Chicago Tribune - October 24, 2003
Bonnie Miller Rubin and Nancy Munson, Tribune staff reporters

But another drama is taking place outside the spotlight, with some parents calling for cancellation and threatening to protest "The Laramie Project," based on the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay student in Laramie, Wyo.

To some people, the play--which opened Thursday night at Prospect in Mt. Prospect and Hersey High School in Arlington Heights--is a lesson in tolerance. To others, it turns homosexuality into "just another lifestyle choice" and Shepard into a martyr.

"It is nothing more than an opportunity to push a homosexual agenda," said Bruce Tincknell, one of the play's most vocal opponents. His daughter is a senior at Prospect.

At Mendota High School, "The Laramie Project" was scheduled to open Oct. 31 but was yanked this week because of a copyright problem. When Amy Henley, the drama director at the school about 100 miles west of Chicago, edited out some profanity and scenes she thought were inappropriate for a high school audience, she was warned by opponents that she was in violation of copyright laws. After checking with the company that sold the school the rights to the play, she was told that permission to change the script would not be granted, and six weeks of work went down the drain.

"I thought it was time for something modern," said Henley, who added that she considered her conservative town's sensibilities when making directorial decisions. "We had a lot [of students] try out . . . who really believe in the whole idea of the play, which is acceptance."

The controversy is playing out in high schools across the nation, as educators wrestle with the mission of high school theater and parents rally against some productions.

In Amherst, Mass., it was "West Side Story"--shut down because of its gang culture. In Knappa, Ore., outrage canceled "Dark of the Moon," a 1940s drama perceived by some people to be anti-Christian. In Indianapolis, "To Kill a Mockingbird" was pulled because of racial epithets. Other staples of student drama groups--such as "A Christmas Carol"-- have been targeted by parents who find certain themes and language objectionable.

The current climate can have a chilling effect on educators who find it safer to stick to "The Sound of Music" and "Cinderella" rather than attempt more provocative material, said Carol Harms, a teacher at Belleville East High School and past president of the Illinois Speech and Theater Association. "I'd say we are more timid of looking at something else. You think that maybe this is better left to college."

That didn't occur to John Marquette, the director at Prospect High, who hailed "The Laramie Project" as "an important piece of contemporary theater" and one of the most significant shows of his career.

"This isn't about homosexuality," said Marquette, who has put on more than 100 student productions over four decades. "It's about understanding and accepting people who are different."

However, few productions have touched such a raw nerve. Even though it has been only five years since Shepard's slaying, the play, by Moises Kaufman, has quickly been embraced by about 400 high school drama groups, including Naperville North, Rolling Meadows, and Stevenson in Lincolnshire. When the drama was produced last year at Naperville North, it generated a few complaints. But at Rolling Meadows--another District 214 school--it came off without a hitch, as it did at Stevenson, according to school officials.

Its popularity irks Peter LaBarbera, director of the Illinois Family Institute, a group that advocates a "pro-family" agenda. He sees the Shepard story as distorting the facts and glossing over sordid details.

"There are lots of stories about man's inhumanity to man," he said. "Why choose this man? Why glorify someone who had HIV by the age of 21? Who had a history of seeking new sexual partners in bars? While we strongly denounce the murder of Matthew Shepard, we would never elevate this confused young man as a role model for teens."

Said George Toth, an Arlington Heights parent: "They call it tolerance, but it's really about acceptance and celebration of homosexuality. . . . We are the taxpayers . . . and schools need to remember that."

Tincknell is so convinced that the play is at odds with his community's values that he has hired a survey company to solicit the opinions of 300 parents.

But Marquette is unfazed.

"Would I do it again? Absolutely," he said. "We have an obligation to show all sides of a situation so students can make an informed judgment rather than a prejudicial one. At a time when we have more than enough hazing, name-calling and nastiness in high schools, this message is an important one."

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