A death can affect a town or community in many ways. When a person dies, people look at how the person lived and the qualities that encompassed that person. One would most likely choose to look at the good aspects of that person. However, when a hate crime is committed, what you look at and see may be different. What is it that made the deceased a target of the crime? The play The Laramie Project shows how a hate crime tears a town apart. It is self-described as “examining the difference between tolerance and acceptance.” It tells the true story of the town of Laramie, Wyoming after Matthew Shepard, a gay college student, was brutally murdered.

On January 23 at 7 p.m., eight actors took on the roles of the citizens of Laramie. They shared their stories, their feelings, and their reactions towards the situation. The play was filled with tear-jerking moments and times where the whole theater was silent, and all you could hear was the occasional sniffle. I believe everyone left with an understanding of how serious a hate crime can be. It was hard to see how much people can hate, but at the same time it was nice to see how many people actually cared.

The students of St. Dominic RHS that attended the play were also moved by it. We had heard about Matthew Shepard, but never knew the full extent of the story. I believe the actors made each and every character different. They had the ability to transform from one person to another flawlessly in an instant.

This was by far one of the best plays I have ever seen. If another opportunity shows up for you to see The Laramie Project, I would highly suggest that you take the time and go see it. Go discover how a hate crime can affect people not only in a town, but people all over the world.