for the event to go away leaving them alone.

When I first asked kryssi how this was going to happen, she replied: “I’m taking a Brechtian approach, hoping to move the audience to effect social change instead of having their own catharsis and then leaving the theatre and forgetting the show. We’ll see. So far this has been amazing — our GSA has taken over making the angel action costumes as well as organizing the vigil. Our art department is creating a performance art piece that will express the demonstrations that went on, and involve the angel action costumes.”

The actors sitting before me, not knowing kryssi had given me this information, carefully explained the process she was taking them through. Passion glowed from their eyes. These were actors not wanting to strut their talent, but honestly wanting something of importance to happen because of their production. They want to instill social change. They aren’t interested in pointing the finger at Laramie. They understand this is a universal situation and could have happened anywhere, and could well happen again. A couple of them, and I wish I could remember who they were, made the strong point that even if one person changes their thinking, they would deem the production a success. These actors are hopeful, but realistic.

So, I asked, how can you expect to draw upon the emotions of those people you are playing? Strength in their maturity stood up at that moment. They said specifically K-Mart had asked them not to even try to dredge out their own experience and emotions. A major part of their rehearsals flowed through improvisations, exploring different levels of understanding, playing with possibilities, opening new doors, challenging themselves and each other to try new ways of flying into their artistic expertise.

During the actual production, three artists, Eric Pung, Schuyler Burks, and Connor Jones will be on stage, using different techniques such as cartoons, graffiti, and what they termed hazy realistic to reflect the emotions expressed scene by scene. Talk about putting artists on the spot, but there they sat calm, cool, and collected. In front of an audience every night of the performance, they will ask their artistic muse for new inspiration, confident they will get it, flanked with a tinge of nervousness. At the end of the run, the paintings will be auctioned with the proceeds going to the Matthew Shepard Foundation. Oh, what a treasure these will be for anyone fortunate to obtain one. Oh what a treasure for the Foundation. The Laramie Project is not just a high school play; it is a whirlwind of social healing reaching out across the country.

The cast members I spoke with are: Lexi Warden playing Romaine Patterson, Matt’s best friend. Aaron Klass as Moises Kaufman and Matt Gallway. Barret Harper plays Harry Woods, Greg Pierotti and several smaller roles. Erica Emmelheinz plays Zubaida Ula, Sherry Johnson, Aaron Kreifels and Trish Steger. Clare Rudman plays the minister’s wife, Alison Mears and several smaller roles. Alison Banowsky is Leigh Fondakowski, Marge and several smaller roles. Rachel Drozda plays Reggie Fluty and several smaller roles. Maggy Failing plays Caroline Connolley, Barbra Pitts and other roles. Tim Howard plays Dr. Cantway, Aaron McKinney and other roles. Andrew Klinger plays Dennis Shepard, Matt Mickelson, Russell Henderson and other roles. Sam Golden is Jedediah Schultz, the Baptist Minister, Shannon and other roles. José Amezola plays Stephen Belber, John Peacock and other roles. Drew Vandenover plays Jonas Sloanaker, Rulon Stacey and other roles. Kayln Higgins serves as kryssi’s stage manager.

Those not at the rehearsal are: Ben Lee who is playing Doc OÕConner. Brittany Newell who is playing Rebecca Hilliker.

During callbacks, Andrew read the statement of forgiveness Dennis Shepard made at Aaron McKinney’s trial. Everyone within earshot choked back tears from the power Andrew fed into the words.

I had to ask kryssi, how, why, when did she decide to do The Laramie Project.

The Laramie Project had never been considered for high school. “Too difficult, too controversial, etc.” At a training conference in Texas two years ago, she met a theatre teacher from Texas who had with her a “beautiful professional brochure for her theatre.” Kryssi saw Laramie listed, sparking conversation. The Texas teacher told her, “yes, they had some flack, but overall it went well.” kryssi’s creative brainwaves spun into high gear, returning with determination to do the show. Some scheduling needed to be rearranged. The Powers That Be at LHS stood behind the project, and it was announced last spring, The Laramie Project would be produced this fall.

“I loved what Jeremy Cole did with us on The Investigation years ago in Boulder, so I started there. Then I added the artwork as a way to further impress upon the audience that they are in a theatre, this is not naturalism. ItÕs taken on a life of its own now…”

Andrew indicated he thinks people get beaten all the time because of their differences.

Lexi’s research tore her up. She understands how easily it could happen. “It could even happen tonight.” In her research she discovered Romaine’s website. She read: “Some people think when they sit down to watch The Laramie Project they are going to see a play about Laramie, Wyoming. In fact, what many people realize is they are seeing a play about their hometown. Laramie was a town forever changed by an event, by the choices of a few people. Every time I hear that there is a new production of The Laramie Project I think about how your lives, the lives of the audience member, or cast member will be changed.” (www.eatromaine.com)

Lexi along with the rest of the cast and crew take Romaine’s words to heart.

