Opinions News
Sowing seeds of tolerance
del.icio.us
Digg
NewsVine
Fark Our biggest concern over the Rapid City production of “The Laramie Project” at the Central High School theater this week is that all the performances will be soldout before we have a chance to get a ticket.
A group of community members, which includes some Central High School staff and students, will perform the play today, Friday and Saturday as a fundraiser for CHS drama students. “The Laramie Project” is an intense emotional drama that explores the reaction of Laramie, Wyo., residents to the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student who was beaten to death there in 1998.
Some critics of “The Laramie Project” believe the play has a political agenda that promotes the acceptance of homosexuality and encourages the use of hate- crimes legislation to protect an alternative lifestyle at the expense of more traditional ones. They object to the school hosting the play because they think it is too political, too controversial, too divisive.
We disagree.
Asking high school age kids to look closely at the seeds of violence and the consequences of hatred should be encouraged by our educational system, not discouraged. Justin Speck is the theater teacher at CHS and the director of “The Laramie Project.” He’s excited about the educational opportunities the play affords, including a panel discussion following the 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday performances.
But he’s also sensitive to fears about the play, which he said are mostly caused by misinformation.
Speck promises a thought- provoking piece of mature theater, not a biased glorification of an alternative lifestyle. We hope critics of “The Laramie Project” will take Speck up on his invitation to see the play and judge it on its merits. We also hope playgoers will pay attention to warnings that young children will not be allowed in the audience and that the play contains strong language. Some material may not be appropriate for children younger than 13.
But no matter what conclusions audience members draw about the value of “The Laramie Project,” it is wrong to criticize the Rapid City School Board or the administration at Central High School for promoting it.
The school administration is simply hosting a public event at its theater, not sanctioning the play or its message under the auspices of the Rapid City School District. “The Laramie Project” is sponsored by the parent and community group Advocates for Creative Theater Students, which rented the stage and is paying Speck as the director.
ACTS’ goal is not to promote homosexuality but to raise funds for theater projects, including a summer trip to Greece for CHS theater students.
If they can also raise awareness about prejudice and intolerance, so much the better.
The opinions above are from readers of rapidcityjournal.com and in no way represent the views of the Rapid City Journal or Lee Enterprises.
Rapidcityjournal.com provides this community forum for readers to exchange ideas and opinions on the news of the day. Passionate views, pointed criticism and critical thinking are welcome. Name-calling, crude language and personal abuse are not welcome. Moderators will monitor comments with an eye toward maintaining a high level of civility in this forum. Our comment policy explains the rules of the road for registered commenters.
If you don't see your comment, perhaps...
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy