Two plays search out the painful interaction of humanity and inhumanity

By John Ginn
The Entertainer

Making sense of the senseless, trying to find the humanity behind acts that are often labeled "inhuman" — these are the goals of two plays opening in the mid-valley this week.

On Nov. 13, Oregon State University Theatre Department opens "The Laramie Project," a powerful play about one town's struggle to come to grips with a horrific hate crime.

On Nov. 14, thriving theatre!, an independent theater group, closes its second season with "Stop Kiss," a play that focuses on the developing relationship between two young women, and the devastating results of an attack prompted by their love.

"The Laramie Project," developed by Moises Kaufman and his Tectonic Theater Project, grew out of Kaufman's interest in the Matthew Shepard case. In early October 1998, Shepard was robbed, beaten and tied to a fence along a lonely country road and left to die in the frigid night air. When caught, his murderers claimed that Shepard, a gay man, had propositioned them in a local tavern. Though such brutal attacks are certainly not an isolated incident, the Shepard case grabbed the nation's attention the way other cases did not. Several gays are beaten and killed each year for their sexual orientation — Shepard, though, was the first who was literally crucified.

"Gay" is a label, a reductionist term to dehumanize someone to the simplest level possible, as if the vastness that comprises a person can be summed neatly into one three-letter word. Following the crime, the citizens of Laramie found themselves reduced and tarnished by similar labels: "redneck," "hicks," "gaybashers," "hate mongers."

In the year and a half following Shepard's death, Kaufman and the members of his theater group made six trips to Laramie, interviewing more than 200 people from all viewpoints. Using their own words, along with journal entries of company members, "The Laramie Project" does its best to destroy, ban and abolish labels to reveal the human face behind the urge to demonize and blame.

The play — if that is the right word for this piece — moves with the blended swiftness of a live-action documentary. Twelve actors play 80 roles as the citizens of Laramie tell their own story in brief vignettes and monologues. The aggregate reveals a town that is shocked, ashamed, ambivalent, angry, mournful and hopeful, and what they want the world to know is that they are more complex, varied and thoughtful than the stereotype to which they've been reduced by the actions of two ignorant and self-serving men.

Joining the cast are three local religious leaders — each in turn at separate performances, the Rev. John Henderson (St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church) and the Revs. William McCarthy and Wes Sedlacek, both of Good Samaritan Episcopal Church — who will portray Father Roger Schmit, the Catholic priest in Laramie who organized the vigil for Shepard.

Members of the ensemble are Bryce D. Bumgarner, Emily Chovanec, John Clemson, Ethan Demarest, Clinton Downs, Rob Hazel, Beth Mannion, Allison Miller, Bob Simons, Angie Weeks, Helen West and Kim Wilson. Several students are making their University Theatre debut, including Helen West, a British student, who is on exchange from Lancaster University in England.

There will be post-show discussions held after the Friday, Nov. 14 and 21, performances. All are invited to attend. Various organizations from the OSU campus such as Team Liberation will be involved in the post-show discussions as well as the director, Charlotte Headrick, and the cast. The Nov. 21 performance will be narratively described for the visually impaired and also signed for the hearing impaired.

This play is for mature audiences and contains language that some people may find objectionable.

‘Stop Kiss'

The scope of "The Laramie Project" is narrowed down to the specific in Diana Son's "Stop Kiss." Where "Laramie" shows the ripples flowing outward from an act of hate, "Stop Kiss" shows those ripples flowing back and forth in time. The story is revealed in a series of flashbacks and fast forwards until the two sections of the play come together at the point of impact — the conclusion of one storyline is the catalyst that spawns the other.

"Laramie" builds its impact over time with its patient insistence of humanity over labels. "Stop Kiss" is instantly intimate with its focus on characters and the difficulties inherent in any blooming romance. With its time-shifting, the impact is enhanced — the audience can see the danger looming and so is asked to experience conflicting emotions of hope for the women and dread of what's to come.

The front story is about Callie and Sara, two young women trying to make their way in New York City. Callie, a traffic reporter for a local radio station, has agreed as a favor to another friend to take care of a cat owned by Sara. When Sara brings the cat to Callie's apartment, the two women hit it off and become instant friends. Each woman has a long history with dating men, so it comes as a shock to both of them to find their friendship slowly growing into a relationship neither one of them might have ever expected.

The backend story shows Callie, alone, dealing with an incident that is not explained at first. Something horrible has happened, but the audience is left to gradually fill in the pieces.

The play is remarkable for its blending of tragedy and comedy. There is much humor found in the relationship story, then gray despair in the flash-forward scenes. The two elements are extremely well balanced; the audience leaves the theater with a mixture of thoughts and feelings instead of a feeling of gloom that might have prevailed had the story been told in a straight linear fashion.

The role of Callie is a real challenge for the actress playing her. Callie is required to go from giddy highs to despairing lows within the space of a blackout. Kimberly Gifford handles the mood shifts ably as Callie; she is well-matched by Elle Poindexter as Sara, the more courageous of the two. "Stop Kiss" is perfectly suited for Gifford and Poindexter, who co-founded thriving theatre! with the idea of bringing challenging material to community audiences.

Others in the cast are Paul Huppert as George, Ayla Rau as Mrs. Winsley, Big Brad as Detective Cole, Ken Richter as Peter and Kristin Lohrenz as the Nurse.

An Opening Sunday Outreach performance is Nov. 16. That night, a portion of the proceeds will go to the Community Alliance for Diversity.

If you go

‘The Laramie Project'

What: "The Laramie Project," by Moises Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater Project, staged by OSU Theater Department, directed by Charlotte Headrick.

When: 7:30 p.m. Nov. 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22.

Where: Withycombe Theater, 30th Street and Campus Way, Oregon State University.

Tickets: $9 general, $6 seniors, $5 students. Tickets are available at the box office at 6:45 p.m. Theatre box office, 737-2784.

Content advisory: This play is for mature audiences and contains language which some people may find objectionable.

‘Stop Kiss'

What: "Stop Kiss" by Diana Son. Produced by thriving theatre!

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday through Sunday, Nov. 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23.

Where: Platinum, 126 N.W. Fourth St., Corvallis

Tickets: $10 per person. Reserve tickets by email, thrivingtheatre@yahoo.com.

Content advisory: Adult subject matter and language.

Information: www.thrivingtheatre.org