Clare indicated this was her first show, and it was the importance of the play that fed her courage to audition.

Several of them said they can’t believe it happened. It makes them angry, opened their eyes, hoping people will learn to be more accepting.

They admitted it was hard to get their age group interested. Some, they discovered thought the play was one-sided, promoting a particular life-style. It doesn’t. They know that shedding a bright spotlight on the importance of why they are doing The Laramie Project.

I had one question I hesitated to ask because it sounded like I was being impertinent, and that was the last impression I wanted to make, but I asked it anyway explaining it was a question every actor needed to ask himself/herself when meeting a character face-to-face for the first time. What gives you the right to do this play? Responding to the question with squeals and grins and shouts of “great question, one articulate actor who requested to remain anonymous said his generation doesn’t know the story. It’s not being told, and is getting lost. “We have a responsibility to keep the story alive because it is important and relevant.”

Now it was my turn to be knocked out. This wasn’t an answer coming from an adult. This wasn’t administration speaking. This wasn’t an astute director’s explanation, this was a young man engulfed in wisdom stretching far beyond his years.

Andrew followed up with “this play is less about the murder of a gay college student, and more about the murder of a human being.”

When asked how their parents reacted to their doing The Laramie Project, one beautiful quiet girl said she wouldn’t discuss it with her father, but her mother was 100 percent in favor

Andrew said, “His Mom didn’t want to see a sad play, but she was glad they were doing it.”

Tim is use to musicals and comedies (he played in the critically acclaimed production of West Side Story last fall at Littleton’s Town Hall) mused he didn’t really know how to take it all, and still wonders how anyone could do this. Playing Aaron McKinney, Tim realizes the stretching his artistic muscles must go through to breach a very wide gap between his reality and Aaron’s. It’s scary. Oh yes, for any actor, much less a high school student.

Rachel playing the policewoman, who responded to the 911 call becoming exposed to HIV, admitted she was excited, but scared. Reggie, she discovered, is a complex character, emotional but strong. Emotional, only able to cry when she is alone.

Allison, playing Reggie’s mother, finds connecting with her character difficult because of the age difference. Yes, of course, but as an actor she knows and appreciates the need and value of being willing to stretch beyond her teen-age reality.

This is what makes these teens actors: trusting K-Mart to take them into dark places for a visit where none of them have been, and none of them intend to live.

They are all aware of Columbine. Since the interview, tragedy clouded Platte Canyon High School last week in Bailey. Clouded all of us, for that matter. Last Friday a student shot and killed a high school principal near Madison, Wisconsin. Ironically, when the last sentence was completed, Channel 9 announced a school shooting this morning in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. A truck driver walked into a one-room Amish schoolhouse killing five students, wounding five others.

If these actors struggle to understand Matt Shepard’s death, and horrendous school shootings, they are not alone. The why’s and how come’s of senseless violence stops all of us in our tracks. They are actors carried on the wings by strong belief. Oh, yes they are. I saw it in their eyes. I heard it in their voices. I felt it in their laughter. Serious as they are about this production, they play, they tease, they laugh, they joke. When I first entered the theatre, there they were horsing around on stage, laughing, and being silly. kryssi encourages them as being a vital important part of the process. Laughing, having a good time and being silly remain a major part of being a high school student, an aspect too often lost in the adult world.

Bereft of local media coverage, these actors are getting some national attention. Leigh Fondakowski, the head writer on The Laramie Project will be coming to talk with the cast, crew and clubs involved with the show after school October 11. kryssi indicated it was because of “determination and good luck.” I personally happen to think it is kryssi’s magical determination supported by some amazing thespians, and a writer who sees what I see, and hears what I hear.

These kids, these students, these young actors willing to stretch their artistic sensibilities, who are willing to take a stand, who find courage in their scared-ness, who celebrate diversity, who really want to make a difference are my heroes. There has been some flack, but they persevere. They are in all honesty the wind beneath my wings. These magnanimous individuals have Hope, Faith, Talent, and most of all Magic that right now they aren’t even aware they possess. In the process, they may even scare themselves, as they get deeper into the process of the complexity of human nature. They have each other to lean upon, and kryssi’s love, wisdom, and artistic finesse to trust, and that could very well be the greatest gift of all. Years from now they will stand in awe of what they were willing to do, to go through to make a difference. In a society surrounded by the dragon’s breath of violence, these very cool kids are in the process of accomplishing something very big, something very important: wanting to effect change. Not an easy trick to pull off by any means, but they can and they will. I have no doubt.

The cast and crew of LHS’s production of The Laramie Project drive me to my knees in great appreciation for the privilege of doing what I do. They have already succeeded in their goal, and I haven’t even seen the show yet with critic’s pen in hand.

“Each of us has a role, just as Matthew had, and as I have to make the world a better place. My question to you is when you leave today what will YOU do to make the world a better place? What is your role?” Romaine said it first. Now a cast of high school students says it with strength and power, tempered with a slight edge of trepidation, cushioned with a whole lot of grace.