This is an undated photo of University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard, 22, who was beaten, burned and tied to a fence near Laramie, Wyo., on the night of Oct. 6, 1998, reportedly for being openly gay. He died from severe head injuries six days later in a Fort Collins, Colo., hospital. “The Laramie Project,” a play about the case, will be presented this weekend by the high school Theatre Department at Signal Mountain Middle/High School.A fundraising auction and a provocative drama are on the books this weekend at Signal Mountain Middle/High School, 2650 Sam Powell Trail.
Tonight, Oct. 27, the middle school’s eighth-graders will host a silent auction to benefit the Red Wolf Species Survival Plan breeding program at Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center.
The red wolf is a critically endangered species – so endangered that it has been classified as extinct in the wild – and is only being maintained through captive breeding programs like the one at the Nature Center.
“These programs are expensive but are essential for maintaining the species until a method can be found for reintroducing them successfully into the wild,” says a news release from organizers.
The money from the silent auction will be donated directly to the program.
The auction will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. in the gymnasium. Participants may bid on theme baskets prepared by students, their families and community sponsors.
Food will be available, and students will be on hand to share information about the issue through discussion and project boards.
Tish Gailmard, an expert on the red wolf breeding program, will speak from 7 to 7:30 p.m. Auction winners will be announced at 8 p.m. Winners not present will be contacted by phone or email.
Meanwhile, the high school Theatre Department will present “The Laramie Project” in three shows through the weekend. Written by Moises Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project, the play deals with the reaction to the 1998 murder of a gay college student, Matthew Shepard, in Laramie, Wyo. The murder was denounced as a hate crime and brought attention to the lack of hate crime laws in various states.
The play draws on hundreds of interviews the theater company conducted with residents of the town, company members’ journal entries and published news accounts. It’s presented in a series of short scenes divided into three acts.
Performances are scheduled at 7:30 p.m. today through Saturday, Oct. 27-29. The Friday night show is Alumni Night and Talkback Night, when the audience will be able to interact with the cast and crew.
Tickets are $10 for adults, $7 for students. They may be purchased at the door or through a link at www.smmhs.hcde.org.
For more information on either event, call 423-886-0880.