Students rehearse scenes from the West Park Players’ production of “The Laramie Project.” OCEAN TOWNSHIP – The controversy that surrounded Ocean Township High School’s upcoming production of “The Laramie Project” has provided the opportunity for dialogue and growth, according to students in the cast.
“I feel like we are doing something really important. We are bringing a message of tolerance to the other kids in the school. We explained what happened here and maybe the knowledge will prevent such things from happening in the future,” said OTHS student Robert Accera.
Accera, vice president of the drama club, believes performing in “The Laramie Project” has spurred his growth as an actor.
Senior Erin Brantigan concurs.
“As an actor, being in this play helped me express different emotions on stage. I never knew how to be so sad on stage that I was at the brink of tears. This show makes you go from the greatest heights to terrible lows,” said Brantigan, West Park Players drama club president.
Both agree that that message needs to be sent because the same scenario could happen in Ocean Township, in Monmouth County, in the state of New Jersey … or anywhere.
“The Laramie Project” will debut Thursday, Nov. 1, at Ocean Township High School ending one of the most difficult periods in the school district’s history.
The controversy stemmed from the school administration’s original decision not to stage the production over the objections of the high school’s 11-year play director, Robert Angelini.
It culminated with the challenge of gay and lesbian rights groups promising to storm the Board of Education meeting if the decision was not reversed. Critical newspaper articles were written about the district, and the incident became fodder for talk radio.
“The Laramie Project” is a documentary style play about how a Wyoming town dealt with the horrific death of Matthew Shepard, a college student, who was beaten to death in 1998 by two locals because of his homosexuality.
A nonprofit theater troupe, the Tectonic Theatre project, led by a gay playwright Moisés Kaufman, interviewed the townspeople of Laramie for several weeks. Their interviews formed the basis of the play. To date, the play has been performed off-Broadway, in community theaters and in high schools throughout the country.
Ocean Township Schools Superintendent Thomas Pagano explains, “The principal [Julia Davidow] and I were never against the play. We have used the HBO version in our classrooms for our Holocaust units. However, as superintendent for all of Ocean Township’s children who traditionally attend our high school plays, I felt the play was poignant, brutal and very intense. You have to have the maturity to understand what is being inferred.”
Once the decision to abort the play became public, reaction was swift. At one point, Pagano received more than 1,000 emails from all over the country (and as far away as England), some respectful, and some quite inflammatory, all disagreeing with his decision.
When he reversed his decision, he received a similar flood of e-mails from different sources criticizing (and sometimes condemning) him for “caving.”
“The superintendent’s job is not for the feint of heart,” Pagano remarked.
He added, “What angered me the most is that our school, our students, became the fulcrum in a balance of opposing ideologies. I don’t think our kids should be the issue in an ideological battle. Bob Angelini and I had the best interests of our students at heart, but these outside groups did not.”
Angelini stated, “I believe the best thing that came out of this whole controversy is that people have an opportunity to talk about the play – the communication is very important.”
He felt that the gay protagonist of “The Laramie Project” could easily be substituted with a victim of any group that has been persecuted for simply being who they are.
Now he would prefer to leave the controversy behind and concentrate on the students who have done an amazing job with a complex play.
“These kids are so talented; this is a very challenging play because there are so many characters and the students are all playing multiple roles, which really show off their abilities.”
The school administration is also taking the opportunity to use this play as a teaching tool for every student in the school. Four, 40-minute abridged performances of “The Laramie Project” will be presented to each grade level of the school.
In every English class, students will discuss the many issues of the play – tolerance, bigotry, homophobia, etc. – with their teachers before the performance and follow up with their impressions and thoughts afterward.
Student actor and freshman Ben Shutman thinks this is a very positive step taken by the school district.
“I believe if they [the students] see the 40-minute excerpts and see how powerful the play is, they will come back to see the whole show.”
He adds, “It makes you think how someone could have such belligerence to hurt someone so badly because of a sexual difference. I don’t understand how people could be so narrow-minded.”
As is often the case in life, adversity sometimes breeds opportunity. The controversy caught the attention of Asbury Park developers Madison Marquette. The developers offered to underwrite all expenses for the West Park Players to give two benefit performances of “The Laramie Project” at the Paramount Theatre in Asbury Park on Nov. 16 and 17. All proceeds from these two performances will be split among the Center in Asbury Park, the Matthew Shepard Foundation and a portion will also be donated to the Tectonic Theatre Project that created the original play.
Angelini is gratified.
“It think it is really, really important that the kids give something back,” he said.
In that spirit, the proceeds from one of the four weekend performances at Ocean Township High School will be donated to the high school’s Gay, Straight Alliance (GSA), which has operated in the school for a number of years.
Its president, Rachel Stine, who also appears in “The Laramie Project,” was one of many who beseeched the Board of Education to reinstate the play when the original controversy erupted. For the most part, she said, her school and principal have been very supportive of the GSA, which brings awareness and tolerance of sexual diversity to the student body.
In another positive outcome, the school district will be sponsoring the actors on a school trip to hear the Moisés Kaufman lecture at Ocean County College Oct. 29. Kaufman may also attend one of the West Park Players performances of his play.
In retrospect, Pagano said that he most regrets all the negative publicity this incident brought to a fine and diverse high school.
“I am glad that we have moved forward with this play,” he said. “It is beneficial for our high school students; the message of tolerance and respect for others is something that can’t really be emphasized enough. Any program you can use as a teaching tool is a good thing. This play will be a good thing.”
The Laramie Project will be performed at Ocean Township High School, 550 West Park Ave., Nov. 1-4. Tickets are $10, $8 seniors and students.
For times and ticket information, visit www.westparkplayers.com.