Friend of slain gay student to speak in Perryville

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- A friend of slain gay Wyoming college student Matthew Shepard will speak this week in Perryville and Cape Girardeau to drum up support and interest for St. Vincent Senior High School's production of "The Laramie Project" and share insights on how intolerance leads to violence.

Jim Osborn of Laramie, Wy0., will be in Perryville Feb. 27 to 29 to share his take on these events, on spreading tolerance and on the personal side of Matthew Shepard. The presentation will be at the Perry Park Center Theatre at 7 p.m. on Friday. Osborn will also speak in Cape Girardeau on Saturday, at a place and time to be determined this week.

Broadway to Perryville

In the fall of 2000, drama teacher Tim Thompson read a great deal about the emotional Broadway show. Shortly after the 1998 abduction, brutalization and murder of Matthew Shepard in Laramie, playwright Moises Kaufmann and his theater company, Tectonic Theatre, traveled there to interview the populace about the incident, the hate that led up to it and current sentiment.

Kaufmann sent Thompson a manuscript and permission to take 30 minutes from the script. St. Vincent then became the first high school in the country to produce "The Laramie Project" and in spring 2001 tied for second place at the MSHSAA District Speech Contest. Thompson said the judges were a little uncomfortable with the subject matter.

"There were a few comments from some that thought it was a little too mature and that I was perhaps pushing the kids into material they wouldn't fully understand," he said.

But that may be because people can misunderstand the play's theme of practicing tolerance over hatred, he said.

"It's not a gay rights play or a pro-gay play," Thompson said. "It's a human rights play, an anti-hate play and an anti-discrimination play. ... The audience will leave with the impression, 'He was gay, but is that a reason to kill somebody?' The answer is 'no.' Hatred leads to tragedy."

As the class began planning this season's theme, "Celebrating the Differences In Everyone," Thompson spoke with the parish priest, who suggested a revival of the play, he said.

"I basically said to the class, 'Here's the show. Is there going to be a problem with it?'" Thompson said. "They said, 'Hey, we'll do it.'"

The show dates are March 12 and 13 at 7 p.m. and March 14 at 2 p.m. Tickets are available at the Perry Park Center box office. The cast of 14 students and Thompson each take on about six roles. The show features a multimedia backdrop of images from the events of 1998.

Few complaints

The project has received local animosity, though no parents have raised an issue, Thompson said. A former student sent a letter of protest and two residents called in concerns.

"There's really been more support than opposition," he said.

To promote the local production, Thompson sought those who were either connected with or familiar with the project. That's when he came across Jim Osborn, who met Shepard while both were at the University of Wyoming. Osborn waived any fee, beyond airfare and accommodations. The Perryville Rotary Club is providing the finances for bringing him here.

"I am continually amazed at the number of high schools performing 'The Laramie Project,'" Osborn said. "The play is about hatred and violence, not about whether it's right or wrong to be gay."

mwells@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 160