By Jeff Petersen

Observer Staff Writer

The timing could not be better to stage "The Laramie Project" in La Grande, said Director Christopher Plummer.

"Why this play is so important is we're living in a time when people are not the most tolerant, no matter what side of the political equation they're on," Plummer said. "There can be two sides, and if we talk about it in a civil way we can walk away friends. (Because of the war with Iraq and other issues), the country is polarized now. (‘The Laramie Project') shows the value of communications."

The deeply moving true story of a western town's journey into hate and compassion, "The Laramie Project" will be staged April 17-19 at 8 p.m. in the Schwarz Theatre on the Eastern Oregon University campus. Tickets for the show in the round, playing to 360 degrees, are $4 for seniors and students, $6 for general admission. The show is designed for mature audiences.

Work on the project began soon after gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepherd, 21, was murdered in Wyoming in October 1998. Textonic Theatre Project of New York headed by Moises Kauffman decided to document the reaction, to probe how this situation could happen in a seemingly innocent center of education like Laramie.

The eight company members plus Moises headed to Laramie, population 27,000. Over about two years they interviewed 200 people — from the university, social services, the sheriff's department, local religious leaders, more. The company members also scoped out court documents, trial transcripts, statements and other documentary sources to create the 2 1/2-hour show.

The show is about slices of life.

"In a really crafty way they broke the show down into moments," Plummer said. "They show you moments from the trial, moments from interviews and conversations, taking high points and low points of what happened."

Scenes take place in the Fireside Bar, at the funeral and in the courtroom.

"What the show really brings out is that it could have happened anywhere, not just Laramie," Plummer said. "There are good people and bad people in Laramie, just like any other town in the U.S."

Costume designer Judy Seydel's work proved just that. She was on a vacation anyway and stopped by Laramie to do photo research.

"One of the things I found striking about her photos was how similar Laramie is to La Grande," Plummer said.

In Plummer's research for the show, he also read the book "Losing Matt Shepherd" by Beth Loffreda, a University of Wyoming professor of women's studies and history. She wrote an insider's point of view about what happened leading up to, during and after the hate crime.

"It goes into the socioeconomics of Laramie, which are quite similar to La Grande," Plummer said.

The great thing about the show is it focuses on the townspeople, Plummer said.

"There are gay characters in the show, but there is so much more than that."

Shepherd, however, is not a character in the show. He's talked about, but he's never physically on stage.

Each of the actors portray about 11 characters.

The soundtrack, meantime, resulted from each cast member offering a song that brings out some aspect of the play.

With the songs playing in the background, the show examines all sides of many issues from race and religion to sexual orientation, Plummer said. One of his favorite characters is a Catholic priest who promotes tolerance in the community and whose big frustration is that more people didn't come out to stand up for tolerance.

"Each side has an equal say," he said. "My favorite thing about the show is it will open up conversations from either side, make people think whether they're the most liberal person that walks in to the theater to the most conservative."

Plummer stressed that it's not a controversial show.

"There are so many plays that have overt sexuality, push the envelope on cussing, or other things people get upset about," he said. "This show is about dialogue, getting to know people. It talks about hot-button issues but in a respectable way."

The show shines a light on the possibility of history repeating itself, such as the pre-Nazi Germany law that made open homosexuality illegal, which eventually led to the arrest and extermination of more than 100,000 homosexuals.

The show also shines a light on the press. A big issue in "The Laramie Project" is how unfairly the people of Laramie were treated when the national press stormed into town and elbowed the local press out of the way.

The national press came in and scared the community so badly there was a gag order from the court and the people wouldn't talk to the press. The press were going to the bars and talking to drunken patrons and using each other as official sources.

The mass media feeding frenzy culminates in a national news show displaying behind the news anchor a picture of the state of Wyoming dripping blood

"They portrayed Wyoming as a murderous, bloodthirsty state," Plummer said, "when in fact the murder rate there is much lower than in California, New York or Detroit."

Plummer said he appreciates how supportive the community has been in the weeks leading up to the staging. He said that's appropriate.

"The show is mainly about community," Plummer said, "how they react, the lessons they've learned and how they've grown."