The lights dim, and a small ensemble walks onto the stage. Immediately, the audience is thrown headfirst into “The Laramie Project.” Built on interviews conducted by the Tectonic Theater Project with real Laramie residents, the play focuses on the town’s reaction to the anti-gay hate crime that took the life of university student Matthew Shepard.

DVHS Drama brought “The Laramie Project,” previously performed at DV in 2011, back, 14 years later. The production, which ran from Oct. 23 to 25, weaves together stories into an extraordinary collage that stands apart from recent DV plays.

“If you were to think of last year, we did ‘The Addams Family.’ There was nothing really crazy about it…but this one’s [different], since it’s kind of almost like a documentary,” cast member senior Mausam Saha commented.

From the start, “The Laramie Project” lands emotionally. With a smaller cast, actors juggle multiple roles, each one distinct in their attitude and behavior. Most impressive is the cast’s ability to fully capture their characters’ nuances, whether it’s through posture, accents or costumes.

Subtle details, like the indifferent slouch of Aaron McKinney (Cole Widdowson), one of Matthew Shepard’s murderers, made for a striking image in his electric-orange prisoner jumpsuit, and the drawling Midwestern accent of Alison Mears (Natalie Aires) helped root the story in its Wyoming setting. The ensemble’s ability to embody such a wide range of attitudes – whether prejudiced, forgiving, oblivious or reflective – was astounding.

“You have to differentiate all of your characters from each other, because [Mr. Vega] purposely tries to cast you in similar roles so that you aren’t something completely different,” Saha explained.  

Freshman and cast member Cole Widdowson also pointed out the production’s commitment to authenticity: “We all focus very much on playing our characters truthfully, instead of so much stressing about specific hand gestures or sounding good.”

Nearly every Laramie resident that the members of the Tectonic Theater Project encounter is different in some way, and these interactions expose the rawest forms of humanity. The bits of humor layered into the play also help make the performances more compelling, while still retaining the gravity of the situation. 

Highlights of the show include a scene in which the entire ensemble lines up for a touching candlelight vigil to honor the death of Matthew Shepard. Bright projections of images from actual candlelight vigils for Shepard glow serenely behind them, serving as a heartwrenching reminder of the real lives touched by this story.

Another memorable moment is the introduction of Romaine Patterson (Jess Goyal)’s Angel Action. A friend of Matthew Shepard, she founded the movement as a peaceful protest after Shepard’s murder by dressing individuals in broad white angel wings, creating a silent barrier between Shepard-family supporters and hateful anti-gay protestors during the Matthew Shepard murder trials. On stage, the massive angel wings built by the crew physically block the audience from the hate speech signs, further cementing the wings as a powerful symbol of peace and solidarity. 

Saha noted the angel wings as a crucial part of “The Laramie Project,” believing that the scene “really stands for making sure that you know what’s truly moral, [even though] sometimes it’s hard to judge whether something’s moral or not, considering your biases.”

The integration of the song “Amazing Grace” into a similar scene also adds to the emotional intensity of the play, as the voices of the whole cast unite to drown out the homophobic rhetoric of protestors.

The structure of “The Laramie Project” wouldn’t be complete without its lighting effects. Throughout the performance, family members, eyewitnesses and reporters step in and out of the spotlight as they recount the story, giving it a true documentary feeling. Cast members switch places and costumes deliberately, keeping the scenes fresh and the pacing even.

The play comes to a thoughtful end as the theater company wraps up their investigation, in order to head home to New York to produce the play. Laramie residents reflect on how the murder has changed their lives, and yet some feel frustrated by a lack of progress in protecting the gay community, encouraging the audience to ponder the legacy of Shepard’s death. But by bringing the verbatim words of the people of Laramie to life, it’s clear that the company has achieved their goal of transforming a dark tragedy into an everlasting and unforgettable piece of theatre.

“Our main message is just love one another. Be respectful of each other to not have another incident like Matthew Shepard happen again,” Widdowson stressed.

All in all, DVHS Drama tackles the murder of Shepard in a way that resonates with authenticity, honoring the legacy of the play with great sensitivity and care. The precise storytelling and raw performances make it a powerful piece of art that will stay with audiences long after they’ve left the theater.